Washington · Gunite & Concrete Pool Builders · Updated 2026
13 gunite pool builders across Washington — 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. City lists cover 14 Washington 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 Washington typically runs $90,000–$144,000. Spas, premium finishes, features and decking are where custom pools climb from there:
| Job | Typical Washington price |
|---|---|
| Small gunite pool (about 12×24), plaster finish | $66,000–$96,000 |
| Mid-size gunite pool (about 16×32) | $90,000–$144,000 |
| Large or elaborate custom pool | $144,000–$300,000+ |
| Attached gunite spa with spillover | $18,000–$42,000 |
| Pebble or quartz finish upgrade | $6,000–$14,500 |
| Tanning ledge or beach entry | $3,500–$9,500 |
| Water features, lighting, fire bowls | $2,500–$18,000 |
| Decking and coping | $9,500–$30,000 |
| Rock or hard-dig excavation allowance | $3,500–$18,000 |
| Permits, engineering, soils report | $1,000–$4,800 |
Washington pricing is above the national baseline used for these estimates, mainly on labor and permitting. 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 13 gunite pool builders across Washington, with city lists for 14 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.
Westside builds manage rain: drainage design, winter dig logistics, and slope engineering on view lots are the recurring themes, with glacial till and the occasional boulder in the dig. Eastside soils dig easier but winters freeze harder — frost-depth plumbing statewide. Fiberglass and vinyl lead for install speed under rain-window scheduling; gunite serves the view-lot high end. Heat pumps, automatic covers, and integrated hot tubs are the regional standard kit.
The largest listed markets are Vancouver (8 companies), Bellevue (5 companies), Kirkland (5 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. Washington requires contractor registration with bonding and insurance — verify both on the state's site in a minute. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements run through your city or county, and critical-area rules (slopes, streams, wetlands) add review on plenty of Puget Sound lots.
A mid-size gunite pool with a plaster finish in Washington, WA typically runs $90,000–$144,000; small pools run $66,000–$96,000 and large custom designs $144,000–$300,000+. An attached spa adds $18,000–$42,000, a pebble or quartz finish $6,000–$14,500, and decking $9,500–$30,000. Washington pricing is above the national baseline used for these estimates, mainly on labor and permitting.
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 Washington runs mid-June through early September — about 3 months unheated. A full professional winterization each fall protects plumbing and equipment through the freeze, and spring openings cluster into the same few weeks. West of the Cascades expect a mid-June-to-September window with mild, gray shoulders — heat pumps and solar covers are what make the investment rational. East of the mountains, summers hit 95°+ and the season stretches noticeably longer.
Polar Pool & Spa has the highest customer rating on this Washington list at 5 stars across 8 reviews. KrisCo Aquatech Pools & Spas has the largest review count (139 reviews at 4.7 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.
Washington requires contractor registration with bonding and insurance — verify both on the state's site in a minute. Pool permits and residential-code barrier requirements run through your city or county, and critical-area rules (slopes, streams, wetlands) add review on plenty of Puget Sound lots.
If your property is near a state line, check the neighboring directories too.
Claim your free PoolPad listing, check gunite among the pool types you build, and show Washington homeowners planning a custom pool what you construct.
