What to know before you dig

Choose fiberglass for a faster build, molded steps and ledges, and less upkeep; choose gunite for a custom shape, a vanishing edge, a raised spa or a lot that needs the pool to follow its grade. On many Middle Tennessee lots either works, and the site visit settles it.

Clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, so the ground under a pool deck or patio moves with the seasons. A base sized for the soil and slope that carries water away keep that movement from showing up as sunken pavers or cracked concrete.

There is no single number. Base depth depends on the soil, the slope, what the surface carries and how water moves on the lot, so we set it per project after the site visit. A one-size base is the most common reason a patio fails within a few seasons.

We look at the soil, the slope, how water drains, access for equipment and where the sun falls, and we talk about how your family will use the yard. That visit decides the pool type, the base and the drainage plan before any design is drawn.

Yes, every dig in Tennessee needs a locate request at least 3 working days before excavation, under Tennessee Code 65-31-106. On our jobs we place the request as part of construction, so the utility lines are marked before a machine arrives.

Yes. State law, Tennessee Code 68-14-805, bars a local government from issuing a residential pool permit unless a pool alarm is part of the plan. Cities add their own barrier rules, such as fence height and self-latching gates, which we design to.

Materials picked for freeze-thaw cycles, humidity and long, hot summers: dense pavers and natural stone rated for exterior use, finishes that tolerate pool chemistry and structures built for moisture. We choose them with you at the design stage and explain the trade-offs.

With walls, steps and grading planned around the pool before the dig. Terraces turn a slope into usable levels, the drainage is built into each one, and on steeper lots a gunite pool can be shaped to the grade. Our College Grove post walks through it.

Yes. The project gallery has film of five named projects: Moongate in College Grove, The Palm Oasis in Franklin, Tranquility Terrace in Nolensville, Blue Lagoon in Arrington and Cenote Azul in Thompson’s Station. Each clip shows the pool with the deck, the structures and the yard around it, which photos of the water alone never do.

No. We design and build pools, hardscaping and outdoor living spaces. After the final walkthrough we show you how to run the equipment and care for the surfaces, and we are a phone call away if something about the build needs attention.