Kentucky · Gunite & Concrete Pool Builders · Updated 2026
8 gunite pool builders serving Florence — custom concrete, shotcrete and gunite construction — ordered by customer rating and review count, with 2026 prices for a standard pool, a spa and the finish upgrades.
Ordered by customer rating and review count across the Florence area. Listings include the available rating, contact details and location; confirm current credentials and scope directly.
Planning a new pool as well? The Florence pool builders directory ranks all 64 builders in the area.
A mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) with a standard plaster finish in Florence typically runs $71,500–$114,000. Spas, premium finishes, features and decking are where custom pools climb from there:
| Job | Typical Florence price |
|---|---|
| Small gunite pool (about 12×24), plaster finish | $52,500–$76,000 |
| Mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) | $71,500–$114,000 |
| Large or elaborate custom pool | $114,000–$237,500+ |
| Attached gunite spa with spillover | $14,500–$33,500 |
| Pebble or quartz finish upgrade | $5,000–$11,500 |
| Tanning ledge or beach entry | $3,000–$7,500 |
| Water features, lighting, fire bowls | $2,000–$14,500 |
| Decking and coping | $7,500–$24,000 |
| Rock or hard-dig excavation allowance | $3,000–$14,500 |
| Permits, engineering, soils report | $800–$3,800 |
Kentucky 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.
Florence market
4.7 average customer rating · 604 reviews · 8 companies
See All on the Map →8 gunite pool builders serving Florence. The ranked companies average 4.7 stars across 604 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.
Central Kentucky sits on limestone karst — rock excavation surcharges are routine around Lexington, so insist on per-yard rock language. Louisville digs friendlier river soils, while hillside Ohio River lots add slope work. Clay content statewide makes backfill and deck sub-base quality the tell of a careful builder. Vinyl liner is the Kentucky workhorse, gunite leads the country-club end of Louisville and Lexington, and fiberglass keeps growing. Tanning ledges and covered outdoor living have fully arrived here.
For statewide rankings, city counts and Kentucky prices, see the Kentucky 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. Kentucky handles most residential licensing and permitting locally. Confirm insurance certificates, make sure a licensed electrician pulls the equipment permit, and check city or county barrier requirements. Builders with recent county projects can provide more useful approval timelines.
A mid-size gunite pool with a plaster finish in Florence, KY typically runs $71,500–$114,000; small pools run $52,500–$76,000 and large custom designs $114,000–$237,500+. An attached spa adds $14,500–$33,500, a pebble or quartz finish $5,000–$11,500, and decking $7,500–$24,000. Kentucky 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 Florence runs May through September — about 5 months unheated. A full professional winterization each fall protects plumbing and equipment through the freeze, and spring openings cluster into the same few weeks. May through September, humid through the middle, with enough spring rain to make drainage planning matter. Winters freeze reliably; pools close in October and open in April.
Outside Design Custom Pools & Spas has the highest customer rating on this Florence list at 5 stars across 12 reviews. Mid-American Gunite Pools Inc has the largest review count (249 reviews at 4.8 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.
Kentucky handles most residential licensing and permitting locally. Confirm insurance certificates, make sure a licensed electrician pulls the equipment permit, and check city or county barrier requirements. Builders with recent county projects can provide more useful approval timelines.
Check gunite pool builders in cities near Florence, or open the Kentucky directory for every listed market in the state.
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