With certain socioeconomic forces at play, some builders and customers are on the search for pools that take up little space, installation that is quicker than traditional methods — or both.
With lots continually shrinking, some homeowners need something smaller. And, of course, with the heavy demands that began in 2020, some installers have been looking for alternative ways to build so they can serve more clients.
A relatively niche product has emerged in the pool/spa market that their manufacturers believe can satisfy these trends, among others. They offer small, precast concrete pools that are delivered on-site and installed quickly.
One, Concrete Pool Concepts, was originated by PSN Top Pool Builder Easton Pools of Easton, Mass. Originally called Plunge Pools by Easton, the company began in 2020 after one of the co-owners, Bob Hobaica, learned about a similar product in Israel. He and his brother and co-owner, David Hobaica, did further research, learning that such products also were sold in Australia. They collaborated with a local supplier to fine-tune molds for a product that Easton wanted — a modular, precast plunge pool that is 4 feet deep.
“With these pools, what you’re buying is a shallow end of a big pool,” said David Hobaica, president of Concrete Pool Concepts and Easton Pools.
The company offers its newly patented Plunge+ design in three sizes: 7-by-13 feet; 9-by-16 feet; and 9-by-21 feet. Then customers have the option of adding a spa to the largest model. Delivered in a couple pieces, their interior finish is generally applied on-site, usually with a reinforced PVC membrane or a pebble finish with tiled waterline.
Another firm, Soake Pools of Pembroke, N.H., originated from customers looking for a similar product. Husband-wife team Karen and Brian Larson came from the textile and software industries, respectively.
“It really came about out of our own necessity,” said co-founder Karen Larson of the development of their product and company. “We wanted a plunge pool in our backyard, and we wanted it to be concrete. At the time, it didn’t make sense for concrete builders to build small pools.”
Soake Pools entered the market in 2015. The one-piece, monolithic vessels come in three sizes: 5-by-9 feet, 7-by-13 feet, and 8-by-14 feet. They stayed with those sizes to keep transportation manageable, Larson said. They come pre-tiled.
Given the nature of these products, entry into the market is fairly easy. In both cases, a company mostly needs crews and equipment capable of excavation. The ability to handle plumbing and electrical also comes in handy.
For both manufacturers, landscape companies comprise a sizable portion of the clientele. “They can install the pool and do the hardscape, so they get both pieces of that, which is appealing to them,” Larson said.
But her company’s dealer base boasts plenty of pool builders, she adds, with concrete and fiberglass contracts making especially good fits.
The manufacturers also say their products bring pools to people who never thought they could afford inground concrete pools.
