Pool Remodel, Restoration, and Renovation
Central Valley pool remodeling by a licensed California pool contractor — CSLB #1139527, C-53 and C-61/D-35.
A tired pool does not need to be replaced. Plenty of the pools we are called out to have been in the ground for decades, and the shell underneath them is usually still sound. What has worn out is everything attached to it: the plaster, the tile line, the deck, and a pump that costs more to run every year. That is a remodel, not a rebuild — and it costs a fraction of a new pool.
Signs your pool is asking for a remodel
- The surface feels rough underfoot or leaves chalk on your hand. Plaster has etched away and the shell underneath is starting to be exposed.
- Stains, mottling or dark blotches that brushing and acid washing no longer lift.
- Tile falling off the waterline, or a grout line you can push a fingernail into.
- Deck cracks, lifted slabs, or a hot deck you cannot cross barefoot in July — a real problem in a valley that runs above 100°F for weeks.
- The pump howls, or the power bill climbs every summer. A single-speed pump running eight hours a day is often the largest appliance load on the house.
- Water loss beyond normal evaporation, which points at plumbing, the skimmer throat, or a shell crack that should be diagnosed before anything cosmetic happens.
- It is simply dated — blue plaster, 4x4 waterline tile, a diving board nobody uses, and no place to sit in the water.
Any one of these is worth a look. Several at once usually means the cheapest path is one coordinated remodel rather than four separate repair calls over four years.
Resurfacing: the heart of most remodels
Resurfacing is the step that makes a pool read as new. We chip out the failed interior, prep the shell, and apply a new finish. The choice of finish is the single biggest decision in the project, because it sets both the look and how long you go before doing this again:
- White or colored plaster — the classic, the least expensive per square foot, and the shortest service life. Typically 7 to 12 years in Central Valley water, depending on chemistry.
- Quartz finishes — plaster blended with quartz aggregate. Harder, more stain-resistant, richer color, and a meaningfully longer life than plain plaster.
- Pebble finishes — exposed natural pebble. The most durable common option, typically 15 to 20 years, with the deep-water color most homeowners picture when they imagine a resort pool. It is also the most forgiving of hard Valley fill water.
Resurfacing is also the moment to fix anything hiding behind the old surface — a cracked skimmer, a worn main drain cover that no longer meets the federal anti-entrapment standard, or returns pointed the wrong way. Those repairs are cheap while the pool is empty and expensive afterward.
Tile, coping and decking
The waterline tile and the coping are what your eye actually lands on. Replacing a dated 6-inch band with glass, stacked stone or a modern porcelain changes the character of the whole backyard for a fraction of what people expect. We also raise and re-form coping where the deck has settled, and add or extend flagstone.
On decking we clean, seal, color, resurface or replace concrete. In this climate the finish matters as much as the look: a lighter, textured surface stays walkable in August, and a properly sealed deck holds up better to the sprinkler overspray, hard water and sun that stain, pit and fade bare concrete around the Valley.
Equipment upgrades: where the remodel pays you back
This is the part of a remodel with an actual return. California’s Title 20 appliance standards require most replacement pool filtration pumps of one horsepower or more to be variable-speed, and there is a good reason the state pushed it: a variable-speed pump run at low RPM for longer hours filters the same water for a small fraction of the energy a single-speed pump uses. On an older pool, the pump swap alone often changes the summer power bill more than every other line on the estimate combined.
Alongside it we replace worn-out filters, motors, heaters, valves and pool sweeps, repair plumbing, electrical and gas lines, and re-plumb equipment pads that have been added onto one repair at a time for thirty years.
Water treatment and sanitation options
- Saltwater chlorination — the cell makes chlorine from salt on a schedule, so you stop hauling and dosing it by hand. The water feels softer and reads gentler on eyes and swimsuits.
- Ozone — a strong supplemental oxidizer that cuts the chlorine your pool needs to carry.
- UV — inactivates chlorine-resistant organisms as water passes the lamp; usually paired with a low chlorine residual.
- Hydrogen peroxide systems — for owners who want the lowest-chlorine water we can responsibly deliver.
None of these replaces good circulation and balanced water. They reduce chemical handling and make the water more pleasant to swim in. We will tell you plainly which one fits your pool and which is oversold for it.
Lighting, automation and features
Swapping an old incandescent niche light for color LED is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost items in a remodel — it changes the pool every evening, and it draws a fraction of the power. Automation puts pump speeds, heater, lights, valves and spa on a schedule and on your phone, which is what finally makes a pool easy to own.
A remodel is also the natural time to make the pool do more: add an attached spa, a raised bond beam with sheer-descent or scupper water features, a tanning ledge where the shallow end is dead space, solar heating to stretch the season on both ends, or a manual or automatic cover. Covers are worth a serious look here — in Central Valley summers a cover cuts evaporation and chemical loss more than any other single accessory.
Remodel, or replace the pool?
We will give you the honest answer, including when it is not a remodel. If the shell has structural failure, if the pool is so small or so oddly shaped that resurfacing it just preserves the problem, or if the plumbing has to be rebuilt anyway, the money can be better spent on a new pool. In that case a Latham fiberglass pool from $44,995 installed — every model priced on this site — or a custom gunite build may be the better project. We publish both so you can compare against your remodel number instead of guessing.
