Shinnecock Pools
Common Questions
The questions estate managers, property managers, and architects ask us most often.
Custom Gunite Pools
How long does a new custom gunite pool take to build on the East End?
Plan on a full season from first drawing to first swim. Permitting on the East End commonly runs about eight weeks on its own, and current construction starts are booking roughly six weeks out. We sequence excavation, steel, gunite, tile, coping, and finish so the noisy work lands outside the months the property is most in use.
What is the advantage of a gunite pool over other pool types?
Gunite is a pneumatically applied concrete that cures to form a monolithic shell, custom-shaped to the site. Unlike pre-formed fiberglass or vinyl-liner pools, gunite allows complete control over depth, geometry, benches, tanning ledges, and integration with the surrounding hardscape. A properly built gunite pool is a permanent structure that can be resurfaced and updated decades later without replacing the shell.
Do you coordinate with architects and landscape architects on new pool construction?
Yes. Most of our new construction is coordinated with the property's architect or landscape architect. We resolve layout, depths, finishes, and equipment on paper and align our scope with the broader site plan before any work begins. We are accustomed to working within that structure and producing the documentation it requires.
What permits are required for a new pool on the East End?
Village and town approvals are required, and on the East End permitting commonly runs about eight weeks. We file and carry the permits ourselves, and we schedule the construction timeline around the permitting window rather than against it.
Pool Restoration
Can an existing pool be renovated rather than replaced?
In most cases, yes. A sound gunite shell can be re-plastered, re-tiled, re-coped, and re-plumbed, and the equipment pad brought current with modern variable-speed and automation hardware. We assess the shell, the hydraulics, and the surrounding hardscape first, then tell you plainly whether renovation or replacement is the better long-term decision for the property.
What does a pool restoration typically include?
It depends on what the pool actually needs. Common work includes re-plastering the interior finish, replacing tile and coping, correcting hydraulics, upgrading filtration and automation, and addressing any settling or structural issues in the surrounding deck. We scope the restoration to the condition of the pool, not to a fixed package.
How long does a pool restoration take?
Most restorations are completed within a few weeks once materials arrive and permits are in place. We schedule restorations to be finished before the property opens for the season, and we provide written updates at each stage so whoever manages the property is never guessing at the timeline.
Pool Service & Maintenance
What does weekly pool service include?
Water chemistry balanced and logged, surfaces and waterline cleaned, baskets and filters serviced, equipment and automation checked, and any issue reported to you before it becomes a repair. Seasonal openings and closings, cover handling, and winterization are handled by the same team that already knows the pool.
Do you handle seasonal openings and closings?
Yes. Pool openings, closings, cover installation, and full winterization are part of the service we provide. On the East End, the timing of openings and closings matters because it aligns with when the property is in use. We coordinate the schedule around the household rather than running a fixed calendar.
Can you service a pool that was built by another company?
Yes. We service and maintain pools regardless of who originally built them. When we take over service on an existing pool, we assess its current condition, check the equipment, and establish a baseline so we can maintain it to the same standard as a pool we built ourselves.
Do you work directly with property managers and estate representatives?
A majority of our work is coordinated through a homeowner's representative: an estate manager, property manager, architect, or landscape architect. We are accustomed to reporting into that structure, with a single point of contact, written updates, and site access coordinated around the household's calendar.
Financing
Is financing available for a new pool or renovation?
Yes. We work with an independent lending partner that specializes in pool and outdoor-living projects. Terms are reviewed privately and there is no obligation. Financing is offered as a convenience alongside the project, never as the reason to begin one.
Does Shinnecock Pools handle the financing directly?
No. Financing is handled entirely through the lending partner. We never see your financial detail. Approval, terms, and rates are determined solely by the lender, and the process does not affect the scope or specification of the project.
What types of projects can be financed?
New custom gunite pool construction, pool renovation and restoration, equipment upgrades, spas, and related outdoor-living work. The lending partner covers the full scope of what we build and install.
General
Which towns does Shinnecock Pools serve?
Southampton, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Sagaponack, Wainscott, Quogue, Hampton Bays, and Montauk, along with the surrounding East End and North Fork. We stay inside a radius we can actually service well.
How do I begin a conversation about a project?
Contact us through the website or call (631) 283-5001. Tell us about the property. We will walk it, listen, and tell you honestly what it should have, whether that is a new pool, a restoration, or simply better ongoing care for what is already there.
Southampton, N.Y.
Begin your Shinnecock experience.
Tell us about the property. We will walk it, listen, and tell you honestly what it should have.
