Custom Pool Builder in Gilroy

South County heat, and space to use it

Gilroy sits at the head of the same inland valley as Hollister, and it gets the same summers.

Hot, dry and sunny for months, well clear of the marine influence that governs the coast an hour west. A pool here earns its keep in the most direct way possible: it is the reason the family is outside in July rather than indoors with the air conditioning running.

Newer subdivisions on the south and east sides of the city tend to give you a rectangular rear garden of usable size with real access to it, which is the cheapest kind of pool site there is. Older properties nearer the centre have more character and more constraints, and the difference shows up in the excavation method rather than in the finished pool.

What Gilroy yards generally lack is shade, and inland pools need it more than coastal ones. A pergola, a well-placed tree, or an umbrella sleeve cast into a tanning ledge does more for how much a Gilroy pool is used than almost any other feature — and a tanning ledge in this climate is used constantly rather than occasionally.

The city tells you exactly what it wants

Gilroy’s Building Division publishes a swimming pool and spa submittal guidelines handout, and it is unusually specific. It calls for a plot plan showing the pool, the equipment, structures and fences, new piping and electrical including bonding, and utility easements; structural and engineering plans showing rebar size and placement, bond-beam reinforcement and gunite or shotcrete thickness, stamped by the engineer of record; and electrical designed to California Electrical Code Article 680.

It also spells out the energy compliance that catches a lot of people. Before pool or spa heating equipment is installed, manufacturer certification and a Title 24 compliance form go in with the plans, with a second form at final inspection. Gas pool heaters, spa heaters and fire features may be installed only without a continuously burning pilot light. And an outdoor pool or spa with a gas heater or a heat pump requires a pool cover, with the handout stating plainly that furnishing the owner with that cover is the pool contractor’s responsibility.

On safety, the handout points at the California Building Code, the city’s own zoning ordinance and the state Health and Safety Code, and confirms the two-of-seven drowning-prevention requirement that has applied since the start of 2018.

Gilroy also protects trees, with permits required for designated indigenous and heritage trees above published size thresholds. As everywhere, we map trees and confirm current setback and zoning requirements with the Building Division before design rather than after.

Water rules come from your supplier

Santa Clara Valley Water District — Valley Water — is explicit on this point: restrictions on pools, including refilling, new construction and pool covers, are set by individual water retailers and cities and vary across the county. There is no single countywide pool rule to look up.

So the useful step is a short conversation with whoever bills you for water, before you plan a pool rather than after. We will tell you what to ask. And whatever the answer, a cover is the right call in this climate on its own merits.

What we do in Gilroy

New builds, remodels and ongoing service, all under one C-53 licence.

• Pool constructionNew custom pools and spas in Gilroy
• Pool designWorking the pool out before the shovel
• Pool remodelingTaking a dated pool back to the shell
• Pool resurfacingNew plaster, quartz or pebble and fresh tile
• Pool repairPumps, heaters, leaks, valves and covers
• Pool maintenanceScheduled water and equipment care

Building a pool in Gilroy: common questions

Nearby

Places we work close to Gilroy.

• HollisterSouth, same climate, harder water
• Morgan Hill and San MartinNorth up the valley
• WatsonvilleWest towards the bay
• SalinasSouth-west down the Salinas Valley
• Equipment and automationHeating, covers and Title 24
• Pool covers and water useWhy the cover is required