How a remodel actually runs
- Free site visit. We look at the shell, the surface, the deck, the equipment pad and the plumbing, and listen to what you actually want changed.
- Written, itemized estimate. Line by line, in the same terms you will be billed. Free.
- Permits where they apply. Cosmetic resurfacing usually does not need one; electrical, gas, structural work and new features often do, and the jurisdiction depends on your parcel, not your mailing address. How Central Valley pool permits work →
- Demo and repair — chip out, structural repairs, plumbing and electrical while the pool is empty.
- Surfaces — tile, coping, deck, then the new interior finish.
- Equipment, fill and start-up. New interior finishes need a managed start-up and close attention to chemistry for the first few weeks. We walk you through it, and we can carry it on a weekly service plan so the finish you just paid for is protected.
What a remodel costs
There is no honest flat price for a remodel, and anyone who quotes you one over the phone is guessing. The number depends on the size of the pool, the finish you choose, how much tile and deck is involved, and what we find when the water is out. What we will commit to is how the number is built: itemized, in writing, at final prices, before you sign anything — and the same scope re-priced if you change your mind about a finish.
California protects pool buyers — and we follow the law to the letter
Under California law (Business & Professions Code §7159), a licensed contractor may collect a down payment of no more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. So no matter the size of your project, we will never ask for more than $1,000 down. And we only bill for work after it is done. If any pool company asks you for a 20–50% deposit up front, that is a red flag. It’s also illegal.
Everything we handle on a remodel
- Pool resurfacing — plaster, quartz, pebble
- Waterline tile, glass tile and coping
- Flagstone and stone veneer
- Concrete decking — clean, seal, color, resurface or replace
- Variable-speed pump and motor replacement
- Filter, heater and valve replacement
- Pool and spa automation
- Color LED lighting
- Saltwater chlorination systems
- Ozone and UV sanitization systems
- Hydrogen peroxide sanitization systems
- Energy-efficient solar heating
- Pool sweep repair and upgrades
- Plumbing, electrical and gas repairs
- Added spas, water features and tanning ledges
- Manual and automatic pool covers
- Leak diagnosis and structural repair
- Pool tune-up packages
Where we remodel
Out of our Hanford shop we remodel pools across Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties and up to two hours out, scheduling closest first — Hanford, Lemoore, Visalia, Tulare, Fresno, Clovis, Kingsburg, Selma, Sanger, Corcoran, Coalinga and Avenal. See the full service area →
Pool remodeling questions, answered
How long does a pool remodel take?
A straight resurface with new waterline tile is usually one to two weeks of work once we start, plus the fill and start-up. Add decking, new equipment, a spa or water features and it stretches — those scopes commonly run three to six weeks because they add trades, inspections and cure time. We give you the schedule in writing with the estimate, and the biggest variable is almost always permitting and weather, not the crew.
How often does a pool need to be resurfaced?
It depends on the finish and on how the water was kept. Plain plaster typically lasts 7 to 12 years, quartz finishes longer, and pebble commonly 15 to 20. Chronically unbalanced water shortens all of those. If your surface is rough, chalky or staining in ways that brushing will not lift, it is time.
Do I need a permit to remodel my pool?
Cosmetic work — resurfacing, tile, deck finishes — usually does not. Electrical, gas, structural changes and new features often do. Which counter you go to depends on your parcel, not your mailing address: a Hanford or Visalia mailing address does not guarantee city jurisdiction. We check it by parcel and pull what is required as part of the job.
Is it cheaper to remodel or to replace my pool?
In most cases a remodel costs a fraction of a new pool, because the expensive part — the hole and the shell — is already there and usually still sound. Replacing makes more sense when the shell has structural failure, when the plumbing has to be rebuilt anyway, or when the pool's size or shape is the actual problem. We publish our new-pool prices so you can compare your remodel number against a real one instead of an estimate you have to chase.
Will new equipment really lower my power bill?
Usually yes, and it is often the largest single saving in the project. California's Title 20 standards require most replacement filtration pumps of one horsepower or more to be variable-speed, and running one at low RPM for longer hours moves the same water for a small fraction of the energy an old single-speed pump uses. Swapping an old niche light for LED helps too.
Can you fix a leak or a crack, not just the finish?
Yes. We diagnose leaks and repair shell cracks, skimmers, main drains and plumbing — and we would rather find them before the finish goes on, when the pool is empty and the repair is cheap. Resurfacing over an undiagnosed leak just buries it.
Can you convert my old pool to saltwater?
Yes, and a remodel is the right time to do it since the equipment pad is already open. We will also tell you if your existing heater, light niche or handrails have components that do not get along with salt water, so it is a decision you make with the whole picture.
Not sure what your pool needs?
Ask us. We are a licensed California pool contractor (CSLB #1139527), bonded and insured, and we would rather tell you that your pool needs a $0 chemistry correction than sell you a remodel it does not need. The site visit is free. The estimate is free, written and itemized the way you will be billed.