Almost every Texas pool conversation reaches this fork: custom gunite, or fiberglass shell? Both make excellent pools. They fail differently, cost differently, and suit different owners.
Gunite: the Texas default
Gunite (sprayed concrete over a rebar cage) dominates Texas for a reason: it's fully custom. Any shape, any depth, any size, negative edges, swim-up bars, attached spas — if you can sketch it, a gunite crew can build it. It's also the more durable choice for decades-long ownership, and it adds the most resale value in markets where buyers expect custom pools (Dallas, Houston, Austin).
The trade-offs: it costs more ($50K–$100K+ vs. fiberglass's $40K–$85K), takes months instead of weeks, and the porous plaster surface needs more chemical attention and an eventual replaster ($10,000–$20,000 every 10–15 years). One Texas-specific note: our expansive clay soils move with moisture cycles, so a gunite pool is only as good as its structural engineering — ask every builder how they handle soil reports and pier requirements in your area.
Fiberglass: faster, lower-maintenance
A fiberglass pool arrives on a truck as a finished shell. Installation can be done in weeks, the gel-coat surface is non-porous (meaning fewer chemicals and no algae-prone plaster), and lifetime maintenance cost is meaningfully lower. For a family that wants to swim this summer without managing a four-month construction project, it's a strong choice.
The limits: you pick from a catalog of shapes (max width around 16 feet due to highway transport), depth options are modest, and a crane may be needed to place the shell — tight urban lots can rule it out. Repairs to a damaged gel coat are possible but harder to color-match than replastering.
The quick decision framework
Choose gunite if you want a specific custom design, plan to stay in the home 10+ years, or are building a full outdoor-living project. Choose fiberglass if speed, lower ongoing cost, and simpler ownership matter more than full customization. Either way, hire a builder who specializes in that construction type — a great gunite builder is not automatically a great fiberglass installer. Browse specialists by city in the directory.