# Pool Builder Highland, Utah | Utah Custom Pool Builders > Custom gunite pools and complete backyards in Highland, Utah. Larger-lot residential projects coordinating pool, decking, drainage, grading, and landscaping. URL: https://utahcustompoolbuilders.com/service-areas/highland/ ![](/images/misc/finished-custom-backyard-pool-with-decking-and-pla.webp) Serving Highland & surrounding areas # Custom Pool Builder in Highland, Utah Last updated: September 1, 2026 Highland's larger residential lots give a pool room to breathe, which is exactly why the design should cover the whole backyard rather than just the water. We plan the pool, decking, grading, drainage, and planting as one project. Realistic Highland projects start at $100k+ Request a Pool Consultation [/contact/ →](/contact/) Highland questions [#local-faq →](#local-faq) scope Whole-backyard design focus Large-lot layout and grading response Reply in 1-2 business days - Custom gunite & shotcrete construction - Complete backyard scope, not just a shell - Built for Utah freeze-thaw winters - Reply within 1-2 business days Before you commit ## Common Highland pool project risks These are the five concerns that come up in nearly every consultation, wherever the property sits. ### You can't get a straight price Advertised starting prices describe a bare shell nobody actually buys. We give you a realistic Utah range early, based on your property, so you can plan around a number that holds. ### Low bids that balloon later Cheap estimates make their margin back through change orders and exclusions. Drainage, haul-off, and restoration do not disappear because a quote left them out. ### Slope, soil, and tight access Wasatch Front lots are rarely flat. Slope, rock, and a narrow side gate change what's buildable and what it costs, so we assess all three before designing anything. ### A pool shell, not a backyard Plenty of projects hand over water surrounded by dirt. We scope decking, grading, drainage, and landscaping alongside the pool so the yard is finished when we leave. ### Utah winters and equipment worry Freeze protection, winterization, and evaporation in dry air are Utah problems that generic national pool advice ignores. We design for them from the start. Serving Highland ## Our pool construction services in Highland Highland's larger residential lots give a pool room to breathe, which is exactly why the design should cover the whole backyard rather than just the water. We plan the pool, decking, grading, drainage, and planting as one project. ![Crew applying shotcrete over a rebar grid in an excavated pool shell at a Utah County home](/images/misc/gunite-crew-spraying-shotcrete-over-a-steel-rebar-.webp) ### Gunite & Shotcrete Pools Custom concrete pools with total flexibility in size, shape, depth, and features, built on-site for Utah conditions. Explore this service [Gunite & Shotcrete Pools →](/gunite-shotcrete-pools/) ![Raised spa with a spillway flowing into a custom pool on a cool Utah evening](/images/misc/raised-spa-with-a-sheer-descent-spillway-flowing-i.webp) ### Pool & Spa Combinations Integrated or attached spas with heating, circulation, spillways, and automation designed into the pool from the start. Explore this service [Pool & Spa Combinations →](/pool-spa-combinations/) ![Builder and homeowners reviewing a marked-out pool layout in a Utah backyard](/images/misc/builder-and-homeowners-standing-in-a-backyard-look.webp) ### Pool Design & Planning Right-sizing pool size, shape, depth, features, and budget, coordinated with decking, drainage, and the whole backyard. Explore this service [Pool Design & Planning →](/pool-design-planning/) How it works ## Our process for Highland pool projects Same process everywhere, adjusted for the site conditions we find on your property. 1. 01 ### Consultation & site visit We qualify the project, walk the property, and check grade, soil, access, drainage, and utilities. Budget gets discussed here rather than three meetings in. 2. 02 ### Design & permitting Shape, depth, features, equipment, decking, and drainage are designed together. Permitting requirements vary by city and are verified for your specific property. 3. 03 ### Excavation & structure Dig, benching, material removal, plumbing, steel, then gunite. Electrical and gas coordination happens alongside so nothing waits on a missing trade. 4. 