If you’ve spent any time on Mowing Magic, you already know we’re obsessed with backyards that basically run themselves — robot mowers keeping the lawn tidy, smart irrigation handling the watering, and yard work that doesn’t eat your whole Saturday. So when a backyard pool company crossed our radar promising to cut $20,000 off the cost of a swimming pool while keeping the project manageable for a total beginner, we had to dig in. Here’s our honest look at DIY Pools and Spas.
What Is DIY Pools and Spas?
DIY Pools and Spas is not a pool builder in the traditional sense — it’s a coaching and resource platform built for homeowners who want to act as their own general contractor on a backyard pool project. The company, run by a family with over four decades in the traditional pool-building industry, built its business around a simple observation: most pool companies don’t actually pour concrete or lay tile themselves. They subcontract that work out at a markup and pass the inflated cost on to you.
The pitch is that if you cut out that middleman and hire the same subcontractors directly, you can build the same quality pool for tens of thousands of dollars less. DIY Pools and Spas positions itself as the guide that makes that possible for someone who has never managed a construction project in their life.
How the Program Works
The company’s core offering is the Homeowner Builder Program, which bundles together the pieces a first-time DIY pool builder would otherwise have to figure out alone:
- Design and engineering — 3D renderings of your proposed pool along with construction plans that are built to be HOA- and permit-ready.
- Subcontractor sourcing — help finding, vetting, and managing the trades needed to actually build the pool (excavation, plumbing, electrical, gunite, plaster, and so on), plus review of their bids.
- Wholesale equipment access — pumps, filters, heaters, and other pool equipment at contractor pricing instead of retail markup.
- Construction guidance — video walkthroughs, checklists, and one-on-one consulting to keep the project on track during the build itself.
- Community support — access to a private group of other homeowners going through the same process, which functions as an informal peer-support network on top of the paid coaching.
There’s also a Custom Design Package for people who mainly want the engineering and 3D plans, and the site includes a free pool cost calculator if you just want a ballpark figure before committing to anything.
What Kind of Pools Can You Build?
One thing that stood out is how much the site leans into education around pool styles, not just cost savings. They break potential builds into a few categories:
- Saltwater pools, which use a fraction of the salt found in ocean water and are marketed as gentler on skin, eyes, and equipment than traditional chlorine setups.
- Cocktail pools, compact and shallow pools (often 3–4 feet deep) that work well in smaller yards and can double as a heated spa in the evening.
- Rock-scape pools, the resort-style builds with grottos, waterfalls, and swim-up bars that traditionally run into six figures.
- Modern elegant pools, the clean-lined, vanishing-edge style that’s popular right now, often paired with turf, pavers, and glass tile.
That range matters, because it signals this isn’t a one-size-fits-all program — the design plans flex depending on your yard, your taste, and your budget.
Pricing and Timeline
DIY Pools and Spas is upfront that a starting DIY budget lands around $30,000–$35,000 for a modest cocktail pool, with most standard pool-only projects starting closer to $40,000 and typical client spend landing in the $40,000–$70,000 range depending on scope and materials. That’s a meaningful range, and it’s worth remembering these are self-reported figures from the company rather than independently verified averages — worth confirming with your own local sub bids before you budget around them.
On timeline, the company advertises pools completed and swim-ready in roughly 6–10 weeks, with clients spending under an hour a week managing the project. For anyone picturing a DIY pool build as a summer-consuming ordeal, that’s a notably light time commitment — though how realistic that is will depend heavily on your local permitting office and how responsive your subcontractors are.
The company also offers what it calls a “Love It or Leave It” guarantee: if the design phase doesn’t land somewhere you’re happy with, or the projected cost is wildly outside your expectations, they’ll refund the program fee before construction begins.
The Pros
- Real potential savings. Reviews on the site cite savings in the range of $20,000–$75,000 compared to traditional builder quotes, which lines up with the core “cut out the middleman” thesis.
- Structure for non-experts. You don’t need construction experience — the checklists, video guides, and personal consulting are clearly built for total beginners.
- Flexible entry points. Whether you want full hand-holding through construction or just the design and engineering package, there are tiers to match.
- Peer community. The private builder group is a nice touch — construction projects are less intimidating when you’re not the only person figuring it out in real time.
The Cons
- You’re still the general contractor. This program removes a lot of friction, but you are still the one coordinating subs, showing up for inspections, and handling the inevitable hiccups. It’s DIY-adjacent, not hands-off.
- Program cost isn’t listed publicly. You won’t find pricing for the Homeowner Builder Program itself on the site — you’ll need to book a call to get that number, which is a common lead-gen tactic but means you can’t comparison-shop instantly.
- Regional variability. Subcontractor availability, permitting timelines, and wholesale equipment access will vary a lot depending on where you live, and the site’s numbers understandably reflect their best-case outcomes.
Who This Is Actually For
If you’re the type of homeowner who already handles your own yard maintenance with a robot mower and smart sprinkler system, and you like the idea of extending that same “I’ll manage it, but I want the smart tools to do the heavy lifting” approach to a much bigger project, DIY Pools and Spas is worth a serious look. It’s built for people who want real involvement and real savings, not a fully hands-off experience.
If you’d rather write one check and never think about subcontractor schedules, a traditional turnkey pool builder is still probably the better fit — you’ll pay for that convenience, but you’ll also hand off the headaches.
The Bottom Line
DIY Pools and Spas fills a genuinely underserved niche: structured, expert-backed guidance for homeowners willing to project-manage their own pool build in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in savings. The design flexibility, wholesale equipment access, and realistic 6–10 week timelines make it a compelling alternative to the traditional pool-company route — as long as you go in understanding you’re still doing real work, not just cashing in a discount code.
For backyard upgraders who already enjoy being hands-on with their outdoor space, this is one of the more interesting models we’ve come across for taking on a pool build without either draining your savings or handing full control to a builder.