Georgia · Gunite & Concrete Pool Builders · Updated 2026
Any shape, any depth, any feature: 27 gunite pool builders across Georgia, ranked by rating and review count, with what a gunite pool costs to build in Georgia this year. City lists cover 13 Georgia markets.
The order uses a weighted mix of customer rating and review count; open a city below for the full local list. Confirm current credentials, availability and scope directly.
Choose a local list for customer ratings, review counts, 2026 prices and the questions to ask. Cities are sorted by listed company count.
A mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) with a standard plaster finish in Georgia typically runs $71,500–$114,000. Spas, premium finishes, features and decking are where custom pools climb from there:
| Job | Typical Georgia 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 |
Georgia 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.
PoolPad tracks 27 gunite pool builders across Georgia, with city lists for 13 markets. 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.
Red Georgia clay is the defining dig — it holds water, drains slowly, and moves enough that drainage design and proper backfill matter as much as the shell itself. Sloped, wooded Atlanta lots often need retaining walls and tree removal lines in the bid; flat South Georgia builds run simpler. Gunite rules metro Atlanta, usually with spa spillovers, tanning ledges, and travertine or paver decks under a canopy of trees (skimmer baskets pay the price each fall). Fiberglass is growing fast in the exurbs for speed and lower chemistry drama.
The largest listed markets are Atlanta (16 companies), Sandy Springs (16 companies), Brookhaven (15 companies).
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. Georgia licenses residential and general contractors at the state level, and pool builds also route through county or city permitting with barrier/fence requirements based on the building codes. Confirm the license, insurance certificates, and who's pulling the electrical permit — and in Atlanta's older neighborhoods, ask early about sewer easements and tree ordinances.
A mid-size gunite pool with a plaster finish in Georgia, GA 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. Georgia 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 Georgia runs late April through September — about 6 months unheated, with a heater adding several weeks on each end. Winters are mild enough that many owners idle equipment with a partial close instead of a full winterization. Georgia swims from late April into early October, with humid 90° summers that keep algae pressure high and heavy spring pollen. North Georgia gets brief freezes, while winters south of Macon are milder.
American Lifestyle Pools has the highest customer rating on this Georgia list at 5 stars across 90 reviews. Sundial Pools has the largest review count (174 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.
Georgia licenses residential and general contractors at the state level, and pool builds also route through county or city permitting with barrier/fence requirements based on the building codes. Confirm the license, insurance certificates, and who's pulling the electrical permit — and in Atlanta's older neighborhoods, ask early about sewer easements and tree ordinances.
If your property is near a state line, check the neighboring directories too.
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