Southern Pool Designs builds new custom pools and complete rip-and-replace rebuilds at The Reserve at Lake Butler Sound, the guard-gated Windermere community on the shore of Lake Butler. Projects here typically land in our Signature tier ($175,000 to $325,000) or Monument tier ($325,000 to $1,000,000+), and removing an existing pool adds $8,000 to $20,000 for demolition. See more of our work as a custom pool builder in Orlando.
Know the Community Before You Design
Location and permitting
Despite the Windermere address, The Reserve at Lake Butler Sound is outside the Town of Windermere’s limits, in unincorporated Orange County within the Lake Butler census-designated place. Your pool permit comes from Orange County. The community is guard-gated around the clock, carries deed restrictions and a mandatory homeowners association, and we confirm the association’s requirements for exterior changes before design so its review and the county’s run in parallel. 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.
A neighborhood with English roots in its street names
Streets here, such as Hawkshead Court, Rydal Court and Cartmel Lane, share their names with villages in England’s Lake District, home of the original Windermere. Homes date from about 2003 onward, which means many pools are now around 20 years old: old enough that owners are weighing a full rebuild, new enough that the house itself is still current. That is the sweet spot for a rip-and-replace that matches the pool to the way the home is used today.
Two kinds of lots
- Lake Butler frontage. The largest lots face Lake Butler, and residents also share a community fishing pier on the lake. These lots call for a design organized around the water view.
- Interior estate lots. Many interior homesites run roughly a third to a little over half an acre. With no lake view to borrow, the pool and outdoor rooms become the view, and privacy from neighbors matters more.
Building Beside Lake Butler
At roughly 1,600 acres, Lake Butler is the largest lake in the 13-lake Butler Chain, which the state named an Outstanding Florida Water in 1985. That status and the lake’s history shape how we build on its shore.
- Setbacks. Orange County measures pool and deck setbacks from the lake’s Normal High Water Elevation, with the distance tied to zoning. A 2026 county notice for an R-1AA lot cited 35 feet for a pool and deck, and building closer means a public variance hearing.
- Water quality. Lake Butler was placed on a draft state impaired waters list in 2005, then returned to its historic average and came off the list in 2009. The Orange County Water Atlas lists stormwater runoff among the nutrient sources for the chain, so we plan erosion control and deck drainage that keep construction runoff and deck water out of the lake.
- Pool water. On a rebuild, the old pool cannot be drained toward the lake. Orange County requires total chlorine of 0.01 mg/L or less and pH between 6.5 and 8.0, released slowly onto the lawn (25 gallons per minute or less) or hauled away.
- Shoreline work. Docks, fill and changes to the shoreline fall under separate rules, including those of the Windermere Water and Navigation Control District. We keep the pool scope landward and coordinate with your dock or seawall contractor when both projects run together.
Design Ideas for Lake Butler Sound
- A vanishing edge on the lake side, with the catch basin set into the grade toward the water. Orange County requires engineering for the edge down to and including the basin. Our infinity edge pools page explains the build, and our infinity pool cost guide covers the budget.
- A knife-edge or perimeter overflow pool on interior lots, where a mirror-flat surface becomes the focal point. See our knife edge pools.
- A raised spa with a sheer descent placed where it catches the longest lake view.
- A sun shelf and shallow lounge area sized for in-water chairs.
- Smart automation and LED lighting so heat, lighting and water features run from a phone. Explore pool automation.
What a Pool Costs at The Reserve
- Foundation: $120,000 to $175,000
- Signature: $175,000 to $325,000, our most-built tier
- Monument: $325,000 to $1,000,000+
Projects here typically land in our Signature and Monument tiers. Lakefront lots carry more engineering (vanishing edges, retaining walls where the yard drops toward the water, elevation work), while interior lots often spend more on finishes, spa details and outdoor living. Demolition of an existing pool adds $8,000 to $20,000.
Our Process
1. Welcome call. We confirm your lot type, whether a pool comes out first, and what your HOA needs for submittal.
2. On-site design consultation. We walk the yard, review the survey and high water line, and study the view from inside the home.
3. The Signature Experience. A paid design phase produces your 3D design and engineering. We handle HOA and Orange County submittals and build under a dedicated project manager with real-time tracking, finishing with a walkthrough.
Reserve at Lake Butler Sound Pool Questions
Who issues pool permits at The Reserve at Lake Butler Sound?
Orange County. The community has a Windermere address but sits in unincorporated Orange County, outside the Town of Windermere. The county reviews engineered plans, a site plan, a grading and drainage plan and a safety affirmation. We pull the permit as a Florida Certified Pool Contractor (CPC1461548).
How close to Lake Butler can we build?
Orange County measures from the Normal High Water Elevation, and the distance depends on your zoning. One 2026 county notice for an R-1AA lot cited 35 feet for a pool and deck. Anything closer requires a variance, so we fix that line on your survey before design.
Our pool is from the early 2000s. Rebuild or keep it?
We build only new pools and full rip-and-replace rebuilds, not resurfacing or repairs. If the pool still suits you, keep it. If you want a different shape, a spa, a vanishing edge, or new equipment and plumbing, a rebuild does it all at once. Demolition adds $8,000 to $20,000.
Plan a Pool at The Reserve
Call our Sanford design studio at (407) 339-5800 or request a design consultation. For the wider area, see our Windermere pool builder page.