Gunite pools are built in place, with fully custom shapes, depths, ledges, and spas, engineered for Houston’s expansive clay. Fiberglass shells install faster in fixed shapes and sizes. Which is right depends on whether you’re buying a product or building a design.
Where gunite wins
- Custom design means the shape, ledge, bench, and spa your lot and family actually call for.
- Structural engineering is designed per site for expansive clay soil movement.
- Longevity and refinishing: interior finishes renew, and the shell is generational.
- Integrated features like raised walls, spillover spas, and water features build as one structure.
Where fiberglass wins
- Speed: a shell sets in days once site work is done.
- Surface feel: gelcoat is smooth from day one.
- Predictability: a fixed catalog means fewer design decisions.
The honest tradeoff
Fiberglass sizes are capped by what fits on a truck, shapes come from the factory, and crane access matters on tight lots. Gunite asks more patience and more decisions, and returns a pool designed for your exact yard. Astorga builds gunite because our work is custom design; if a catalog shell fits your needs and budget better, we’ll tell you so at the consultation.
Related: what pools cost in Houston and how we design gunite pools for Houston lots.