Pool Builder & Pool Remodeling in Alhambra, CA
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Last modified: 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
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Image: Sunken fire-pit lounge with built-in seating below a modern home at twilight
- Alhambra
Design · Permit · Build
Pool & Spa Remodeling in Alhambra
We build new pools and spas, and remodel the ones already in the ground.
Book a Consultation Call 818-300-2393
Built for Alhambra Homes
Alhambra has long played on its Moorish name: the Lindaraxa Tract, platted in 1911, took its name from Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra, and one block of Sherwood Avenue in the northwest corner is still lined with Spanish Colonial Revival houses from the 1920s and 1930s.
The city incorporated in 1903 on the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley and grew tract by tract, from the Craftsman houses of the Ramona Park Tract to the Tudor Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival homes of the 1929 Mayfair tract. Its ground is a mostly flat alluvial plain that slopes gently to the southeast, so grade seldom decides where a pool or terrace goes.
What does shape a project is the zoning code: its pool setbacks, the thresholds that send an addition to the Design Review Board, and whether a house appears on the city's Inventory of Historic Resources.
Early tract lots ran deep: 1906 advertisements for the Alhambra Park Tract listed an average lot of 50 by 150 feet, and original lots on South 2nd and 3rd Streets in the Ramona Park Tract measured 110 feet wide by 160 feet deep, some since split.
In the RL low-density zone a house is limited to two stories, 25 feet and a 0.40 floor area ratio behind a 25-foot front setback, with a rear setback of 20 percent of lot depth up to 15 feet, and detached accessory structures top out at 15 feet.
We are a design-build team, which means the people who draw your project are the people who build it. Design, engineering, permits and construction run through one project manager and our own crews, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between a salesperson and a subcontractor. We are licensed, bonded and insured, CSLB license #1119054 .
Permits in Alhambra: The Building Division of the Community Development Department handles building plan check, permits and inspections, including for pools and spas, and applications and inspection requests go through the city's online Permit Portal. Under Alhambra's zoning code, new homes, all two-story and second-story additions, additions that enlarge a house by more than 50 percent, and exterior alterations visible from a public street that need a building permit go to the Design Review Board, as do fences and walls in a front or street side yard facing the street.
Pools, spas and pool equipment may not sit in a required front yard and must be at least three feet from any property line in an interior side or rear yard, or five feet in a street side yard, with setbacks measured from the water line. For a house listed on the city's Inventory of Historic Resources as a potentially eligible individual resource, a major alteration first requires a historic resource assessment by a qualified professional, and if the house is found eligible the work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission.
Permit details checked September 2026 against City of Alhambra . Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.
What We Build
- Design Review Board packages for second-story additions
- Pool and equipment layout to the three-foot setback
- Remodels of homes on the historic inventory
- Two-story ADUs matched to the main house
- Front-yard wall and fence design review
- New gunite pool and spa construction
- Full pool remodels and replastering
- Pebble, quartz and plaster interior finishes
- Waterline tile and coping replacement
- Raised and attached spas with spillways
- Baja shelves, benches and sun ledges
- Water features, fire bowls and sheer descents
- Equipment upgrades, heaters and automation
- Pool decking in pavers, concrete or travertine
- LED lighting and salt-water conversions
Local Conditions
What to Know in Alhambra
These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget.
01
Alhambra sits on an alluvial plain formed from the weathering of the San Gabriel Mountains, sloping southeast at about 1.05 feet per 100 feet from 580 feet in the northwest corner to 380 feet in the southeast, on gravelly loams, sandy loams and clays that the General Plan says do not have a high potential for collapse or expansion.
02
Most of the city is flat, but the General Plan identifies small hillside areas in the western and southwestern parts of town as potentially subject to landslides, so pool and terrace plans there call for a closer look at slope and soils.
03
No active fault is known to cross Alhambra and the city lies outside any Alquist-Priolo zone. Regional flood-control improvements have removed it from the 100-year flood zone, and the General Plan limits flooding problems to local spots where drainage systems cannot handle intense rain.
04
Oaks and California native trees taller than 15 feet or more than 12 inches in trunk diameter, and mature trees taller than 20 feet or more than 24 inches across, need a Tree Permit to be removed or materially altered, although trees in side and rear yards in the RL and RM zones are exempt.
Areas we serve in Alhambra:Midwick TractEmery ParkLindaraxa ParkMayfairRamona ParkBean Tract
Investment
What It Costs in Alhambra
Real Southern California price ranges, not teaser numbers.
New pool construction
$70,000 to $150,000+
What moves it: size and shape, spa, water and fire features, decking material, automation, and how much access and grading the site needs
Pool remodel and resurfacing
$15,000 to $45,000
What moves it: finish choice (plaster versus pebble or quartz), tile and coping replacement, new equipment, and whether the deck is being replaced at the same time
Paver patio and hardscape
from about $13,000
What moves it: square footage, paver type, base preparation, drainage, and any steps or retaining involved
Your lot, access and finishes set the price. We walk the site, then show you where every dollar goes.
