Hear from Our Customers
When we build a pool properly in Waycross, you stop second-guessing it. No cracks showing up two summers in. No drainage issues creeping up from soil that wasn’t accounted for during excavation. No permit problems surfacing at resale because someone skipped a step with the city or Ware County. You just have a pool one that works, holds, and looks exactly like you imagined it.
Waycross runs hot from March through October. That’s not a minor detail that’s nearly eight months of your family actually using this thing. A concrete pool built to handle South Georgia summers, year after year, pays for itself in ways a vinyl liner or a pre-molded fiberglass shell never could. Liner replacements alone cost thousands every decade. Concrete doesn’t work that way.
The soil in Waycross and the surrounding Ware County area shaped by the same hydrology that feeds the Okefenokee has more moisture variability than most contractors from outside the region ever account for. When your builder understands what’s actually under your backyard before the excavator shows up, the finished product reflects that. That’s the difference between a pool that lasts thirty years and one that gives you problems in three.
We founded Deep Waters Pools in 2014 with more than three decades of hands-on concrete, plumbing, and pool construction already behind us. That’s not a sales line it means the person responsible for your pool has been doing this work longer than most companies in this region have even existed.
We’re based in Douglas, GA, about 45 miles up US-82 from Waycross. We’ve worked throughout Ware County, we understand the permit process at both the city and county level, and we know what the ground in Waycross and the surrounding area actually requires. We didn’t start this company because we saw a business opportunity. We started it because too many families in Waycross and communities like it were getting burned by contractors who overpromised and disappeared.
Every project we take on in the Waycross area gets the same thing: honest timelines, real communication, and a finished pool you’re not left figuring out on your own.
It starts with a real conversation about your backyard, your goals, and your budget. No pressure, no pitch just an honest look at what’s possible on your property in Waycross and what a concrete pool actually costs to build the right way. From there, we move into design and permitting.
In Waycross, that permitting step involves two layers: city-level zoning compliance under Section 607 for accessory-use structures, and a separate permit through Ware County Planning and Codes. We handle both. We know who to contact, what forms are required, and how to move through the process without stalling your project or leaving you to figure it out yourself. That dual-permit process trips up contractors who don’t know this area it’s one of the first things that separates a builder with local knowledge from one without it.
Once permits are approved, most custom concrete builds in the Waycross area run 8 to 12 weeks to completion. We tell you that upfront not after you’ve signed a contract. Construction wraps with a full site cleanup and a complete walkthrough of your pool’s systems so you know exactly how to run and maintain what we built. You’re not handed a manual and wished good luck. You’re ready to swim.
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Every pool we build is a custom concrete inground pool designed specifically for your yard, your family, and how you actually want to use it. We don’t sell fiberglass shells that limit your shape options before the conversation even starts. We don’t install vinyl liners that need full replacement every 8 to 12 years. Concrete gives you complete design freedom and a structure that, when built correctly, outlasts the home it sits behind.
For Waycross homeowners, that customization matters more than it might somewhere else. Lot sizes, soil conditions, and drainage patterns in Ware County vary enough that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t hold up literally. We design around your specific property, accounting for the moisture variability and organic soil content that’s common in this region near the Okefenokee basin. That’s not an upsell. It’s just how concrete pool construction has to work in Waycross to actually last.
Beyond the build itself, we handle everything that comes with it: excavation, plumbing, electrical coordination, decking, tile, coping, equipment setup, and final inspection. When we leave your Waycross property, the pool is finished not 90 percent done with a punch list the size of your arm. If you’re also looking at pool renovation or updating an existing structure in the area, we can assess what you have and tell you honestly what it needs.
Yes and in Waycross, it’s actually a two-step process that catches a lot of homeowners and out-of-area contractors off guard. If your property is within city limits, you’ll need to comply with the City of Waycross’s zoning requirements under Section 607, which governs setbacks for accessory-use structures like pools. The city’s Community Development and Improvement office handles this side of it, and because the official zoning map isn’t posted online due to frequent updates, you’ll need to call the Planning office directly at 912-287-2944 to confirm what applies to your specific lot.
