Southern Pool Designs builds new custom pools and complete rip-and-replace rebuilds in Alaqua Lakes, the guard-gated golf community off Markham Woods Road, from our Sanford design studio a short drive north. Alaqua Lakes projects typically land in our Signature tier ($175,000 to $325,000) or Monument tier ($325,000 to $1,000,000+), with $8,000 to $20,000 added for demolition when an original pool comes out. Every project starts in our custom pool design studio, where you see the full design in 3D and know the cost before we break ground.
Alaqua Lakes at a Glance
Alaqua Lakes is built around the Legacy Club, a private Tom Fazio course that opened in 1998 and plays 7,160 yards to a par of 72 through hardwoods, lakes and wetlands. The club is a certified Audubon International Signature Sanctuary. Custom homes went up from 1998 through about 2015 across several phases, and the community is 24-hour guard-gated, with The Enclave at Alaqua Lakes behind a second gate of its own.
Longwood address, Seminole County permit
Homes here have a Longwood 32779 address, but Alaqua Lakes is in unincorporated Seminole County, not the City of Longwood. Your pool permit comes from the Seminole County Building Division, under county zoning and setback rules. The community also has a mandatory homeowners association and recorded deed restrictions, so we confirm the association’s exterior review requirements at the start and prepare that submittal alongside the county permit.
Ponds count as water
Some Alaqua Lakes homes back to golf course ponds rather than open lakes, and in Seminole County that distinction does not change the setback. The county requires a pool to sit 30 feet from the ordinary high water line to the pool’s water edge, or 25 feet to a screen enclosure, and it applies that rule to lakes, ponds and wet retention ponds alike. If you think you may screen the pool later, the county advises designing for the enclosure setback now. On a pond lot, that line often decides how deep the pool and deck can go.
Barriers on water-facing lots
Every Seminole County pool permit includes a signed Residential Swimming Pool Safety Affirmation showing how the pool is isolated from the house and neighbors, through a screen enclosure, fencing with compliant gates, a mesh barrier or a safety cover, plus door and window alarms, self-closing doors or a pool alarm where the house forms part of the barrier. On lake and waterway lots, barrier fencing must extend three feet into the water past the lowest water level. If you want an open, unscreened view of the fairway, we choose the barrier strategy early, because it affects the look of the whole backyard.
Original Pools Reaching Replacement Age
With most homes built between 1998 and the mid-2010s, many Alaqua Lakes pools are original. Common reasons owners call us: a freeform shape that no longer suits a more modern interior, an undersized or missing spa, worn plumbing and equipment, or a deck that never quite lined up with the lanai. A full rip-and-replace rebuild resets all of it. Because the existing pool already sits inside the setbacks that applied when the home was built, we re-verify the current lines before redesigning, rather than assuming the old footprint can be reused or enlarged.
Design Ideas for Alaqua Lakes Homes
- A modern geometric rebuild with large-format coping and a sun shelf for in-water loungers. Browse our modern luxury pools.
- A raised spa with perimeter overflow set where it catches the fairway view. See our champagne spa work.
- Lighting that respects the course: layered LED and fire features aimed into the yard rather than across the fairway.
- An outdoor kitchen planned for wildlife. Seminole County’s 2015 bear ordinance mainly affects areas west of I-4, where Alaqua Lakes sits, so we favor closed storage, grease management and a trash location away from the pool deck.
- Smart automation to run filtration, heat and lighting from your phone, useful when nearby hardwoods drop leaves.
What an Alaqua Lakes Pool Costs
- Foundation: $120,000 to $175,000
- Signature: $175,000 to $325,000, our most-built tier
- Monument: $325,000 to $1,000,000+
Alaqua Lakes projects typically land in our Signature and Monument tiers. The main cost drivers are demolition ($8,000 to $20,000), the barrier approach on open golf and pond lots, spa and edge details, and the outdoor kitchen and covered living around the pool. Our pricing page shows what each tier includes, and if you are weighing bids, our guide on how to compare pool proposals will help.
How an Alaqua Lakes Project Runs
1. Welcome call. We confirm your lot type, whether a pool comes out first, and what the association needs for review.
2. On-site design consultation. We walk the yard, mark the pond or lake high water line, discuss screen versus open barrier options, and plan access through the gate.
3. The Signature Experience. A paid design phase produces your 3D design and engineering. We submit to the association and Seminole County, then build under a dedicated project manager with real-time tracking, ending with a final walkthrough.
Alaqua Lakes Pool Questions
Is Alaqua Lakes in the City of Longwood?
No. It has a Longwood mailing address but sits in unincorporated Seminole County, so the Seminole County Building Division issues the permit and county setbacks apply. We pull the permit as a Florida Certified Pool Contractor (CPC1461548).
How close to the pond behind my house can the pool go?
Seminole County requires 30 feet from the ordinary high water line to the pool’s water edge, or 25 feet to a screen enclosure, and it treats ponds and wet retention ponds the same as lakes. We locate that line on your survey before design.
Can we skip the screen enclosure?
Yes, if the pool is isolated another way: compliant fencing and gates, a mesh barrier or a safety cover, with alarms or self-closing doors where the house forms part of the barrier. On water-facing lots, fencing must extend three feet into the water past the lowest water level. We show the chosen approach on the permit site plan.
Should we rebuild our original pool?
We build only new pools and full rip-and-replace rebuilds, not resurfacing or repairs. If you want a new shape, a spa, updated equipment or a different deck level, a rebuild handles it in one project. Demolition adds $8,000 to $20,000.
Plan Your Alaqua Lakes Pool
Call our Sanford design studio at (407) 339-5800 or request a design consultation. For nearby neighborhoods, see our Longwood pool builder page.