Get a line-item price for your Alhambra property
The Process
How We Work in Alhambra
01
Site Review
We walk the property, check access, soil and slope, and confirm what the yard can actually take.
02
Design & 3D
You see the pool in 3D before anything is dug, with finishes, tile and decking chosen.
03
Plans & Permits
We draw the plans, handle engineering where the site needs it, and pull the permits. In Alhambra that submittal goes to City of Alhambra Community Development Department, Building Division.
04
Excavation & Shell
Dig, steel, plumbing and gunite. This is where site access and grading matter most.
05
Finishes
Tile, coping, decking and your chosen interior finish go in.
06
Startup & Handover
We fill, balance the water, commission the equipment and walk you through every control.
Questions
What Alhambra Homeowners Ask
Who issues the permits for this work in Alhambra?
City of Alhambra Community Development Department, Building Division. The Building Division of the Community Development Department handles building plan check, permits and inspections, including for pools and spas, and applications and inspection requests go through the city's online Permit Portal.
Under Alhambra's zoning code, new homes, all two-story and second-story additions, additions that enlarge a house by more than 50 percent, and exterior alterations visible from a public street that need a building permit go to the Design Review Board, as do fences and walls in a front or street side yard facing the street.
Pools, spas and pool equipment may not sit in a required front yard and must be at least three feet from any property line in an interior side or rear yard, or five feet in a street side yard, with setbacks measured from the water line. For a house listed on the city's Inventory of Historic Resources as a potentially eligible individual resource, a major alteration first requires a historic resource assessment by a qualified professional, and if the house is found eligible the work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission.
We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check.
What makes building in Alhambra different?
Early tract lots ran deep: 1906 advertisements for the Alhambra Park Tract listed an average lot of 50 by 150 feet, and original lots on South 2nd and 3rd Streets in the Ramona Park Tract measured 110 feet wide by 160 feet deep, some since split.
In the RL low-density zone a house is limited to two stories, 25 feet and a 0.40 floor area ratio behind a 25-foot front setback, with a rear setback of 20 percent of lot depth up to 15 feet, and detached accessory structures top out at 15 feet.
One local condition that shapes the work: Alhambra sits on an alluvial plain formed from the weathering of the San Gabriel Mountains, sloping southeast at about 1.05 feet per 100 feet from 580 feet in the northwest corner to 380 feet in the southeast, on gravelly loams, sandy loams and clays that the General Plan says do not have a high potential for collapse or expansion.
Which parts of Alhambra do you work in?
All of it, including Midwick Tract, Emery Park, Lindaraxa Park and Mayfair. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site.
What does a pool or spa project cost in Alhambra?
New pool construction: generally $70,000 to $150,000+ across Southern California. What moves it is size and shape, spa, water and fire features, decking material, automation, and how much access and grading the site needs. We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone.
How long does a pool remodel take?
A straightforward replaster with new tile and coping usually runs three to five weeks. A full remodel that includes new decking, equipment and features typically runs eight to twelve weeks. Site access and permit timing are the two things that move that most.
How long does a new pool take to build?
Most new pool builds run about three to five months from permit to first swim. Hillside sites that need engineered retaining or difficult access sit at the longer end of that range.
Should I replaster or fully remodel?
If the shell and plumbing are sound and you only dislike the surface, replastering with new tile and coping is the efficient choice. If the equipment is aging, the deck is cracked or the shape no longer suits how you use the yard, a full remodel costs less than doing it in two separate phases.
Do you self-perform the work?
Yes. Our own crews handle the build rather than passing it to a rotating set of subs, which is why the schedule and the finish standard stay consistent.
More Services in Alhambra
Backyard & Outdoor Living in Alhambra ADUs & Additions in Alhambra Everything we build in Alhambra
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Planning Guides
Before You Build in Alhambra
Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects.
Building a Pool in Northridge: Costs and Permits A new pool in Northridge typically runs $85,000 to $165,000 all-in with decking and equipment. The tract lots are generous, the soil is workable, and the real variables are access, spa and deck square footage. Read guide Van Nuys Pool and Backyard Costs A new pool in Van Nuys runs $75,000 to $145,000, and a pool-plus-backyard package $110,000 to $220,000. Flat lots keep excavation honest; older service panels and gas meters are where budgets slip. Read guide Travertine vs Porcelain Pavers for SoCal Yards Travertine installs at roughly $22 to $30 per square foot, porcelain at $24 to $34. The real difference is heat, staining and how each one handles a chlorinated pool deck over ten years. Read guide Pool Coping Options: Concrete, Stone and Porcelain Coping runs $28 to $55 per lineal foot in concrete, $55 to $110 in natural stone and $60 to $120 in porcelain. On an average pool perimeter that is a $2,500 to $11,000 decision. Read guide
Planning a Pool in Alhambra?
Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day.
Book a Consultation 818-300-2393
Licensed, bonded & insured · CSLB license #1119054
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