Van Nuys Pool Builder | Right Image Builders

Building in Van Nuys

A Pool Is a Structure,
Not an Accessory

A swimming pool is the largest piece of engineered concrete most homeowners will ever put in the ground. It has structural steel, a shotcrete shell, hydraulics, bonded electrical, and its own inspection schedule — and once it is in, it is permanent. That is why we treat a Van Nuys pool as a construction project first and a landscape feature second.

Van Nuys works in your favor. The neighborhood is mostly flat post-war tract housing with deep rear yards and simple grade, so excavation is usually straightforward and the shell design does not fight the site. The variable that actually decides the schedule and the price is access — how much equipment we can get down the side yard, and whether the gunite has to be pumped over the house.

Because Van Nuys is City of Los Angeles, the pool is permitted through LADBS, with Valley submittals handled at the Van Nuys Development Services Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. Our office is on Burbank Boulevard in Valley Glen, minutes from that counter. One licensed company runs the design, the permit, the dig, the shell, and the deck — and hands you a closed permit at the end.

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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

Design & Structural Engineering

Shape, depth, and placement worked against your actual lot — setbacks, easements, and the sight lines from the house. The shell is engineered, and where soil or slope requires it, we bring in the geotechnical work before anything is dug.

LADBS Permits & Inspections

A pool is rarely one permit. We submit the structural drawings and carry the building, electrical, and plumbing approvals through plan check, schedule every inspection from pre-gunite to final, and close the permit at completion.

Excavation & Site Access

Layout, dig, and haul-off. On tight Van Nuys side yards we use compact machines and conveyors, and when a gate simply will not open wide enough, the spoils and the gunite move over the house. We price access honestly at the site visit.

Steel, Shell, Plumbing & Equipment

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

Tile, Coping, Decking & Water Features

Waterline tile, coping, and the deck that makes the yard usable — travertine, pavers, or broom-finish concrete. This is also where raised spas, stone sheer-descent walls, and spillways get built, because they are structural, not decorative add-ons.

Safety Barrier, Plaster & Startup

The required drowning-prevention features are designed in from the start, not bolted on to pass a final. Then plaster, fill, and a supervised startup so the surface cures correctly — and you get a walkthrough and a closed permit.

Local Conditions

What Actually Matters
on a Van Nuys Lot

Flat lots, deep yards. Most of Van Nuys was built out as single-story tract housing on rectangular lots with real rear-yard depth. That usually means a pool fits without retaining walls or heavy grading — a meaningful cost advantage over the hillside neighborhoods south of Ventura Boulevard.

Access is the real variable. The same tract layout that gives you a deep yard often gives you a narrow side yard between the house and the fence. Whether a compact excavator fits, or whether we need a conveyor and a pump truck, is the single biggest swing in a Van Nuys pool bid. We measure it on day one.

Permits run through LADBS. Van Nuys is City of Los Angeles, so plan check and inspections go through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, with Valley work handled at the Van Nuys Development Services Center. Setbacks from property lines, structures, and any easement are checked at plan review — as is clearance from overhead power lines, which quietly rules out some yard positions.

What It Costs

Van Nuys Pool
Construction Pricing

Project Tier	Typical Range	What'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 typical Van Nuys backyard 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 Van Nuys estimates for planning only and move with size and depth, excavation and access difficulty, decking material, and the equipment package. You receive a fixed-price contract after the on-site visit.

How We Work

Three Steps.
Zero Surprises.

Free On-Site Consultation

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

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 LADBS and carry plan check.

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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Free Quote

Build Your
Van Nuys 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.

Prefer to talk it through?

📞 (888) 357-9992

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Request Received

Thank you — a senior member of our team will reach out within 4 business hours. For anything urgent, call (888) 357-9992.

Van Nuys Pool Builder FAQ

Questions About
Building a Pool

Do I need a permit to build a pool in Van Nuys?+

Yes. A new swimming pool in Van Nuys is permitted through LADBS, because Van Nuys is City of Los Angeles. A pool is not a single permit — it typically involves a building permit for the shell and its structural design, plus electrical for bonding, grounding, and equipment, and plumbing for circulation and any gas line to a heater. The pool also has to respect setbacks from property lines, structures, and easements, and it cannot sit under overhead power lines. We handle the drawings, the submittal, plan check, and every inspection through to a closed permit.

How much does it cost to build a pool in Van Nuys?+

For most Van Nuys backyards, a new gunite pool generally starts around $65,000 and a pool with an attached spa and a proper deck commonly lands in the $95,000 to $150,000 range. Full resort-style backyards with extensive hardscape, water features, and an outdoor kitchen run higher. The biggest cost drivers are size and depth, how difficult the excavation and access are, the decking material, and the equipment package you choose. You get a fixed-price contract after the on-site visit, not a moving target. All figures are planning estimates pending your consultation.

How long does pool construction take?+

Plan on roughly 8 to 16 weeks of construction for a typical Van Nuys pool once permits are issued, plus design and plan-check time before that. The build runs in defined phases: layout and excavation, steel, rough plumbing and electrical, gunite or shotcrete, then a cure period, then tile and coping, decking, equipment set, plaster, and finally fill and startup. Weather, inspection scheduling, and custom features such as a raised spa or a sheer-descent wall can extend it. We give you a phase-by-phase schedule with the contract.

What safety features does California require for a new pool?+

California's Swimming Pool Safety Act requires new residential pools and spas to include approved drowning-prevention safety features — most commonly an enclosing barrier or fence, a safety pool cover, self-closing and self-latching gates, or alarms on doors that open to the pool area. Current state law requires more than one qualifying feature on a new pool at a single-family home. This is checked at inspection, so it is designed into the project from the start rather than added at the end. We confirm the exact combination that applies to your property during design.

Can you build a pool on a small or hard-to-access Van Nuys lot?+

Usually yes. Van Nuys is mostly flat, post-war tract lots, which is good news — the rear yards are often generous and the grade is simple, so excavation is straightforward. The real constraint is side-yard access. When a gate or side yard is too narrow for standard equipment, we use compact excavators, conveyor systems to move spoils, or a crane and pump truck for the gunite. We assess access at the first site visit, because it materially affects both the schedule and the price, and we would rather tell you up front than discover it on day one.

Do you handle the deck, spa, and landscaping too?+

Yes, and that is the advantage of hiring a general contractor rather than a pool-only crew. We build the pool and the backyard around it under one written contract — raised spa, tile and coping, travertine or paver decking, stone water features, retaining walls, the gas line and electrical for a heater or fire feature, and the outdoor kitchen or pergola if you want one. One company is accountable for the whole yard, so nobody is pointing at another trade when a deck elevation and a pool coping do not meet cleanly.

Ready When You Are

Talk to a Licensed
Pool Builder

Free on-site consultation. Written fixed-price contract. One local, licensed team accountable for your Van Nuys pool from excavation to closed permit.

📞 (888) 357-9992

✓

Request Received

Thank you — a senior member of our team will reach out within 4 business hours. For anything urgent, call (888) 357-9992.

Pool Builderin Van Nuys, CA

A Pool Is a Structure,Not an Accessory

Dig to Startup,One Contract