Ready to take the pool plunge?

As the weather warms up and those 100-degree summer days draw near, the phone calls start rolling into pool companies.

People want a pool, and they want it in a hurry.

But before cannon-balling into pool ownership, experts recommend taking a breath and sitting in a nice lounge chair.

While homeowners who want to soak in their own oasis shouldn’t delay starting the process if they want to swim this summer, there’s also a lot to consider: the design, how the pool would be used and cost.

“Pools are fun, but it takes some real thought,” said San Antonio landscape architect John Troy. The idea, Troy said, is to combine aesthetics, function and cost.

Costs for a custom pool start at about $35,000, but can rise if a backyard is on a slope and more structure needs to be added. Access to the property — such as the ability to get equipment into the backyard — also can impact the price. And depending on the size of the pool, the features chosen or the size of the decking, the cost of a luxury custom pool can rise to $100,000 and more, Troy said.

Pool companies say construction can take as little as six weeks or as long as 12 weeks, depending on the complexity of the project, whether other features such as outdoor kitchens are being built.

The first thing, said Parker Smith, vice president of Keith Zars Pools, is for would-be pool owners to imagine how they will use their own personal splash zone.

Families with children will have different ideas than those without children or empty nesters.

“Older people build the pool as an ambiance feature,” Smith said. “They enjoy the atmosphere in the backyard.”

People with children often want to use the backyard as a way to make their home the hangout for their children and their children’s friends.

“Their friends come to your house. It’s a good way of keeping an eye on the kids without them thinking that you’re even keeping an eye on them,” Smith said.

Popular design features include beach entries, which have a gradual slope into the pool. Sun shelves offer a similar entry — one step down into a large, flat shelf of shallow water, where young children can play or grown-ups can lounge.

An infinity edge pool, which looks like water is dropping off into the horizon, is popular but doesn’t work in all locations.

The top of a hill is an ideal spot for an infinity edge, though it doesn’t require a steep slope. “What you’re looking for is the view,” Smith said. That’s more important than the grade, because it would be pointless to use an infinity edge if the view was of, say, the neighbor’s garage.

Smith said water features can provide either a soothing background sound or a louder crash — something that could help drown out the sound of a nearby highway, for instance.

Don’t forget landscaping, Troy said. It’s possible, and possibly more affordable, to build a pool and leave existing trees and landscaping in place, as long as consideration is given to the trees’ roots. “If the whole yard is filled up with patio, the patio can cost as much as the pool,” Troy said.

Pool companies typically offer free design services, and may or may not have a landscape architect on staff. Talking with different companies and ending up with a variety of options, prices and designs can make the choice between companies bewildering for buyers, said Troy.

“Do you want a pool or do you want a total environment?” he asked. “People go to three companies and get three different designs. They go with the cheapest. It’s a little penny wise, pound foolish.”

He recommends having the pool designed first, taking into account factors such as the home’s architecture, the size of the yard, drainage and the solar angle and water reflection. (Poor pool placement can end up burning the eyes of the people who are trying to sit and enjoy the view).

Troy recommends taking the same design to three pool companies. Get bids and compare the construction equipment each company uses, he said.

Ryan Ordaz of Pool Concepts by Pete Ordaz also urges homeowners to consider the quality of construction. If bids come back for a pool, and one is $45,000 and one is $60,000, Ordaz said owners need to take the time to figure out why the bids are so different.

“It’s great to get a car at a low price because they’re all built the same. Pools are all different,” said Ordaz. “It’s surprising to me how people can not blink an eye when they’re buying a $40,000 vehicle. But when you’re looking at this permanent addition to their house, they only want to consider price.”

People who don’t want to add a pool but like the idea of a water feature could consider a splash pad, similar to what’s often found in amusement parks, which allows for a safe-but-wet play area. Splash pads cost about $13,000, Ordaz said.

While the pool will add value to a home, luxury real estate agent Ann Van Pelt said it’s hard to pinpoint the precise dollar amount.

“Value is in the eye of the beholder,” she said. “If you want a pool, you want a pool. On rare occasions, I’ll have a buyer who absolutely says, 'I don’t want a pool.’ I think the key is we’re in South Central Texas. We’re not in Chicago. You can have enjoyment of the pool almost year-round.”

Pools are expected to be in the backyards of homes that cost $700,000 and more, Van Pelt said. “I think almost any upper-end home is going to have to have a pool.” she said.

If homeowners want to consider resale value when they add a pool, Van Pelt recommends an elegant design.

“The simple classic pool is more appealing than the very elaborate,” she said. “There still needs to be some grassy area. We are so hot that you need that relief from all the hard surfaces. You need some shape to the yard.”

For those pool-shopping this spring in hopes of a summertime swim, Ordaz advises homeowners to check and see whether a neighborhood homeowners association will have to approve the design first.

Ordaz also said to check to make sure that a pool company is closing out its permits. Inside a city limits, city inspectors will need to check a pool’s construction and will want to make sure that certain safety features are in place, such as gates that swing closed and latch automatically.

Smith recommends that homeowners use a pool company that offers a transferable warranty, which will give peace of mind to the future buyers of the house.

In the end, the hope is to create a space that’s fun and extends the living and entertainment area of the house into the backyard.

“There’s a certain footprint,” Parker said. “A pool can be too big and overwhelming, or it can be too small. You have to size it for how they’ll use it, but also for the lot. When it’s done right, it will look like it fits in with the house and the lot.”