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Most people who call a pool builder in Enigma aren’t starting from scratch on the idea. They’ve been thinking about it for a while. They’ve watched the summers stretch from May into October, spent those months watching their kids outgrow the yard, and finally decided it’s time. What they want to know is simple: will this actually go the way I’m told it will?
When pool construction is handled correctly, the result isn’t just a pool. It’s a functional part of your property that you use for eight or nine months out of the year not a few weekends in July. South Georgia’s climate makes that possible in a way that most of the country can’t claim. A well-built inground pool in Berrien County isn’t a luxury that sits idle. It’s something your family uses regularly, and it adds real, lasting value to the property you’ve invested in.
The other thing that changes when the build is done right is what you don’t have to deal with. No permit headaches, no surprise change orders, no wondering which subcontractor is responsible when something doesn’t look right. We handle your project from excavation through the first fill with one team, so the accountability is clear. That’s not always how this industry works but it’s how we do it.
We’re based out of Douglas, Georgia about 40 miles east of Enigma on US-82 and have been building custom inground pools across South Georgia since 2014. We were founded by someone who spent over 30 years in pool construction before putting his name on the door. We started Deep Waters Pools because we kept watching families in communities like Enigma get handed incomplete projects, vague timelines, and contractors who disappeared after the deposit cleared.
That’s the reason we exist. Not to be the biggest pool builder in the region to be the one that actually does what it says it will. Berrien County homeowners tend to know their neighbors, talk to their neighbors, and remember what happened to their neighbors’ backyard. That kind of accountability isn’t something you can fake.
Every project we take on in the Enigma area is managed in-house, permitted properly, and built by the same team from start to finish. No handoffs, no finger-pointing, no excuses.
It starts with a site evaluation. Before any design is finalized or any agreement is signed, the property gets looked at. Berrien County’s Coastal Plain soils a mix of sandy loam and clay behave differently depending on where you are on the lot, how drainage moves across the property, and how deep the water table sits. That evaluation isn’t a formality. It determines how the pool is engineered, where it gets placed, and whether any site-specific adjustments need to be made before a shovel hits the ground.
Once the design is confirmed and permits are pulled we handle all of that, including coordination with local building authorities excavation begins. On most residential projects, that takes one to three days. Then comes gunite application, which forms the structural shell of the pool on-site to your exact specifications. Plumbing and electrical run concurrently over the following week or two, and pool deck installation wraps up the exterior. From excavation to water, most builds run six to eight weeks.
The reason that timeline holds is straightforward: one team owns every phase. There’s no waiting on a subcontractor to show up before the next step can start. When the same crew moves from excavation to gunite to plumbing to deck, the schedule doesn’t drift. Inspections get scheduled, passed, and documented. By the time the project is done, you have a fully permitted, code-compliant pool and a paper trail that protects you at resale.
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A Deep Waters pool build covers the full scope: site evaluation, custom design, permit acquisition, excavation, gunite shell construction, complete pool plumbing and filtration installation, electrical work, and pool deck installation. Every phase. One team. If something comes up during the build, there’s one phone number and one accountable party not a chain of subcontractors pointing at each other.
The gunite method is worth understanding if you’re comparing options. Unlike fiberglass pools, which arrive as pre-manufactured shells in fixed shapes and sizes, a gunite pool is built on-site to whatever dimensions and shape your property calls for. On the larger rural lots common around Enigma and unincorporated Berrien County, that flexibility matters. You’re not forced into a compromised layout because a shell didn’t fit. The pool gets designed for your yard not the other way around. Structurally, gunite also outlasts vinyl liner and fiberglass alternatives by a significant margin. A properly built gunite pool lasts 25 to 30-plus years. Vinyl liner pools need full liner replacements every 8 to 12 years, running $3,000 to $5,000 each time. That’s a cost that compounds over the life of the pool.
Georgia law requires a building permit, an electrical permit, and barrier fencing around all new residential pools. It also mandates anti-entrapment drain covers on every new build under federal safety law. We manage all of it permits, inspections, compliance documentation so you’re not navigating the Berrien County permitting process on your own.
For a custom gunite inground pool, most residential projects in South Georgia fall somewhere between $55,000 and $100,000, depending on size, shape, depth, and the features you include. Larger or more complex builds those with elevated decking, water features, or expanded square footage can run higher than that. What you’re paying for with gunite is a structure that’s built specifically for your property and engineered to last. That’s a different product than a fiberglass shell dropped in a hole, and the price reflects it.
