The Stages of a Gunite Pool Build, and What We Guarantee at Each One

Published July 1, 2026

People often ask what actually happens between signing a contract and swimming. A gunite pool is built in a set order, and knowing the sequence makes the eight to twelve week timeline far less mysterious. Here is how a build goes in a Katy backyard, and where our written guarantee attaches at each step.

Layout and Excavation

Everything starts with paint on the grass. We stake the shape, confirm setbacks and utility locations, then bring in a machine to dig. The hole is cut a little oversized to leave room for steel and plumbing. This is also when we confirm the equipment pad location and the run back to the house, so nothing has to be re-trenched later.

Steel, Plumbing, and the Bonding Grid

Next the rebar cage goes in, tied to form the shape of the shell, and the Schedule 40 PVC plumbing is roughed in for the skimmer, main drain, and returns. Before any concrete, we install the NEC 680.26 equipotential bonding grid, an 8 AWG copper loop that ties the steel and equipment together for safety. Our workmanship guarantee on the plumbing starts here, and this phase is inspected before we move on.

Shooting the Gunite Shell

Now the pool takes shape. A crew pneumatically applies gunite over the steel, hand-carving the steps, benches, and tanning ledge as they go. The shell then cures for several days while it is kept damp. This structural shell is the heart of the guarantee, and a well-shot, well-cured shell is what lets a pool stand up to decades of Texas heat. If you are weighing shapes, our gunite pool construction page walks through the options.

Tile, Coping, Deck, and Interior Finish

With the shell cured, we set the waterline tile and coping, pour the deck, and trowel on the interior finish you chose, whether that is quartz or a pebble aggregate that can last twenty-five years. A 48-inch safety barrier with a self-closing gate goes in before water. The interior finish carries its own line in the written guarantee.

Startup and Handoff

Finally we fill the pool, start the variable-speed pump, and balance the water over the first days as the finish cures. You get a printed care schedule, a walkthrough of the automation, and the signed guarantee for your records. Questions after the water goes in are easy to sort out, and you can always contact us directly.

That is the whole path, staked, shot, finished, and backed in writing. If you are thinking about a pool in Katy, call Clytemnestraproject at (832) 701-5324 for a firm price and the guarantee that comes with it.