The SPD Design Studio
Design your entire backyard. Know exactly what it costs before we break ground.
Florida's design-first pool studio. We design your pool and outdoor living as one environment, show it to you in 3D and virtual reality, engineer it for Florida, and hand you a fixed build price.
Design fees start at $7,500. Estate projects begin at $250,000 in construction.
Designed in our studio Built by SPD - Ranked No. 18 in the 2026 PSN/Hayward Top 50 Builders
- 2026 PHTA International Awards of Excellence Gold
- FSPA 2025 Design Awards winner
- 5.0 on Google
- CPC1461548
Why design with us
The plan, the engineering and the price come from one team.
Most luxury backyards are designed by one firm and priced by another.
The plan looks perfect until the bids come in. At Southern Pool Designs, the people who design your backyard are the people who engineer, permit and build it, so the price you approve is the price you pay.
Design, engineering and price in one place
See it in 3D, walk it in VR, and approve a fixed construction price before anything is dug.
Designed for Florida
Sun orientation, screen enclosures, high water tables, soils, storm exposure and HOA rules are designed in from day one, not discovered by the builder.
The whole property, not just the pool
Pool, spa, deck, outdoor kitchen, cabana, fire, landscape and night lighting, designed as one environment. See our luxury backyard design ideas.
Built by the team that drew it
Stamped engineering and permits are handled in-house. Weekly updates from your project manager once construction starts.
Design fees
Clear fees, set by the size of your project.
Your design fee is 5% of your target construction budget, with a $7,500 minimum. Build with us and part or all of it comes back as credit.
Pool Design
For builds of $120K to $250K
$7,500Flat fee, paid at signing
- Credit if we build it
- 100% credited
- Scope
- Pool, spa, deck, water and fire features
- Revisions
- 2 rounds
Estate Master Plan
For builds of $250K to $500K
5% of budget$12,500 to $25,000. Half at signing, half at first presentation.
- Credit if we build it
- 50% credited
- Scope
- The whole backyard: pool, outdoor kitchen, cabana, fire, landscape and lighting
- Revisions
- 3 rounds
Signature Estate
For builds of $500K and up
5% of budgetFrom $25,000. Half at signing, half at first presentation.
- Credit if we build it
- 50% credited
- Scope
- The whole property, front and back, coordinated with your architect and interior designer
- Revisions
- 3 rounds plus a final VR review session
- Design tier
- Estate Master Plan
- Design fee
- $17,500
- Credit if we build it
- $8,750
Fees are 5% of your target construction budget with a $7,500 minimum. Credit applies when your construction contract is signed within 90 days of final design approval.
You own the design
Take your renders and plan set to any builder. Most clients build with us because the design already comes with engineering and a fixed price.
A price that holds
Your design book includes an itemized construction price that holds for 60 days.
The fine print
Extra revision rounds are $1,500 each. Fees are non-refundable once your discovery session is held.
What you get
Everything you need to decide, permit and build.
One design book. Every view, every material, every cost.
| Deliverable | Pool Design | Estate tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Laser scan and survey of your property | Included | Included |
| Discovery session at our Sanford design studio | 1 hour | Half day, with material samples |
| 3D renders | 30+ | 100+, morning, sunset and night |
| Florida sun and shade study | Included | By season |
| Fly-through video | 1 | Day and night |
| VR walkthrough in our studio | Included | Plus a final VR review |
| Night lighting design | Pool and spa | Whole property |
| Landscape and planting concept | Not included | With our landscape architect partner |
| Outdoor kitchen, cabana and fire design | Not included | Included |
| Scaled 2D plan set | Included | With elevations and material callouts |
| Design book | Digital | Printed and digital |
| Fixed construction price | Included | Itemized |
| Revisions | 2 rounds | 3 rounds |
Build it with us and your fee comes back as credit. Build it with someone else and you still own every render and plan.
Investment
What your budget builds in Florida.
