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A pool built in Millwood isn’t the same as a pool built in a North Georgia suburb. The land is different. The water table sits closer to the surface out here in the Coastal Plain, and that changes everything about how a pool needs to be engineered. When it’s done correctly, you end up with a structure that performs for decades. When it’s not, you end up with a fiberglass shell that shifts, cracks, or worse pushes up out of the ground when it’s drained.
Concrete doesn’t have that problem. We engineer it into the ground with hydrostatic relief systems that account for exactly the kind of soil and drainage conditions you find in Millwood and this part of Ware County. The closer you get to the Okefenokee region, the more that matters. A builder who doesn’t factor that in isn’t the right builder for your property.
Beyond the engineering, what you’re really getting is a backyard that works for your life. A place for your kids to swim without loading up and driving 20 minutes to Waycross. A space that’s yours, designed around your lot, your family, and how you actually spend your summers. And because it’s concrete, it’s not something you’ll be repairing or replacing in 10 years it’s a permanent improvement to your property that holds its value.
We’re based in Douglas, Georgia about 20 miles from Millwood on US 84. That’s not a coincidence. This part of South Georgia is where the work has always been, and it’s the kind of ground we know how to build on.
Deep Waters Pools was founded in 2014, but the experience behind it goes back more than 30 years in concrete, plumbing, and pool construction specific to this region. That means the people overseeing your build have already worked through the permit processes, the soil conditions, and the construction challenges that come with building in unincorporated Ware County not just the incorporated cities, but the rural properties off the county roads around Millwood too.
What drove our founding was simple: too many South Georgia families were hiring contractors who disappeared after the deposit cleared. We built Deep Waters Pools to be the opposite of that transparent pricing, honest timelines, and a finished pool that looks exactly like what you agreed to.
It starts with a conversation about how you use your outdoor space. Not a sales pitch an actual conversation. Do you want a shallow end for young kids? A spa you can use year-round? A sun shelf? That’s where the design begins. From there, a 3D rendering gets built so you can see exactly what your pool will look like in your actual backyard before anyone picks up a shovel.
Once the design is locked in, permits are next. Because Millwood is unincorporated, there’s no city building department everything runs through Ware County’s building authority, and that process has its own specific requirements: pool location plans, erosion control documentation, county inspection scheduling. We handle all of it. You don’t have to figure out which county office to call or what forms need to be filed. That’s taken care of.
Construction typically runs eight to sixteen weeks depending on the scope of the build. In South Georgia, the best time to start is fall or early winter that way the pool is finished and ready before the heat hits in late spring. Once construction wraps, every pool leaves with a custom-fitted safety cover included as a standard part of the build, not an add-on. And if you want someone to handle ongoing maintenance so you’re not spending your weekends managing water chemistry, that option is available too.
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Every pool we build is concrete not fiberglass, not vinyl. In a low-elevation environment like Millwood, where the water table can be a real factor, that’s the right call. Fiberglass shells are vulnerable to hydrostatic uplift in high water table conditions, and vinyl liners need to be replaced every seven to ten years. Concrete gets stronger over time and is engineered specifically for the site it’s built on.
The full build includes custom design from scratch, 3D renderings before construction begins, complete permit coordination through Ware County’s unincorporated building authority, and a custom-fitted safety cover with every pool. If you want to add a spa, water features, or a full patio and outdoor living space, those are built into the design from the start not quoted separately as surprises later. The price you’re given upfront is the price you pay.
For Millwood property owners, the lot sizes and absence of HOA restrictions mean you have real design freedom that most suburban buyers don’t. Your backyard can actually be built around what you want, not what a homeowners association will approve. Inground concrete pools in Georgia typically start around $70,000 and go up from there depending on size, features, and site conditions. It’s a significant investment and one that adds lasting value to your property while giving your family a place to be outside without leaving the land you’ve already built your life on.
Yes, and it’s worth understanding before you start. Because Millwood is an unincorporated community with no city government, there’s no city building department handling pool permits. Everything goes through Ware County’s building authority, which follows Georgia’s state minimum construction codes including the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia amendments.