In the Enigma area, where home values typically range from around $108,000 to $165,000, a pool represents a meaningful investment relative to the property. That makes the contractor decision more important, not less. A properly permitted, structurally sound pool adds real equity and transfers cleanly at resale. An unpermitted or poorly constructed pool does the opposite it becomes a liability that can complicate a sale or require costly remediation. Getting the build right the first time is the only version of this that makes financial sense.
For a standard residential gunite build, the timeline from excavation to water runs six to eight weeks. Excavation typically takes one to three days. Gunite application takes one to two days once the shell is formed. Plumbing and electrical installation run concurrently over one to two weeks. Pool deck work takes three to five days depending on size and material. Inspections are scheduled throughout the process and don’t typically cause significant delays when the contractor is managing the permit and inspection schedule properly.
The caveat worth knowing: that timeline assumes one team is managing and executing every phase. When multiple subcontractors are involved which is common in this industry delays compound. One crew waits on another, schedules don’t align, and a six-week project turns into four months. We build with a single in-house team, which is the main reason the timeline holds. South Georgia’s weather is also generally cooperative for construction. Summer thunderstorms can cause brief pauses, but the climate here doesn’t create the extended weather shutdowns you’d deal with further north.
Yes. Pool construction in Georgia requires both a building permit and a separate electrical permit, regardless of where you are in the state. In Berrien County, properties within Enigma’s incorporated town limits go through the town’s local authority, while properties in unincorporated areas of the county fall under the Berrien County Code Enforcement Office. Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs administers statewide minimum construction codes that apply across both jurisdictions.
Beyond the permits themselves, Georgia law requires barrier fencing around all new residential pools, and federal law under the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act mandates anti-entrapment drain covers on every new build. Multiple inspections are required at different phases of construction before the pool can be filled and used. We handle all of this permit applications, inspection scheduling, and final compliance documentation as part of every project. You don’t navigate any county office on your own, and you end up with a fully documented, legally compliant pool that won’t create issues when you go to sell the property.
The core difference is how the pool is built and how long it lasts. A gunite pool is constructed on-site using a mixture of cement and sand that’s pneumatically applied to a rebar framework. The result is a fully custom structure any shape, any size, any depth that’s built specifically for your property. Structurally, it’s the most durable residential pool option available, with a lifespan of 25 to 30-plus years when properly maintained.
Fiberglass pools are pre-manufactured shells that get delivered and dropped into an excavated hole. They’re faster to install, but you’re limited to whatever shapes and sizes the manufacturer produces. On the larger lots common around Enigma and rural Berrien County, that limitation often shows the shell doesn’t fit the property the way a custom build would. Vinyl liner pools are the most affordable upfront, but the liner itself needs to be replaced every 8 to 12 years at a cost of $3,000 to $5,000 each time. Over the life of the pool, that recurring expense adds up significantly. Gunite costs more to build initially, but it’s the only option you’re unlikely to pay for twice.
The most common planning pattern in South Georgia is to start conversations with us in January through March, with construction executing in spring and early summer. That timing puts you in the water before the hottest stretch of the season and gives our schedule room to absorb any weather-related pauses without pushing your completion into fall. Enigma’s climate is mild enough that hard freezes are rare and brief, which means construction can technically begin in any season.
One thing worth knowing: starting the process in the fall or early winter September through December often means better scheduling availability and the ability to get positioned early in our spring queue. If you’re serious about swimming next summer, the conversation should start now, not in April. Permitting, site evaluation, and design take time before excavation ever begins. Getting that groundwork done during the off-season means your project can move quickly once the build window opens.
Most residential lots in and around Enigma are well-suited for inground pool construction the larger lot sizes common in rural Berrien County actually give you more flexibility than homeowners in tighter suburban areas typically have. More space means fewer setback constraints, more options for pool placement and orientation, and room to design a deck layout that works with the natural shape of your yard rather than being forced into a corner.
That said, suitability depends on more than just lot size. Berrien County’s Coastal Plain soils vary across properties drainage patterns, soil bearing capacity, and water table depth all factor into how a pool gets engineered and where it gets placed. A proper site evaluation before design begins is the only way to know for certain what your specific lot requires. We conduct that evaluation before any design is finalized or any agreement is signed. If there are site-specific conditions that affect the build drainage issues, soil composition, proximity to utility lines you’ll know about them upfront, not after the excavator has already been on your property.
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