Gunite and Concrete Pools in Jacksonville, FL

A tanning ledge, sometimes called a Baja shelf, sits under 6 to 12 inches of water at the shallow end and is simply part of the rebar shape before the gunite is shot. A beach entry slopes gradually into the pool instead of using steps, which works well for families with small children.

An attached spa is built with its own rebar cage and a shared or separate wall so it can run hotter water than the pool. Depth changes, swim-up bars, and sun shelves at different elevations are all ordinary requests for a gunite crew and add to the shell cost rather than requiring a separate structure.

Before any concrete goes on, the building department inspects the rebar cage and the copper bonding grid that ties the pool, deck, and equipment together electrically. This steel and bonding inspection has to pass before the shell is sprayed, because the rebar disappears once it is covered.

The steel cage is tied to the engineered spacing for the depth and shape, the bonding wire goes in, and the inspection is scheduled so gunite is shot within a day or two of approval, before sun and rain can shift the steel out of place.

Standard white plaster is the least expensive finish and the shortest lived here, often needing a recoat in 7 to 10 years as Florida sun, humidity, and a salt chlorine system wear the surface rough and stain it.

Quartz aggregate finish mixes ground quartz into the plaster for a harder, smoother surface that typically holds up 15 to 20 years. Pebble finish, made of small aggregate stones, is the most durable and often the longest-lived option, generally lasting 20 years or more with balanced water chemistry. Both quartz and pebble resist the salt-line etching that shortens plain plaster life, which is why most of our salt-system pools use one or the other.

Waterline tile covers the band where the plaster meets the coping and hides the mineral scale line that forms there. Coping is the cap around the pool edge, most often travertine or poured concrete pavers in this market, and it needs to be set so it drains water away from the shell rather than back toward it.

A plaster, quartz, or pebble finish needs to be filled with water within hours of application so it does not dry unevenly and crack. Start-up chemistry is balanced over the first several days, and quartz or pebble finishes are typically brushed daily during that period to work loose aggregate off the surface before it can scratch skin or swimsuits.

Groundwater under an empty or low pool pushes upward on the shell, a force called hydrostatic pressure. A hydrostatic relief valve set into the main drain sump lets that groundwater rise into the pool instead of lifting the concrete, which matters on the sandy, high water table lots common across Duval and St. Johns.

We size the relief valve and, on lots where groundwater sits close to the surface, add a dewatering plan for excavation so the crew can tie steel and shoot gunite in a dry hole.

These are 2026 estimates for the Jacksonville area. A base gunite pool with basic equipment and a minimal deck runs $65,000 to $110,000. Adding a spa, a tanning ledge, an upgraded quartz or pebble finish, LED lighting, and a heater moves the total to $110,000 to $180,000 or more, and our pool cost guide breaks each line item down further.

Once permitted, a gunite build usually takes 10 to 16 weeks from excavation to final inspection, longer if the design includes a spa, extensive tile work, or a screen enclosure built alongside it.