Gunite is sprayed concrete reinforced with a steel rebar cage, and it's the material behind most custom inground pools built in the Little Rock area because it can be shaped into virtually any design, from a simple rectangle to a freeform lagoon-style pool with a tanning ledge and raised spa. Unlike a pre-formed fiberglass shell, gunite is built in place on your property, which means the shape, depth, and every built-in feature are decided by you rather than picked from a catalog of fixed molds.
Homeowners come to us for a gunite build when they want full control over the design, when their lot shape or access doesn't suit a crane-set fiberglass shell, or when they're adding features like a raised wall, swim-up bar, or attached spa that need to be formed as part of the structure itself. Because gunite is poured and cured on-site, it also tolerates the clay-heavy, freeze-thaw soil conditions common across Pulaski, Faulkner, and Saline counties better than some alternative construction methods, provided the steel and plumbing are engineered for local frost depth, which ours are on every build.
Our process starts with excavation to your design's exact depth and shape, followed by setting the steel rebar cage and rough-in plumbing for skimmers, returns, and any water features. Once the state or city plumbing inspection clears, we spray the gunite shell and let it cure before tiling, decking, and interior finish go in. A typical gunite build runs 8 to 14 weeks from excavation to first swim, depending on design complexity, weather, and how quickly permitting moves through your city. We coordinate every inspection along the way so nothing stalls your project unexpectedly.
Benefits of Inground Gunite Pool Construction
- Fully custom shape, depth, and built-in features — no mold limitations
- Structurally engineered for Arkansas clay soil and freeze-thaw cycles
- Long service life when properly maintained, often 20+ years before major resurfacing
- Can integrate a raised spa, tanning ledge, or water feature into the same pour
Common Questions
Gunite pools can be built to nearly any depth since the shell is formed on-site rather than limited by a pre-made mold. Most residential pools in our market run 3.5 to 6 feet, with deeper diving areas built on request where the lot allows it.
A properly engineered gunite shell with rebar set to correct depth and spacing handles our freeze-thaw cycle well. Most cracking issues we see on older pools trace back to shells that weren't engineered for local frost depth in the first place, which is something we account for on every build.