04 ### Finish & handover Coping, decking, interior finish, equipment startup, water balancing, automation programming, final grading and landscaping, then a walkthrough of how to run it. ## Not sure what a Highland project should cost? Start with the numbers. We'll tell you honestly whether your budget matches the backyard you have in mind. Utah pool cost guide [/guide/how-much-does-a-pool-cost-in-utah/ →](/guide/how-much-does-a-pool-cost-in-utah/) Request a Pool Consultation [/contact/ →](/contact/) Local conditions ## Working on Highland's Larger Lots Space is the advantage in Highland and also the thing most often wasted. A big lot lets you place the pool where sun, wind, and sightlines actually work, keep equipment far enough from the patio that you never hear it, and leave room for lawn or planting that makes the pool feel like part of the yard. That freedom comes with grading decisions. Water has to go somewhere once you add a large slab of decking, and on a wide lot that usually means planned surface grades, area drains, or a French drain run to a suitable outlet. We work that out during design rather than discovering it after the concrete cures. Soil conditions and required setbacks vary by parcel, so both are assessed on site and verified with Highland City for your specific property. ## Designing for Highland Homes Most Highland homes we work with are custom or semi-custom builds with a defined outdoor living area already in mind. The pool needs to read as part of that architecture: matching material tones on coping and decking, a spa placed where it's actually usable in October, and lighting that works after dark. Equipment placement matters more on a large lot, not less. Longer plumbing runs affect pump sizing and heater efficiency, and gas and electrical routing needs to be coordinated before trenching. We plan those runs during design so the equipment pad ends up somewhere serviceable and out of view. Why us ## Why Highland Homeowners Work With Us - Pool, decking, drainage, grading, and planting designed as a single backyard - Equipment placement planned for long-term access and quiet operation - Honest budget conversation before design, based on your actual lot - Gunite construction detailed for Utah freeze-thaw winters - One contractor for the pool and the landscape work around it Local answers ## Highland pool questions ### How big should a pool be on a Highland lot? Bigger is not automatically better. Pool size should match how your family swims, the space you want left for lawn and entertaining, and your budget, since surface area drives structure, finish, heating, and cover costs. We size the pool during design based on all four. ### Does a larger lot make a pool cheaper to build? Not necessarily. Easier access can reduce excavation difficulty, but longer plumbing, gas, and electrical runs add cost, and more open ground usually means more decking, grading, and landscaping to finish the space properly. ### Can you coordinate the landscaping around a Highland pool? Yes. Landscaping, excavation, grading, and drainage are coordinated in-house, so planting, rock, irrigation changes, and hardscape are built into the same project instead of handed off to another contractor. ### What does a Highland pool project cost? A realistic custom pool in Utah exceeds $100,000, and complete backyard projects with a spa, extensive decking, and landscaping commonly reach $130,000-$150,000 or more. Scope, not just pool size, drives the number. ### Where does the pool equipment go? Somewhere serviceable, screened from the main living space, and within a reasonable plumbing run of the pool. On Highland lots that is usually a side yard pad. We plan the location during design so trenching, gas, and electrical are coordinated once. Still have a question about your property or budget? Ask us directly [/contact/ →](/contact/) . Nearby ## We also build near Highland Same team, same complete-backyard approach, adjusted for each area's terrain and lot conditions. ### Lehi We build custom gunite pools and complete backyards across Lehi, from the Traverse Mountain benches down to the older neighborhoods near Thanksgiving Point. Slope, access, and drainage drive most of the design decisions here, so we plan them before anything gets priced. Pool builder in Lehi [Lehi →](/service-areas/lehi/) ### Draper Draper and SunCrest sit on the hillside where Salt Lake County meets Utah County. Bedrock, slope, and wind exposure all shape what gets built here, so we assess them before putting a design or a price in front of you. Pool builder in Draper [Draper →](/service-areas/draper/) ### Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is mostly newer construction on compact lots, often with an HOA involved. That combination makes setbacks, access, and layout the first three things worth solving before anyone talks about pool shape. Pool builder in Saratoga Springs [Saratoga Springs →](/service-areas/saratoga-springs/) ![](/images/misc/finished-custom-gunite-pool-with-raised-spa-spillw.webp) Next step ## Planning a pool in Highland? Tell us about the lot, the access, and the scope you're picturing. Responds in 1-2 business days. Request a Pool Consultation [/contact/ →](/contact/) Understand Utah pool costs [/guide/how-much-does-a-pool-cost-in-utah/ →](/guide/how-much-does-a-pool-cost-in-utah/) We respond within 1-2 business days - Complete backyard scope - Realistic Utah pricing - One contractor start to finish