Ohio · Gunite & Concrete Pool Builders · Updated 2026
Any shape, any depth, any feature: 3 gunite pool builders serving Cleveland Heights, ranked by rating and review count, with what a gunite pool costs to build in Cleveland Heights this year.
Ordered by customer rating and review count across the Cleveland Heights area. Listings include the available rating, contact details and location; confirm current credentials and scope directly.
Planning a new pool as well? The Cleveland Heights pool builders directory ranks all 35 builders in the area.
A mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) with a standard plaster finish in Cleveland Heights typically runs $75,000–$120,000. Spas, premium finishes, features and decking are where custom pools climb from there:
| Job | Typical Cleveland Heights price |
|---|---|
| Small gunite pool (about 12×24), plaster finish | $55,000–$80,000 |
| Mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) | $75,000–$120,000 |
| Large or elaborate custom pool | $120,000–$250,000+ |
| Attached gunite spa with spillover | $15,000–$35,000 |
| Pebble or quartz finish upgrade | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Tanning ledge or beach entry | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Water features, lighting, fire bowls | $2,000–$15,000 |
| Decking and coping | $8,000–$25,000 |
| Rock or hard-dig excavation allowance | $3,000–$15,000 |
| Permits, engineering, soils report | $800–$4,000 |
Ohio pricing is close to the national baseline used for these estimates. Gunite bids vary more than any other pool type because every element is custom — compare the shell thickness, steel schedule, finish, feature and equipment lines, not just the bottom number.
Spas, ledges, benches, lighting niches and water features are cheapest when they are shot into the shell — adding them later means cutting concrete.
Cleveland Heights market
4.6 average customer rating · 172 reviews · 3 companies
See All on the Map →3 gunite pool builders serving Cleveland Heights. The ranked companies average 4.6 stars across 172 customer reviews. PoolPad orders the list with a weighted score that combines customer rating and review count, so a long track record counts for more than a handful of scores.
Heavy clay is the statewide constant — it holds water and moves with moisture, so drainage, backfill compaction, and deck sub-base prep separate clean builds from heaved concrete. Frost-depth plumbing is standard, and older-suburb access can shape equipment and crane choices. Vinyl liner rules on value and volume; fiberglass has grown into a strong second for install speed, and gunite holds the high end in each metro. Automatic covers and salt systems are increasingly standard on new builds.
For statewide rankings, city counts and Ohio prices, see the Ohio gunite pool builders directory, or check the nearby cities below.
Ask for the shell engineering and the gunite crew's track record, read the structural, finish and equipment warranties separately, and compare at least three itemized bids for the same design. Ohio licenses specialty trades at the state level while general residential licensing runs through municipalities — so verify local registration, insurance certificates, and that a licensed electrician handles the hookup. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements (fences, self-latching gates) go through your city or township; suburban inspectors here are thorough.
A mid-size gunite pool with a plaster finish in Cleveland Heights, OH typically runs $75,000–$120,000; small pools run $55,000–$80,000 and large custom designs $120,000–$250,000+. An attached spa adds $15,000–$35,000, a pebble or quartz finish $5,000–$12,000, and decking $8,000–$25,000. Ohio pricing is close to the national baseline used for these estimates.
Both are concrete sprayed over a steel cage. Gunite is a dry mix with water added at the nozzle; shotcrete is wet-mixed concrete pumped through the hose. Each produces a strong shell when applied by a good crew — the nozzleman's skill, the mix design and proper curing matter more than which method is used. Ask which your builder uses and what thickness is specified.
Plan on eight to sixteen weeks from excavation to swimming: dig and steel in the first week or two, the shell shot and cured for about four weeks, then tile, coping, plumbing, equipment, decking and finally the plaster and fill. Permits add two to eight weeks before the dig. Freezing weather pauses shell and plaster work, so most builds are scheduled for the warm months.
The concrete shell can last 50 years or more. The plaster finish lasts about 10 to 15 years (quartz and pebble 15 to 20 or more), waterline tile and coping 15 to 25 years, and equipment 8 to 15 years. Balanced water, especially calcium hardness and pH, is what protects the finish.
The outdoor season in Cleveland Heights runs late May through mid-September — about 4 months unheated. A full professional winterization each fall protects plumbing and equipment through the freeze, and spring openings cluster into the same few weeks. Late May through mid-September unheated, with heaters commonly buying a month. Winters freeze hard statewide (Cleveland's lake-effect edition especially), making a professional close universal.
Highland Construction Cleveland has the highest customer rating on this Cleveland Heights list at 4.9 stars across 38 reviews. High Tech Pools has the largest review count (92 reviews at 4.6 stars). PoolPad orders the list with a weighted score that combines customer rating and review count, so a long track record counts for more than a handful of scores.
Usually, for the same size: the shell is built on site, the finish is a separate trade, and custom features add up. The gap narrows for large pools and designs with spas and ledges, where fiberglass models are limited. Over 20 years a gunite pool also needs at least one resurfacing, which is part of its true cost.
Ohio licenses specialty trades at the state level while general residential licensing runs through municipalities — so verify local registration, insurance certificates, and that a licensed electrician handles the hookup. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements (fences, self-latching gates) go through your city or township; suburban inspectors here are thorough.
Check gunite pool builders in cities near Cleveland Heights, or open the Ohio directory for every listed market in the state.
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