How Much Does a Pool Cost in Los Angeles in 2026?
Planning ranges for an essential gunite pool, a pool with raised spa and deck, and a resort backyard, by San Fernando Valley neighborhood; what is inside the number, the permits a pool needs and how long it takes.
Pool cost in Los Angeles (2026) across the San Fernando Valley: Essential Pool $65K–$95K; Pool, Spa & Deck $95K–$150K; Resort Backyard $150K–$250K+. Budget roughly 8–16 weeks of construction once permits are issued, plus design, engineering and plan-check time before that; hillside lots, long equipment runs and raised spas move a project inside its range.
Planning ranges from Right Image Builders' neighborhood pages; the fixed price follows a free design visit. Licensed general contractor, CSLB #1021284, based in Valley Glen.
A residential pool is an engineered structure built by several trades in sequence, and its price is set by the shell (size, depth and shape), the spa and water features attached to it, the equipment, and the deck and landscape around it. The tiers below are Right Image Builders' 2026 planning ranges across the San Fernando Valley.
| Tier | Planning range | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Pool | $65K–$95K | Engineered gunite shell, waterline tile and coping, standard equipment with a variable-speed pump, basic surround, permits and inspections included. |
| Pool, Spa & Deck | $95K–$150K | Everything above plus an attached or raised spa, heater and gas run, upgraded finish, and a full travertine or paver deck — the most common Valley project. |
| Resort Backyard | $150K–$250K+ | Custom shell and extended hardscape with stone water features, fire elements, outdoor kitchen or pergola, lighting, and landscape — the whole yard under one contract. |
Pool cost by neighborhood
Each neighborhood page carries its own table, built from the lots we work on there: a flat 7,000 sq ft tract lot in Van Nuys is the simplest build; a hillside lot in Sherman Oaks or Studio City needs soils and structural engineering, caissons or retaining, and access for the excavator and the gunite rig.
| Neighborhood | Essential pool | Pool, spa & deck | Resort backyard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Nuys | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
| Sherman Oaks | $70K–$105K | $105K–$165K | $165K–$300K+ |
| Encino | $75K–$115K | $115K–$185K | $185K–$350K+ |
| Studio City | $75K–$110K | $120K–$190K | $190K–$325K+ |
| Valley Village | $58K–$88K | $90K–$145K | $145K–$240K+ |
| North Hollywood | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
| Toluca Lake | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
| Burbank | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
| Tarzana | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
| Woodland Hills | $65K–$95K | $95K–$150K | $150K–$250K+ |
What is inside the number
1. Design, engineering and permits
Construction drawings, a structural set stamped by an engineer (soils report on hillside lots), and the permits: a building permit for the shell, electrical for bonding and equipment, plumbing for gas and water, and the LADBS or city inspections at steel, pre-plaster and final. Safety barriers and alarms are part of the permit.
2. Excavation and shell
Layout, excavation and haul-off, steel, plumbing rough-in, gunite shell, tile and coping, then plaster. Shape, depth, a tanning shelf, a raised spa and a baja step each add steel and gunite.
3. Equipment and automation
Variable-speed pump, filter, heater (gas or heat pump), chlorinator or salt system, lighting and automation; the run from the pad to the pool and the gas and electrical service to the pad are where equipment budgets move.
4. Deck, drainage and landscape
Concrete, pavers or stone decking, drainage, fencing, lighting and planting; an outdoor kitchen, fire feature or pergola turns a pool into the resort tier.
How long a pool takes
Design and plan check first, then roughly 8–16 weeks of construction once permits are issued: excavation and steel in the first weeks, gunite and a cure period, tile, coping and decking, equipment, plaster and fill. Hillside engineering and HOA review add weeks before the dig.
How to get a real number
Request the free design visit. We measure the yard, check setbacks, easements and the slope, map the equipment and utility runs and put one fixed price in writing for the shell, equipment, deck and permits. Then hire us where you live: Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Burbank, Tarzana, Woodland Hills.
Frequently Asked
Questions
In 2026 planning ranges across the San Fernando Valley: Essential Pool $65K–$95K; Pool, Spa & Deck $95K–$150K; Resort Backyard $150K–$250K+. Shell size and shape, a raised spa, the equipment package and the deck decide where a project lands; the fixed price follows a free design visit.
The essential tier, $65K–$95K, covers a modest gunite pool with standard equipment, tile, coping and a basic deck on a flat lot. A plunge pool is not much cheaper than a modest full-size pool because the engineering, permits, equipment and crews are the same.
A building permit for the shell, an electrical permit for bonding, grounding and equipment, a plumbing permit for gas and water, and inspections at steel, pre-plaster and final, plus the safety-barrier requirements. Inside the City of Los Angeles it is LADBS; Burbank issues its own.
Roughly 8–16 weeks of construction once permits are issued, after design, engineering and plan check. Gunite needs a cure period before tile and plaster, and hillside lots add engineering time before the dig.
Yes: a soils report, structural engineering, caissons or retaining walls and restricted access for the excavator and gunite rig add real cost, which is why the Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Encino tables sit above the flat-lot neighborhoods.
From its Valley Glen office, Right Image Builders (CSLB #1021284) takes a pool from design and engineering through permits, shell, equipment and deck on a single fixed-price contract, with the final payment due after your walkthrough, in Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Burbank, Tarzana, Valley Village and Woodland Hills.
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Find Out What Your Yard
Can Hold
Free design visit across the San Fernando Valley: setbacks, slope, utility runs and an honest range in writing before any drawings.
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