The permit process requires a pool location plan showing setbacks from property lines and structures, an erosion control affidavit, and inspections at multiple stages of construction. The contractor also needs to hold a valid Georgia contractor’s license. For homeowners in Millwood who’ve never navigated Ware County’s unincorporated permitting process, it can be confusing especially since there’s no single city office to call. We handle every step of this from start to finish, which is one of the more practical reasons to work with a builder who actually knows the county rather than one routing jobs from outside the area.
Millwood sits in the Georgia Coastal Plain at an average elevation of around 137 feet. The soils out here are predominantly sandy and loamy, and the water table in this part of Ware County sits closer to the surface than it does in higher-elevation parts of the state. That combination has direct implications for how a pool needs to be engineered.
The biggest risk with a high water table is hydrostatic uplift what happens when a fiberglass pool is drained and the groundwater pressure surrounding the shell pushes it upward out of the ground. It’s not a rare failure mode; it’s a documented problem in low-elevation environments like Millwood. Concrete pools, when properly engineered with hydrostatic relief valves and the right drainage systems, don’t carry that risk. The pool is built into the ground in a way that accounts for the surrounding water pressure rather than fighting against it. For anyone building near the Okefenokee region, this is one of the most important material decisions you’ll make.
In Georgia, a custom concrete inground pool typically starts around $70,000 and can go well above $150,000 depending on size, features, and site conditions. The range is wide because no two builds are the same a straightforward rectangular pool on a flat lot is a different project than a custom freeform pool with an attached spa, water features, and a full patio.
For Millwood specifically, site conditions can affect cost. Soil composition, drainage requirements, and the distance from the build site to utilities all factor into the final number. What shouldn’t vary is whether the price you’re quoted is the price you pay. We use transparent, upfront pricing the quote reflects the full scope of the project, and there are no change orders used to inflate the bill after you’ve signed. If you want to know where your build falls in that range before committing to anything, a design consultation is the right starting point.
For this part of Georgia, yes and it’s not a close call. The argument for fiberglass is usually speed and lower initial cost. The argument against it, in a low-elevation Coastal Plain environment like Ware County, is structural. Fiberglass shells come in fixed manufacturer sizes, they can’t be customized to your specific lot or design preferences, and they carry real risk of hydrostatic uplift in areas with high water tables. If you ever need to drain the pool for repairs, you’re gambling on whether the water table is high enough to push the shell upward.
Concrete doesn’t have that vulnerability. It’s built in place, engineered for the specific site, and it gets stronger over time rather than degrading. There are no liner replacements, no shell replacements, and no structural limitations on shape or size. The upfront cost is higher than a basic fiberglass install, but when you factor in the long-term durability and the absence of major repair costs down the road, the math works out differently than the initial price comparison suggests.
The best window to start is fall through early winter roughly October through January. South Georgia summers bring heavy afternoon thunderstorms that can delay outdoor excavation and concrete work, and the heat affects curing conditions. Starting in the cooler months means construction moves on a cleaner schedule and the pool is typically finished and ready before the outdoor season opens in April or May.
If you’re reading this in the summer and thinking about a pool, that’s actually ideal timing for planning. Most homeowners who reach out during the summer are building for the following season, which is a completely normal part of the process. It gives you time to go through the design phase properly, get permits coordinated with Ware County, and schedule the build without rushing. The families who end up happiest with their pools are usually the ones who didn’t try to compress the timeline they planned ahead and were swimming by Memorial Day the following year.
Every build includes a few things that we treat as standard, not optional extras. The custom-fitted safety cover is included it’s designed specifically for the shape and dimensions of your pool, not a generic off-the-shelf product, and it’s part of the build price. Complete permit coordination through Ware County is also included, which covers the pool location plan, erosion control documentation, and all county inspection scheduling from start to finish.
Before construction begins, you’ll receive a 3D rendering of your pool in your actual backyard so you can see exactly what you’re getting before any ground is broken. The design process starts with how your family uses the space not a manufacturer’s catalog of available shell sizes. And because Millwood properties typically sit on larger rural lots without HOA restrictions, there’s real flexibility in what that design can look like. After the pool is finished, weekly maintenance plans are available if you’d rather hand off the ongoing upkeep than manage it yourself.
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