Custom Gunite Pool Builder in Oakland, FL

Custom Gunite Pools Designed for Oakland Homes

Oakland is one of the oldest towns in West Orange County, a small community on the south shore of Lake Apopka with the West Orange Trail running through it and a strong sense of space and privacy. Blue Dream Pools is a Winter Garden pool builder next door, locally owned since 2004, and we design and build custom gunite pools and spas for Oakland homeowners.

Our office at 260 E Plant St in Winter Garden is about 5 minutes away. Every project starts with a free design consultation, and we send an itemized proposal after the consultation, so you can see what is included line by line. We don’t publish prices, because every pool is custom.

Designing a Pool for Oakland Properties

Oakland’s larger lots and tree canopy give homeowners room that many newer neighborhoods don’t. That space makes larger custom pools practical: a long lap lane alongside a free-form play area, a raised spa with a spillover, a sun shelf with loungers and a wide deck for entertaining. Natural stone and travertine decks suit the setting, and privacy landscaping around the pool helps it feel like part of the property rather than an addition.

Trees and water are the two things we plan around most here. Mature oaks bring shade and leaves, so we think about where the pool sits relative to the canopy and root zones, and a screen enclosure, built by experienced screen-enclosure subcontractors and coordinated by our team, is often worth it for leaf and debris control. Closer to Lake Apopka and the area’s ponds, setbacks, drainage and a seasonally higher water table in the summer rainy season all affect excavation and how the shell is engineered. Some properties also have septic systems or wells, which the site plan has to account for. We look at all of this during the site visit so the design fits the land.

Oakland’s geography is unusual for West Orange County. The town sits on a narrow, high ridge between Lake Apopka to the north and Johns Lake to the south, on rolling sandy ground. Some lots slope noticeably, which can mean a raised beam, step-down deck levels or a retaining wall to set the pool level. The sandy soils drain well but need careful compaction under decks, and on the lower ground near either lake the water table can rise during the summer rainy season, so we may plan dewatering during excavation and a hydrostatic relief valve in the shell. Older parcels may lack a recent survey, so we often start by getting one, because setbacks, easements, septic drain fields and wells all have to appear on the site plan before the permit is filed.

Because Oakland feels rural in places, access can be easier than in tight subdivisions, but long driveways, gates and soft ground still need a plan for excavation equipment and the gunite rig.

We are about 5 minutes from Oakland, so site visits and milestone check-ins are easy to schedule.

Our Gunite Process

1. Design consultation. Free, at your home or our office. We talk through how you’ll use the yard and look at the lot.
2. Design and itemized proposal. We prepare the design and send an itemized proposal after the consultation.
3. Permitting. Engineered plans and the building permit, handled by us. HOA or ARB approval, if you have one, is your step.
4. Excavation, steel and plumbing. Layout, dig, reinforcing steel and plumbing, inspected before the shell.
5. Gunite. The structural shell, shaped on site.
6. Tile, coping and decking. Finish materials chosen with you.
7. Equipment. Hayward pumps, filtration, automation and LED lighting.
8. Interior finish, start-up and walkthrough. Quartz or Wet Edge pebble finish, then Pool School on your equipment and water care.

Along the way you get weekly photo updates, milestone check-ins and a joint punch list we walk together before the job is done.

Oakland Pool Builder FAQs