Can I add a Baja step without redoing the whole pool?

Technically yes, but it rarely makes sense. A Baja step is structural concrete tied into the pool shell, so the pool has to be drained and the surrounding finish has to be cut into and then repaired. If your plaster is in good shape, you are damaging something you are happy with. If it is due for resurfacing anyway, that is the moment to do it.

Do deck jets and bubblers make a lot of noise?

Not usually. Both move a relatively small amount of water, and both can be valved down. Noise tends to be a bigger consideration with a tall rock waterfall, where the drop height is what generates the sound. If quiet matters to you, say so early — it affects which feature we would suggest and how it gets plumbed.

What is pool shallowing, and can any pool be shallowed?

Shallowing raises the floor of the deep end, usually from eight or nine feet to somewhere between four and five. Most pools can be shallowed, but not all of them should be — it depends on the existing structure, how the pool is plumbed, and what you want the pool to do afterwards. It also permanently removes the option of a diving board. Partial shallowing, bringing a deep end up to five or six feet rather than flattening the pool, is often the better answer.

Can you add a spa to an existing pool?

Yes, and a raised spa that spills into the pool is the most common configuration. It is a build in its own right rather than an add-on: the spa needs its own shell, its own plumbing, valving so the system can run in pool or spa mode, and a heater sized to actually heat it. If your current heater is undersized, adding a spa is what will reveal that, so heater sizing is part of the same decision.

Do water features cost more to run?

They add some pump run time when you are actually using them, and any moving water increases evaporation. In practice most people run features for a few hours in the evening rather than continuously. If you are already moving to a variable-speed pump, that generally offsets more than the features add.

Which of these have to be decided before work starts?

Shallowing and a spa have to be settled before anything is quoted, because they change the whole scope. A Baja step and rock features have to be decided before demolition. Deck jets and bubblers have to be decided before the decking closes back up. Trim tile has to be chosen before the finish goes on. Lighting, heater, automation and salt can all wait.

Do these upgrades need permits?

It depends on the upgrade and on your city. Structural work — shallowing, a spa, a Baja step, a large rock formation — is the category most likely to require permitting, and gas or electrical work for a heater or automation can as well. Requirements vary between Orange County cities, so we confirm what your specific job needs as part of the estimate rather than guessing.

Can I do any of this without draining the pool?

Lighting, heater, automation and salt systems can all be done on a full pool. Everything else on this page — Baja steps, shallowing, a spa, rock features, deck jets, bubblers and tile — needs the pool empty, which is exactly why they are worth deciding while a resurfacing or remodel is already planned.

Pool Upgrades in Orange County | Baja Steps, Spas & More

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The Easiest Time to Change Anything Is While the Pool Is Already Empty

Almost everything on this page is dramatically easier during a resurfacing or remodel than it is as a standalone job later.

When a pool is drained, the plaster is coming off, and there is already a crew, equipment and a permit in place, adding a Baja step or a set of deck jets is a change to work that is happening anyway. Doing the same thing two years later means draining the pool again, cutting into a finish you just paid for, and patching it back.

That is the single most useful thing to understand before you read the rest of this page. You do not have to do any of it. But all of it is far less disruptive now than it will be at any point afterwards, so it is worth knowing what is on the table rather than finding out later.

This page is here to explain them. If something is not right for your pool, we will tell you that — several of these upgrades depend entirely on your pool's shape, depth, plumbing or electrical setup.