Duval County, Florida
Pool Construction in the Riverside Avondale Historic District
A rear-yard pool kept out of street view where possible, so the Certificate of Appropriateness stays a fast administrative review.
Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat-Sun closed. We answer the phone.
Licensed, insured builders
Your pool is built by a licensed Florida pool builder you can look up
Fixed line-item pricing
A fixed price for the scope you approve, priced line by line
3D design first
See the pool before a shovel touches the yard
Free on-site estimates
No obligation
One point of contact
The same person handles your design, your quote, and your questions
A rear-yard pool in Riverside or Avondale needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the City of Jacksonville before the pool permit is issued, on top of the excavation questions a 100-year-old pier foundation raises. HN Pool Construction designs pools, spas, and cages on these narrow lots to stay out of street view where the site allows, keeping most applications in administrative review.
Permits through
City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division
ZIP codes
32204, 32205
Areas we cover
Riverside, Avondale, Five Points, St. Johns Avenue
From our office
Riverside and Avondale are 10 to 15 minutes from our Jacksonville office, west on Riverside Avenue or Park Street from downtown, and closer to the Fuller Warren Bridge than most people expect.
What the homes and lots are like in Riverside-Avondale
Riverside was platted in 1868, but most houses standing today date from about 1905 through the 1920s, built after the Great Fire of 1901 pushed residents west from downtown. Avondale followed in 1920 as a planned subdivision on the old Magnolia Plantation, with somewhat larger Mediterranean revival houses. Every one sits on brick piers over a crawlspace, a different foundation condition than a slab, which changes how a pool excavation and equipment pad interact with the house.
The lots are narrow, often around 50 feet wide, and run deep to a rear alley where a detached garage from the Model T era usually still stands. A pool has to fit between the house, the side setback, and that garage, with the equipment pad tucked somewhere none of the three claims. Front yards on these blocks are almost always visible from the street; most rear yards are not, which decides how a pool application gets reviewed.
Who permits a pool in Riverside-Avondale?
Riverside Avondale is one of the City of Jacksonville's locally designated historic districts, administered by the Historic Preservation Section. Any exterior work, a pool, spa, or cage included, needs an approved Certificate of Appropriateness before the City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division will issue the pool permit. A pool in the rear yard that is not visible from the street and follows the district's written guidelines typically qualifies for administrative review, usually decided in one to two weeks. A pool visible from the street, or paired with a larger addition, goes to the Historic Preservation Commission, which meets monthly, so budget a month or more.
Once the COA is approved, the pool permit follows the standard city sequence: pre-gunite steel and bonding, deck bond and pressure test, electrical, the Chapter 515 safety barrier final, and a final inspection before filling. A screen enclosure is a separate permit and, if visible from the street, needs its own COA review for materials and roofline compatibility. There is no neighborhood-wide HOA here; the Historic Preservation Section and the zoning code are the two layers that matter.
Common here
Pool work we take on in Riverside-Avondale
Pool Construction
Rear-yard pools sited behind the house and the alley garage, kept out of street sightlines so the COA stays an administrative review.
Pool Construction in JacksonvilleFiberglass Pools
Fiberglass shells chosen on the narrowest lots, where a smaller footprint fits between the house, setback, and rear garage without crowding the pier foundation.
Fiberglass Pools in JacksonvillePool Screen Enclosures
Low, simple cage profiles designed to read as compatible with a 1910s or 1920s roofline on the rare enclosure visible from a side street.
Pool Screen Enclosures in JacksonvillePool & Spa Combos
Compact spa additions built into the pool footprint rather than as a separate shell, since deep but narrow lots rarely fit two structures side by side.
Pool & Spa Combos in JacksonvillePool Decks & Pavers
Brick or paver decks matched to the material palette of the historic streetscape, specified partly to keep the COA review straightforward.
Pool Decks & Pavers in Jacksonville
What else to know about building here
Excavating for a pool a few feet from a house on 100-year-old brick piers is not the same job as digging next to a slab. We check pier condition, sill and girder wood, and crawlspace moisture before excavation, and keep the dig line off the foundation. Eastern subterranean termites are active throughout Northeast Florida, and disturbing ground near an old pier foundation often surfaces an existing problem, so we coordinate with a pest inspection first.
The lower ground near Fishweir Creek, Willowbranch Creek, and the Riverside Avenue riverfront carries FEMA Zone AE, and those lots have flooded in past storms. A pool equipment pad there follows the city floodplain rules for placement. Most interior blocks, away from the two creeks and the river, are Zone X.
Gallery
Recent pool projects
Rectangular gunite pool with a raised stone wall
Fruit Cove, FL
Raised spa with arcing deck jets
Lakeside, FL
Screened pool and raised spa
St. Johns, FL
The process
How a Riverside-Avondale pool project runs
- 01
Estimate
We walk the yard, check access, grade, and setbacks, and talk through what you want. Free, and usually under an hour.
- 02
3D design
You see the pool, deck, and enclosure together in 3D before anything is dug. Shape, finish, lighting, all of it.
- 03
Fixed quote
A line-item quote. Shell, plumbing, equipment, finish, coping, deck, and cage each priced on their own line.
- 04
Build
A licensed Florida pool builder takes it from here, pulls the permit, and builds to the approved design.
- 05
Walkthrough
Once it passes final inspection you walk the finished pool with your builder, get the warranties, and learn how to run the equipment.
FAQ
Riverside-Avondale pool questions
Pool services for Riverside-Avondale
- Pool Construction in JacksonvilleNew Pools
- Gunite & Concrete Pools in JacksonvilleGunite Pools
- Fiberglass Pools in JacksonvilleFiberglass Pools
- Pool Remodeling & Resurfacing in JacksonvillePool Remodels
- Pool Screen Enclosures in JacksonvilleScreen Enclosures
- Pool Decks & Pavers in JacksonvillePool Decks
- Pool & Spa Combos in JacksonvillePools with Spas
Free estimate
Book a free estimate in Riverside-Avondale
Pick a day that works. We confirm the time, walk the yard with you, and follow up with a 3D design and a fixed line-item quote.
- Licensed, insured builders. Your pool is built by a licensed Florida pool builder you can look up.
- Fixed line-item pricing. A fixed price for the scope you approve, priced line by line.
- 3D design first. See the pool before a shovel touches the yard.
- Free on-site estimates. No obligation.
- One point of contact. The same person handles your design, your quote, and your questions.