We get asked about price more than anything else, so here it is. Here are typical ranges for custom work in Florida, and what each one buys.
Pool Design tier
$120K to $250K
The Signature Pool
A custom pool and spa designed around how you live. Expect a raised spa with spillover, a sun shelf, LED lighting, a premium interior finish, travertine or paver decking and full automation.
Where to spendThe spa and the finish.
Where to saveKeep the shape simple and let the materials carry it.
Estate Master Plan tier
$250K to $500K
The Backyard Resort
The pool becomes part of a complete outdoor room. Add an outdoor kitchen, a fire feature, a shaded cabana or pergola, a designed landscape and a night lighting plan.
Where to spendLighting, and the view from inside the house.
Where to saveOne statement feature, not five.
Signature Estate tier
$500K to $1M+
The Private Estate
Architecture-level work. Vanishing edges, grottos, lazy rivers, multi-level pools, lakefront and conservation-lot engineering, structural decks and full front and back property design, built alongside your architect and interior designer.
Where to spendEngineering and the site work you never see.
Where to savePhase the landscape after the pool is built.
Virtual reality
Stand in your backyard before it exists.
Put on a headset in our Sanford studio and walk through your design at full scale. It is the easiest way to catch what you would miss on paper.
- Check the view from your kitchen, living room and primary suite
- Judge the size of the spa, the deck and the walkways in person
- See finishes and lighting at day and night
Process
Design takes 4 to 6 weeks for Estate projects. Changes are free on screen and expensive in concrete.
From first call to first swim.
- 115 minutes
Intro call
We learn your goals, timeline and budget range, and confirm we are the right fit.
- 2Week 1
Start your design
Sign the design agreement. We laser scan your property and pull your survey, setbacks and HOA rules.
- 3Weeks 1 to 2
Discovery session
At our Sanford design studio: how you will use the space, style, materials and must-haves.
- 4Weeks 2 to 4
First design presentation
3D renders, a fly-through and a VR walkthrough. Pool Design presents in about 2 weeks, Estate in about 4.
- 5Weeks 3 to 6
Refine
Two or three revision rounds, each with updated visuals.
- 6Weeks 4 to 6
Design book and fixed price
Final renders, plan set and an itemized construction price that holds for 60 days.
- 72 to 12 weeks
Engineering and permits
Stamped plans in 1 to 2 weeks for most pools, 4 to 6 for complex features. Permits typically take 2 to 6 weeks.
- 810 weeks and up
Build
As little as 10 weeks for simpler projects, several months for estates, with weekly updates from your project manager.
From the studio
Recent designs.
Every image above is a 3D design from the SPD Design Studio.
Questions
Straight answers about fees, ownership and timing.
Before you start.
Why pay for design?
A free design is a sales sketch. A paid design is a decision tool: you see every view, every material and every cost before you commit, and you avoid paying for features you would not use.
Is the fee credited if you build it?
Yes. Pool Design is fully credited. Estate Master Plan and Signature Estate fees are 50% credited when you sign your construction contract within 90 days of final design approval.
Can I take the design to another builder?
Yes. You own the renders and plan set. Most clients build with us because the design already comes with engineering and a fixed price.
Do you design more than the pool?
Yes. Estate tiers cover the whole backyard: outdoor kitchen, cabana, fire, landscape and night lighting.
I already have an architect or designer.
We collaborate with architects, interior designers and outdoor designers directly, and we also build designs from other studios.
My budget is under $120,000.
Our custom pools start at $120,000, so we may not be the right fit. We will tell you that plainly on the intro call.
How long does design take?
About 2 weeks to a first presentation for Pool Design, and 4 to 6 weeks to a final design book for Estate projects.
Where do you work?
We design and build across Florida. Design sessions and VR walkthroughs happen at our Sanford design studio.
Start your design
We take on a limited number of Estate designs each quarter.
Tell us about your property and your goals. We will set up a 15-minute intro call and confirm the right design tier for your project.