The Park Cities pool builder for homeowners who’ve outgrown the high-volume builders.
Platinum Pools is the boutique alternative for Park Cities homeowners who want their pool designed and built by the same person — not handed off to a project manager somewhere between a showroom appointment and the dig date. Owner-led since 2004. Eight to ten projects a year. Most recently building on Beverly Drive in Highland Park.
Years Building in DFW
Projects Per Year
Google Reviews
Owner-Led Builds
The boutique builder, in a market built around volume.
The Park Cities don’t have a shortage of pool builders. They have a shortage of pool builders who are still personally involved with your project after the contract is signed.
Most Highland Park and University Park homeowners have either built a pool through one of the large Dallas-based builders — or watched a friend do it. They know the pattern: a polished sales presentation, a charismatic designer who disappears after the deposit, a rotating cast of project managers, and a finished product that’s competent but predictable. That model works at the volumes those builders run. It just isn’t for everyone.
We’re the alternative. We’re not Dallas-based — our shop is in Grapevine — and we don’t carry 30, 50, or 100+ active projects across the metroplex. We accept 8 to 10 a year. The owner, Adrian, walks every Park Cities property himself, designs every pool, and stays the single point of contact through completion. When we’re at your home in Highland Park or University Park, we’re not in the middle of juggling four other Preston Hollow jobs. We’re at your home.
Our most recent Park Cities project was a custom build on Beverly Drive — one of Highland Park’s signature estate streets. The kind of address where the home, the landscape, and the neighbors all set a standard the pool has to meet. That’s the bar we built to, and it’s the bar we hold ourselves to on every Park Cities project we take.
The drive in from Grapevine is, honestly, part of why this works. We don’t take on projects we can’t fully commit to. The Park Cities homeowners we work with are the ones who’ve decided that boutique design quality and a single accountable principal matter more than a builder being “from Dallas.” We’ve taken that approach to Southlake, Colleyville, and Frisco for over twenty years. The Park Cities is a deliberate, selective extension of it — not a volume play.
Designing across the Park Cities’ most discerning addresses.
We’ve completed projects in and actively serve homeowners across both Highland Park and University Park. Each neighborhood has its own architectural character, lot constraints, and Town/City review process — all of which we account for from the first walk-through.
What we build as your Park Cities pool builder.
Custom Pool Design & Build
Pools designed for Park Cities lots — which is to say, designed around the constraints. Tight setbacks, mature heritage trees, narrow alley access, and existing landscape features that often have more value than the pool itself. We work with the lot, not against it. Traditional, transitional, and contemporary aesthetics, depending on the home.
- 3D Photorealistic Renderings
- Plaster, Pebble & Glass Tile Finishes
- Smart Pool Automation
- Lifetime Structural Warranty
Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor kitchens, covered loggias, fireplaces, and pergolas detailed to match the home’s architecture rather than fight it. Particularly important in the Park Cities, where the home itself is often the architectural reference point and the pool/outdoor living must be built around it without competing.
- Outdoor Kitchens & Loggias
- Cabanas & Pool Houses
- Fireplaces & Fire Features
- Smart Lighting & Audio
Renovation & Restoration
Many Park Cities pools are 20-40 years old and showing it — outdated finishes, undersized equipment, decking that no longer reads with the home. We handle full renovations and restorations done quietly, without disrupting the home’s mature landscape or the family’s calendar more than necessary.
- Stone Decking & Coping
- Pool Resurfacing & Retiling
- Equipment Modernization
- Water Feature Retrofits
A quiet process — built around the homeowner.
No project portals. No rotating sales reps. No marketing playbook between you and the work. Adrian is your single contact from the first walk-through to the day the pool is filled — and beyond.
Private Consultation
Adrian visits your Park Cities property in person — at your convenience, including evenings and weekends. We discuss how you actually use your home, what’s worked or hasn’t worked at past properties, and what privacy and discretion considerations matter most.
Design & Itemized Proposal
You receive 3D photorealistic renderings, hand-selected material samples, and a fully itemized written proposal. Every line item is broken out so there’s no ambiguity, no markup hiding inside vague “allowances,” and no surprises later.
