Austin pool construction on the rise
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The crush of COVID-19, climate change and new wealth appears to have driven a rash of pool construction around Austin, per an Axios review of city data.
Why it matters: Pools have become a key amenity in an increasingly scorched city.
By the numbers: Nearly 18,000 private swimming pool-related permits have been issued by the city of Austin since 1978, per a review of city data by Axios.
- About a quarter of those permits — 4,456 — have been issued in the last 3.5 years.
- In June, there were about 100 new swimming pool construction permits in Austin, with the average construction costing $58,392, per a report in Home Builders Weekly.
The big picture: The spike in swimming pool construction has played out during a transformative period for the city.
- COVID-19 left Austinites isolated and searching for new forms of play on their property.
- At the same time, Austin saw an influx of wealth as the rise of remote work allowed more high-income earners to settle here.
- And a warming climate has led Austinites to look for ways to cool down.
Flashback: An increasing number of Austinites have opted for plunge pools — those tiny, rectangular pools often seen at boutique hotels — and stock tank pools.
What they're saying: Amy Hageman, founder of Texas Tiny Pools, said the business received an increase in requests when the pandemic began.
- "People were spending less on vacations and had money to spend on upgrading their homes and backyards," Hageman told Axios. "Even as things have normalized, demand has remained high for our pools."
- Tiny Pools first launched in 2017, offering an in-ground concrete pool option for residents closer to the city with smaller yards and less space.
- Tiny Pools now builds roughly 40 pools per year — typically just 3 to 5 feet deep — and Hageman said the company's typical clients choose to add a heater or a chiller to their pool so they can swim year-round.
Jan Sotelo, principal and founder of Modern Design + Build, said customers' styles have changed in recent years. They're now opting for modern designs with clean lines rather than pre-formed pools with waterfalls.
- Modern Design + Build also saw a spike in interest during the pandemic and continued to see an uptick in interest from high-end clients in the area. Meanwhile, interest for mid- to low-range pools pool construction in the area has dipped, per Sotelo.
- "It's gotten hotter in the 20-something years that we've been doing this," Sotelo added. "That is driving people to say, 'Hey, let's just get a pool.'"
Between the lines: As appealing as having a backyard pool might be, they come with insurance premium bumps and ongoing maintenance costs.
- Plus, Austin's public pools are all open this summer.
Zoom out: 13,234 new swimming pool construction permits were logged statewide in 2022, per Home Builders Weekly.
Yes, but: Austin is a long way from Los Angeles, which has upward of 250,000 private pools.