Pool Builders · Los Angeles & the San Fernando Valley

Your Licensed
Pool Builders

New gunite pools, spas, decking, and water features — engineered, permitted, and built by one accountable general contractor. CSLB #1021284, based in Valley Glen.

Right Image Builders designs and builds new swimming pools across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley — engineered gunite shells, attached and raised spas, tile and coping, stone decking, and water features. As a licensed general contractor, we carry the permits, the excavation, the structural work, and every trade under one written fixed-price contract. CSLB #1021284, fully insured. Free on-site quote: (888) 357-9992.

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CSLB #1021284 Licensed & Insured 12+ Years in the Valley 5.0★ · 87 Reviews Written Fixed-Price Contract (888) 357-9992

Why It Matters Who Builds It

A Pool Is Structural
Concrete, Permanently

A swimming pool is the largest piece of engineered concrete most homeowners will ever install. It carries reinforcing steel, a shotcrete shell, hydraulics, bonded electrical, and its own inspection sequence — and once it is in the ground, correcting it is expensive and disruptive. That is why we treat a pool as a construction project first and a landscape feature second.

Hiring a licensed general contractor rather than a pool-only crew changes what you actually get. One company is legally accountable for the permits, the excavation, the shell, the deck, the gas and electrical, and every subcontractor on the property — and carries the liability and workers' compensation insurance while they are there. It also means the pool and the yard around it are designed together, so the deck elevation, the drainage, and the coping meet the way they should.

Permitting is not uniform across Los Angeles, and that trips people up. In the City of LA, pools go through LADBS. Independent cities run their own departments — Burbank permits through its own Building Division and does not use LADBS. Toluca Lake is genuinely split between the two depending on which side of the line your parcel sits. We confirm the correct authority before anything is drawn.

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New pool and raised spa with tile spillway and travertine decking — Right Image Builders

Pool & raised spa · San Fernando Valley, CA

What the Build Includes

Dig to Startup,
One Contract

01

Design & Structural Engineering

Shape, depth, and placement worked against your real lot — setbacks, easements, drainage, and the sight lines from inside the house. The shell is engineered, and where slope or soil demands it, geotechnical work happens before anything is dug.

02

Permits & Inspections

We identify the correct authority — LADBS, or an independent city's own building division — then submit the structural drawings, carry building, electrical, and plumbing approvals through plan check, schedule every inspection, and close the permit at completion.

03

Excavation & Site Access

Layout, dig, and haul-off. Access is the most underestimated variable in Los Angeles: narrow side yards, canyon driveways, and hillside grades decide whether we use compact machines, conveyors, or a crane and pump truck. We price it honestly at the site visit.

04

Steel, Shell, Plumbing & Equipment

Reinforcing steel bonded to code, then the gunite or shotcrete shell and its cure. Circulation and returns are plumbed, the equipment pad is set, and gas and electrical are run for heating — with a variable-speed pump as California energy rules require.

05

Tile, Coping, Decking & Water Features

Waterline tile, coping, and the deck that actually makes the yard usable — travertine, pavers, or finished concrete. Raised spas, stone sheer-descent walls, and spillways are built here, because they are structural elements, not decorative afterthoughts.

06

Safety Barrier, Plaster & Startup

Required drowning-prevention features are designed in from the start rather than bolted on to pass a final. Then plaster, fill, and a supervised startup so the surface cures correctly — ending with your walkthrough and a closed permit.

Recent Pool Work

Built in the Valley

Finished pool and raised spa with blue tile spillway and travertine deck — Right Image Builders
Newly constructed gunite pool with dark coping before decking — Right Image Builders
Stone sheer-descent water feature spilling into a new pool — Right Image Builders
Pool construction detail — Right Image Builders, San Fernando Valley
Completed backyard pool project in the San Fernando Valley — Right Image Builders
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What It Costs

Los Angeles Pool
Construction Pricing

Project TierTypical RangeWhat's Involved
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.