Permits & Build
We manage all Town of Highland Park and City of University Park permits — including heritage tree review, alley-access logistics, and the more rigorous structural and drainage requirements both municipalities are known for. Once approved, our in-house crews break ground.
Reveal & Long-Term Care
On reveal day we walk you through every system, leave a documented binder, and stay reachable. The Park Cities is a referral-driven market — and we’d rather earn the next project from a neighbor’s recommendation than a digital ad.
Request the Park Cities Pool Buyer’s Guide.
What a custom pool actually costs in Highland Park and University Park in 2026, the seven questions worth asking before you sign a contract, and the specific red flags that separate a real builder from a polished sales operation. Free PDF, sent privately within 24 hours.
“Platinum Pools built an amazing pool for us, and it was exactly what we had envisioned. Great guys to work with also!”
What Park Cities homeowners tend to ask.
You’re based in Grapevine. Why hire you over a Dallas-based builder?
It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is: you shouldn’t, if your priority is geographic proximity. You should, if your priority is owner-led design, a single accountable principal, and not being one of 50 active jobs at a high-volume builder. The drive from Grapevine is roughly 35-45 minutes — and we don’t take on more projects than we can be present for. If anything, the geographic discipline forces us to commit fully to the Park Cities homes we do take.
What does a custom pool actually cost in the Park Cities?
Most custom pool builds in Highland Park and University Park fall between $150,000 and $500,000+, with the typical project landing in the $200,000–$325,000 range once decking, outdoor living, and landscape integration are included. Lot complexity, alley access logistics, heritage tree work, and finish selection drive most of the variation. We provide a fully itemized written proposal after a private site visit — never a number pulled from a calculator.
Do you handle Town of Highland Park and University Park permits?
Yes. Both municipalities have stricter residential construction codes than most DFW jurisdictions — particularly around heritage tree protection, drainage, structural review, and alley-access coordination. We manage the full permit process, including pre-submittal walkthroughs with the building department where appropriate. Plan on permit timelines of 4-8 weeks depending on scope, which we account for upfront.
How long does a Park Cities pool build take from contract to swim?
Plan on 16–24 weeks for a new build, depending on scope, weather, permit timeline, and any heritage tree mitigation required. Renovations typically run 8–14 weeks. Park Cities timelines tend to run slightly longer than suburban builds because of the permit rigor and access logistics — both of which we manage and account for in the schedule.
Can you work alongside our architect, builder, or landscape designer?
Yes — and we frequently do, particularly for Park Cities new construction or major remodels where the home architect and builder are already engaged. We coordinate directly with your team rather than fighting for control of it. For standalone pool projects on existing homes, we lead the design ourselves.
How do you handle privacy and discretion during construction?
Privacy is part of how we operate, not a special accommodation. We schedule deliveries to minimize disruption, coordinate with household staff and security where applicable, and keep crew sizes appropriate for residential streets. We don’t post construction photos or final builds to social media without explicit homeowner permission — many Park Cities clients prefer their projects remain private, and that’s the default we work from.
What does “boutique” actually mean in practice?
We cap our work at 8–10 projects per year by choice. The high-volume Dallas builders run 30, 50, or 100+ projects annually — which mathematically requires project managers, rotating subcontractor crews, and clients who never speak directly with the owner. We turn down work to keep the standard high. It’s the entire reason we exist.
Do you have completed projects we can see in the Park Cities?
Yes. Our most recent Highland Park project is a custom build on Beverly Drive, and the homeowner has graciously agreed to host private walk-throughs and reference calls for serious prospective clients. We’re glad to coordinate that on a private consultation. Discretion goes both ways — we don’t publicly post Park Cities work without explicit homeowner consent, and we never share contact information without confirming with the homeowner first.
What warranty comes with a Platinum pool?
A lifetime structural warranty on the pool shell — fully transferable to the next owner if you sell your Park Cities home. All equipment carries its respective manufacturer warranties, which we register and document for you in your handover binder.
Your Park Cities backyard, quietly extraordinary.
Schedule a private, no-pressure consultation with the boutique alternative to the Dallas high-volume builders. We’ll walk your property, talk through what’s actually possible, and let the work speak for the rest.