Missouri · Gunite & Concrete Pool Builders · Updated 2026
Compare 15 gunite pool builders serving St. Louis for concrete pool construction. Ratings, review counts, contact details and 2026 planning prices for shells, spas and finishes are below.
Ordered by customer rating and review count across the St. Louis area. Listings include the available rating, contact details and location; confirm current credentials and scope directly.
Planning a new pool as well? The St. Louis pool builders directory ranks all 51 builders in the area.
A mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) with a standard plaster finish in St. Louis typically runs $71,500–$114,000. Spas, premium finishes, features and decking are where custom pools climb from there:
| Job | Typical St. Louis 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 |
Missouri 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.
St. Louis market
4.2 average customer rating · 736 reviews · 15 companies
See All on the Map →15 gunite pool builders serving St. Louis. The ranked companies average 4.2 stars across 736 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.
Clay soils around both metros need drainage design and properly compacted backfill; the Ozarks add rock excavation that belongs in a written per-yard clause. Sloped lots in St. Louis County and lake areas often bring retaining walls into the bid. Vinyl liner and fiberglass carry the volume; gunite leads in the country-club corridors of both metros. Tanning ledges, firepits, and covered outdoor living are fully mainstream here.
For statewide rankings, city counts and Missouri prices, see the Missouri 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. Missouri handles residential contractor licensing at the city and county level, so check insurance certificates and references and confirm a licensed electrician handles the equipment permit. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements run through the municipality.
A mid-size gunite pool with a plaster finish in St. Louis, MO 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. Missouri 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 St. Louis 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 with hot, sticky midsummers that make the pool the family HQ. Winters freeze properly statewide, so October closes and April openings frame the year.
Icon Outdoors has the highest customer rating on this St. Louis list at 5 stars across 17 reviews. Prestige Pools & Spas has the largest review count (250 reviews at 4.5 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.
Missouri handles residential contractor licensing at the city and county level, so check insurance certificates and references and confirm a licensed electrician handles the equipment permit. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements run through the municipality.
Check gunite pool builders in cities near St. Louis, or open the Missouri directory for every listed market in the state.
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