Ranges are typical Los Angeles estimates for planning only and move with size and depth, excavation and access difficulty, decking material, and equipment. Hillside lots cost more than flat ones. You receive a fixed-price contract after the on-site visit.

How We Work

Three Steps.
Zero Surprises.

01

Free On-Site Consultation

We walk your yard, measure access, check setbacks, grade, and overhead lines, and talk through shape, depth, and spa options — with an honest read on cost and timeline before you commit to anything.

02

Design & Fixed-Price Contract

You get the layout and an itemized, fixed-price contract — scope, finishes, equipment, milestone schedule, permits, and payment terms in writing. We then submit to the correct authority and carry plan check.

03

Build & Close the Permit

Excavation through steel, shell, deck, plaster, and startup, with your project lead on-site and every inspection scheduled by us. Final payment is due only after your walkthrough approval.

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Years in the Valley
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Five-Star Reviews
Top 1%
CA Contractors
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Permitted Projects

Pool Construction FAQ

Questions About
Building a Pool

Do I need a permit to build a swimming pool in Los Angeles?+
Yes, always. A residential pool is an engineered structure, and it is never a single permit — a build typically needs a building permit for the shell, electrical for bonding, grounding, and equipment, and plumbing for circulation and any gas line to a heater. In the City of Los Angeles that goes through LADBS. Independent cities run their own counters: Burbank, for example, permits through the City of Burbank Building Division and does not use LADBS at all. We identify the correct authority for your parcel first, then handle drawings, submittal, plan check, and every inspection to a closed permit.
How much does it cost to build a pool in Los Angeles?+
Across the Valley, a new gunite pool generally starts around $65,000, while a pool with an attached spa and a proper deck commonly lands between $95,000 and $150,000. Full resort backyards with extended hardscape, stone water features, and an outdoor kitchen run higher. The variables that actually move the number are size and depth, how hard the excavation and site access are, the decking material, and the equipment package. Hillside lots cost more than flat ones because of grading, retaining, and crane access. All figures are planning estimates pending your consultation.
How long does it take to build a pool?+
Budget roughly 8 to 16 weeks of construction once permits are issued, plus design and plan-check time before that. The work runs in fixed phases: layout and excavation, steel, rough plumbing and electrical, gunite or shotcrete and its cure, tile and coping, decking, equipment set, plaster, then fill and startup. Inspection scheduling, weather, and custom elements such as a raised spa or a sheer-descent wall extend it. You get a phase-by-phase schedule with your contract rather than a vague promise.
What pool safety features does California require?+
California's Swimming Pool Safety Act requires new residential pools and spas to include approved drowning-prevention safety features — commonly an enclosing barrier or fence, a safety pool cover, self-closing and self-latching gates, or alarms on doors leading to the pool area. Current state law requires more than one qualifying feature on a new pool at a single-family home. Because it is verified at inspection, we design the barrier strategy in from the beginning instead of improvising it at the end, and we confirm the exact combination that applies to your property.
Do you build the whole backyard or only the pool?+
The whole backyard, and that is the real reason to hire a general contractor instead of a pool-only crew. Under one written contract we handle the pool shell, raised spa, tile and coping, travertine or paver decking, stone water features and spillways, retaining walls, the gas and electrical runs for heaters or fire features, and outdoor kitchens or pergolas. One company is accountable for how the deck elevation meets the coping and how the yard drains — so there is nobody to point at when trades do not line up.
Which areas do you build pools in?+
We build across the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles from our office in Valley Glen, with dedicated pages for Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Burbank, Tarzana, and Woodland Hills. Local knowledge matters more than it sounds: the permit authority, the soils, and the site access differ meaningfully between a flat Van Nuys tract lot, a Studio City canyon parcel, and a property in Burbank with its own building department. Pick your city below for those specifics.

Free Quote

Build Your
Los Angeles Pool

Tell us about your backyard and we'll get back to you within 4 business hours. We'll bring our license and insurance details in writing to the consultation — no obligation, no pressure.

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