Obra for Pool builders

Pool construction job costing, from the dig to the first swim

Track each pool as one job across months of subs and phases: excavation, steel, gunite, tile, equipment, plaster and the deck. Know the margin before the water goes in.

A pool is a long job made of short ones. The excavator, the steel crew, the gunite crew, the tile setter, the electrician, the plaster crew and the deck crew each show up for a few days, send a bill, and leave. The client pays in draws. Three months in, it's hard to say whether the pool is on budget or whether the dig and the deck have already eaten the margin.

Obra keeps every one of those bills on the pool, by phase, and shows what's been spent. Review what's still left to spend after each phase, and the pool's expected final cost stays current from the first day of digging to start-up.

One pool, twelve phases

Set up the budget by phase, the way the subs bill you. When each bill arrives, it goes against its phase and the job's page shows the gap. The committed costs guide explains how signed subcontracts count before the invoice, so the forecast is right even in month one.

Draws against progress

The client pays at excavation, gunite, plaster and completion. Obra shows what's been billed and what's still open on the job, so a draw is never missed. The progress billing guide covers the schedule that keeps cash ahead of the subs.

Rock, marble and the gas line

The three change orders below show up on most pools. Write each one as a change order the day it comes up, with your markup, and get the signature before the hammer is rented or the pallets are ordered. The change order guide keeps it short.

The deck as an allowance

The deck is the line most likely to move. Budget it as an allowance, log the stone invoice against it, and turn the upgrade into a change order. The allowance overage guide shows the wording that keeps the client happy and the margin whole.

What Obra isn't for a pool builder

Not 3D design, not scheduling, not a service route. Obra is the money on each pool, in English and Spanish, from bills and receipts your team already sends, exported clean to the accountant.

Sample budget

Gunite pool with spa, 14 by 30, travertine deck, Westlake Remodel

Line item Budget
Excavation and hauling $6,500
Steel and plumbing rough $7,800
Gunite shell $14,200
Tile, coping and waterline $6,900
Equipment: pump, filter, heater, automation $9,400
Electrical and gas subcontractors $4,200
Plaster, fill and start-up $8,100
Travertine deck (allowance) $12,600
Permits, engineering and inspections $2,400
Crew labor and supervision $9,600
Direct cost budget $81,700
Contract value $104,000
Gross margin budgeted $22,300

Illustrative figures in US dollars for a fictional project; use them to see the shape of the budget, not to price a job.

The cost codes this trade actually uses

  • 01 Layout, engineering and permits
  • 02 Excavation and hauling
  • 03 Steel
  • 04 Plumbing rough
  • 05 Gunite or shotcrete
  • 06 Tile, coping and waterline
  • 07 Equipment and automation
  • 08 Electrical and gas
  • 09 Deck and hardscape
  • 10 Plaster, fill and start-up
  • 11 Subcontractors
  • 12 Crew labor and supervision

The change orders that eat the margin

Rock or groundwater in the dig
The excavator hits rock at four feet, or the hole fills with water overnight. Hammer time, dewatering and the extra hauling are a change order written before the second day of digging, not a surprise on the final bill.
The deck upgrade after the tile is picked
The allowance was for travertine. The client sees the marble sample next to the new tile and wants it. The difference is a change order, signed before the pallets are ordered.
The gas line that wasn't there for the heater
The plans assumed a gas stub near the equipment pad. There isn't one, and the meter is on the other side of the house. The plumber's run is a change order with its own line.

Questions people ask

A pool takes months and I pay subs in phases. How does Obra handle that?
Each sub's bill goes on the job when it arrives, against its phase. Obra shows what's been spent so far. Review what's still left to spend after each phase, and the pool's expected final cost stays current all the way to start-up.
Can I track the deck as an allowance?
Yes. Put the allowance on its own line, log the stone invoice against it, and record any upgrade as a change order. The job's page shows exactly where the allowance stands.
Does Obra do 3D design, scheduling or service routes?
No. Keep your design tool and your calendar. Obra is the money on each pool: bills from subs, receipts from the crew, change orders on the contract, and the margin when the water goes in.
Can my superintendent send receipts from the site?
Yes. A photo by WhatsApp, email or the app, in English or Spanish. They never see the job's finances. You confirm it to the right pool and phase in seconds.
Free download

Not ready for an app? Start with our free Excel template.

A ready-made spreadsheet to track costs and income per project — with categories and the totals already set up.

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