How to Plan Your Backyard Sanctuary

Do you dream of floating on a raft in a pool, listening to children’s laughter as they splash about, or a romantic dinner poolside? Dreams can become a reality in just a few short months. Swimming pool construction can take approximately three to six months to turn your dreams into reality. Hobert Pools has served the DFW Metroplex for almost 50 years and builds over hundreds of pools yearly. According to Christine Fimbres of Hobert Pools, it’s never too late to purchase a pool. Summer weather extends all the way into November, then as it starts to cool, it becomes hot tub season. A pool is a year-round investment that can be enjoyed all 12 months for many years to come. With technology and busy schedules, it’s even more important now than ever before to invest in simple human connective moments, and a pool can provide that escape.

Few of us enjoy the privilege of building our own homes these days, so the builder’s timetable may bear some illumination. The temporal spaciousness involved in that three-to-six-month estimate gets a substantial contribution from permitting. Call it red tape, but the permitting process alone can take a month, according to Fimbres. Expect city and electric paperwork to be complete, financing in place, and homeowner’s associations to sign off as well before any excavation can begin. With all that done, clients are often at the two-month mark, meaning building a swimming pool takes time. However, pool complexity will play into your timeline as well. To put that into perspective, Fimbres points out that hiring a designer and buying furniture for your home, whether inside or out, can take 10 to 12 weeks for delivery these days. Certainly, the time passes whether you reward yourself with a pool or not. As it turns out, it passes more happily if you’ve chosen a reputable builder.

Buyer Beware

As many tradespeople warn, there are often no specific education requirements or certifications required of those going into this line of work providing an important home service that is a substantial investment. Thus, the reputation of the company providing the work is paramount, and Hobert Pools has time on its side. The family-owned business, founded by Fimbres’ father, is looking forward to its 50-year anniversary in February 2025. Longevity proves they’ve had clients to answer to, demonstrating integrity and trustworthiness. A business’ financial stability is paramount when considering warranties. Sometimes the most well-meaning enterprises may go out of business quickly, rendering their warranties worthless, said Fimbres. Expertise is not easy to come by, but she gave us a few insider tips to consider.

Now Dig This

“Texas has expansive soil. So, often the ground movement creates changes in deck elevation and the pool lifting and settling,” she said. She told us that expansive soil means that the earth will dry up and show visible cracks during hot spells and then saturate with water in others. Several options to help mitigate the effects of ground movement include soil injections, helical piers, and the use of half-inch steel to name a few. These solutions must be selected during the planning stages so that they can be included proactively during construction.

Other expert building tips take grade, or slope, into consideration. You’ll want to be sure your builder keeps elevations in mind when designing your pool, which also addresses drainage issues surrounding the pool. Hobert Pools takes all these items into consideration and makes it look seamless and effortless, but Fimbres described the place most clients get the biggest visual bang for their buck: the gorgeous look of their modern pools.

Looking Good

Today’s clients often opt for additions to create entire outdoor living environments. They include custom fire pits, cooking areas, putting greens, shade structures, and more. Hobert Pools can install all these bespoke amenities, doing the heavy lifting for clients once they choose the options that fit into their lifestyle best. This could eliminate stress for those hoping to avoid endless shopping and beginner trial-and-error in favor of opting for a concierge with vastly more experience building spaces for leisure.

Pools can be chlorinated or saltwater, and Hobert Pools provides an educated perspective on the considerations in both cases.

For those worried about style, Hobert Pools has plenty of advice. “We receive fewer requests for freeform pools with rock grottos. Instead, customers are seeking a more modern pool design,” said Fimbres. Materials such as glass tile and marble or porcelain pavers are being incorporated into the design details with the use of mixed media on certain areas of the pool to create a gorgeous effect. While the sleek, modern, and minimal design aesthetic reigns, quality materials help create a dream hideaway that looks exactly as beautiful as you can imagine it. Hobert Pools designers create a custom 3D image after hearing what their clients envision, then easily tweak it to create a design the client loves. The client is then invited to the Hobert Pools showroom to select the exact tiles, travertine, pavers, and decking options that will bring their backyard pool escape to life. Clients will have those materials arranged together to form a holistic impression of visual harmony. When clients can see their materials in and around the pool, they can more easily picture themselves there too, an outcome Hobert Pools told us they enjoy making into a reality as a thoroughly satisfying process for their clients, from start to big-splash finish.