On top of that, Ware County Planning and Codes requires a separate permit for any residential pool construction in the county. Both need to be addressed before a shovel goes in the ground. We handle this entire process for every project we take on in Waycross we know the forms, the contacts, and the timeline involved. Skipping or mishandling either permit can create real problems at resale, so getting it done correctly from the start matters.
For a custom concrete inground pool in the Waycross area, you’re generally looking at a range of $60,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on size, shape, depth, and the features you want things like lighting, water features, decking material, and equipment quality all affect the final number. That range is wide, and that’s intentional concrete pools are fully custom, so the price is built around your specific project, not a catalog item.
One thing worth keeping in mind for Waycross specifically: with median home values around $93,000 in Ware County, a pool represents a significant portion of a property’s total value. That makes choosing the right builder more important here than it might be in a higher-value market. A pool that’s built correctly adds real equity and a long swim season you’ll actually use Waycross’s climate supports comfortable outdoor swimming from March through October. A pool that’s built poorly costs you more than the repair bill. We’re straightforward about pricing from the first conversation, and we don’t quote low to win the job and adjust later.
For most custom concrete pool builds in the Waycross area, you’re looking at 8 to 12 weeks from permit approval to a finished, swim-ready pool. That’s the honest number not a best-case scenario we use to win jobs and then walk back. The permitting process itself adds time before construction even begins, which is why the earlier you start the conversation, the better.
If you want your pool ready by Memorial Day weekend, you really need to be talking to a builder by January or February at the latest. Waycross’s climate makes that timing worth planning around you have a genuinely long swim season here, and starting construction in late spring means you’re losing months of it. Weather, soil conditions, and inspection scheduling can all affect the timeline, and we’ll tell you about any of those variables upfront rather than letting you find out mid-project.
Concrete is the most appropriate choice for the soil conditions common in and around Waycross. The region sits near the Okefenokee basin, which means the ground here tends to have higher moisture content, organic material, and drainage variability than what you’d find in drier parts of Georgia. Fiberglass shells can shift or pop in high-moisture soil conditions if the installation isn’t handled correctly. Vinyl liners don’t address soil conditions at all they’re a surface layer over a frame, and the frame is what has to perform under South Georgia ground.
Concrete pools are structural from the ground up. When the excavation, drainage planning, and shell placement are done correctly for your specific lot in Waycross accounting for what’s actually under your backyard, not just assuming average conditions you get a pool that holds its position and its integrity for decades. That’s why we don’t offer fiberglass or vinyl liner pools. Concrete is what we know, it’s what works here, and it’s what we’re willing to put our name behind.
Ask directly and don’t accept a vague answer. A licensed pool contractor in Georgia should be able to give you their license number without hesitation. You can verify it through the Georgia Secretary of State’s licensing portal. Beyond the license itself, make sure the contractor carries liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. If something goes wrong on your property during construction and the contractor isn’t properly insured, you could be exposed.
In a city the size of Waycross, contractor reputations travel fast. That’s actually useful ask around. Talk to neighbors, coworkers, people at your church. If a contractor has done good work in Ware County, people know it. If they’ve caused problems, people know that too. We’re licensed and insured, we pull all required permits for every job, and we’re happy to provide our credentials before you sign anything. That’s not a special offer it’s just how legitimate contractors operate.
It’s a fair question, and it deserves a straight answer. Waycross has a median home value around $93,000, which is well below the national average. A custom concrete pool can run $60,000 to $150,000 depending on what you build. That math is different here than it would be in a market where homes are worth three or four times that and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being honest with you.
That said, the value of a pool in Waycross isn’t purely financial. You have one of the longest swim seasons in Georgia March through October, with real heat starting early and lasting late. For families who actually use their backyard, that’s eight months of meaningful quality of life. Pools in Georgia’s mid-tier markets do add equity typically in the 5 to 7 percent range and in Ware County’s eastside neighborhoods where home values are stronger, that return is more pronounced. The honest answer is: if you’re planning to stay in your home for years and your family will genuinely use the pool, it’s worth it. If you’re looking at it purely as a resale play on a modest property, the numbers deserve a closer look. We’ll tell you both sides of that conversation.
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