A Process Refined Through Experience
Designing and building a custom pool and backyard typically takes six to twelve months, from the early planning stages through completion. That time brings together design, engineering, approvals, construction, and the many decisions that shape a finished outdoor environment. The Drummond process gives those decisions a clear sequence, with attention to both the details of the work and the experience of the homeowner. Our design, engineering, and construction teams share a clear view of the project, with family leadership and open communication as it develops. The sequence below shows how an idea becomes a plan, then a pool and outdoor space ready for daily life.
Every property brings its own requirements. Across four decades and more than 1,000 pools, we have refined a process that makes room for those differences while keeping the work coordinated. These phases describe the path from an initial conversation to the handover of a finished pool and backyard.
The First Conversation
We begin with a conversation about your home and the outdoor space you would like to create. You can share an existing plan, describe the way you hope to use the backyard, or bring an early idea for a custom pool. We discuss the location, anticipated scope, timing, and any site considerations already apparent, establishing a useful starting point for the work ahead. The aim is to understand what matters to you, explain how we approach the work, and determine whether a property visit is the right next step for the project you have in mind.
The Site Visit
A site visit places those ideas within the setting. We walk the backyard with you, looking at the house, the space, the grade, drainage, and access for the build. We discuss where you would like to swim, cook, gather, and spend quieter time outside, along with any parts of the landscape you hope to keep. The visit also helps reveal what needs a closer look as plans take shape. It is a practical conversation about the land and the possibilities it holds, grounded in the way your family would like to use it.
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Designing the Space
Our in-house design team develops the pool and backyard as a connected environment, coordinating with your architect or landscape designer where applicable. The design considers pool geometry, water features, materials, lighting, and the relationship to paving and planting. Outdoor kitchens and structures become part of that same composition when included in the scope, while specialty features such as vanishing edges and movable pool floors are integrated with the engineering from the outset.
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Engineered Serenity
As the approved design becomes a construction plan, our in-house engineers develop the details that support it. Structural requirements are considered in relation to the site, alongside water circulation, equipment, lighting, and the connections between systems. The resulting documents give the construction team a coordinated basis for the work, translating the intended proportions and finishes into the structure and infrastructure required to build them.
Permitting and Preparation
Drummond coordinates permitting with the applicable local authorities, addressing plan review and the approvals required for the work to begin. Alongside that process, we prepare the project for construction: reviewing access, utilities, site logistics, materials, and the sequence of work. The design, engineering, and construction teams review this information together, so the handoff into the build carries the decisions already made and the work still ahead. The time required depends on the municipality, the scope, and the reviews the property needs. We account for that work within the overall plan, explaining how approvals and preparation influence the anticipated start of construction.
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Construction Begins
The build begins with site preparation and excavation, then steel reinforcement and the rough systems for the pool shell. As the structure takes shape, work moves through equipment, coping, tile, paving, and interior finishes. Planting, outdoor kitchens, and structures follow the needs of the wider project, with start-up and testing bringing the pool systems into use. The site superintendent leads the work day to day, with trades following the plans and the sequence of the build. Clear communication keeps you aware of the work and decisions ahead. Construction typically takes three to six months, within the overall six-to-twelve-month project, depending on the scope, site, and time of year.
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Project Completion
A 150-point checklist guides reviews as the work moves toward completion. At handover, we walk you through the pool and its systems, explaining the equipment, controls, and care needs. It is a chance to ask questions, become familiar with the way the pool operates, and understand how the parts of your new backyard work together as one outdoor environment. A clear handover gives you a useful basis for the years ahead, with guidance on care and the questions to raise as you begin to use the space. Our Client Relations team remains a point of contact, carrying the conversation from the build into life with the finished backyard.
Begin Your Project
If you are considering a new pool or complete backyard on the Peninsula, the first step is a conversation. Tell us about the property, the outdoor space you imagine, and any plans already underway. We can discuss how design, engineering, and construction would come together, helping you understand the next decisions and whether Drummond & Sons is the right partner for your home.