Astorga designs and builds custom gunite pool and spa combinations for Greater Houston homes. Integrated spas, spillovers, and standalone spas, sized around how your family will actually use them. Pool and spa packages start at $60,000, with an 80-foot-perimeter pool and a 7-by-7-foot spa.
Spa sizes, in plain terms
- 6×6 ft seats four to five adults, the compact choice for tighter lots.
- 7×7 ft seats about six adults comfortably, the most common family size.
- 8 ft and up handles larger gatherings with more elbow room. Plan for the added heater and hydraulic load.
Bench layout, jet placement, and step design matter as much as the footprint. A spa you have to climb over a wall to enter gets used less than one that meets the deck.
Integrated or standalone?
An integrated spa shares the pool’s shell and equipment and usually spills into the pool. One construction effort, one system, a stronger look. A standalone spa can run hot year-round without heating the pool and can sit closer to the house for winter use. The right answer depends on how you’ll use it in January, not July.
Spillover, flush, or perimeter: how the spa meets the pool
A raised spillover spa is the classic Houston look. The spa sits above the waterline, spills into the pool, and gives the yard both a focal point and the sound of moving water. A flush spa sits level with the pool for cleaner modern lines and an easier step-in, which matters more than people expect once the novelty wears off. A perimeter-overflow detail, where water slips over the spa edge on all sides, is the premium version and has to be decided early because it changes the structure and plumbing, not just the finish.
None of these is the right answer by default. A spillover reads best from inside the house on big lots. A flush spa suits tight geometry and modern architecture. The decision belongs in design, before engineering, which is exactly where we put it.
Heating a spa for Houston winters
Houston spas earn their keep from October through March, so the heater gets sized for a quick evening heat-up, not a July afternoon. Automation that starts the spa from your phone before you leave work is the difference between a spa you use twice a winter and one you use twice a week. A spa adds structure, plumbing, and equipment to the project rather than calendar chaos; the things that actually move a schedule are on our honest timeline page, and the cost guide shows how a spa moves the budget bands. What a pool with a spa costs in Houston breaks that down further.
Equipment that matches the spa
Spas change the equipment math: heater sizing for quick heat-up, dedicated jet pumps, and automation that lets you start the spa from your phone before you leave work. We size equipment in the proposal, by model, so there’s nothing vague to argue about later. Astorga is a Pentair Partner, and Pentair is the equipment we specify.
Common questions
What size spa fits six adults comfortably?
As a working rule, a 7×7-ft spa seats about six adults comfortably; 6×6 suits four to five, and 8-ft-plus spas fit larger groups with more elbow room. Bench layout matters as much as footprint, so we size it around how you’ll actually use it.
Saltwater or traditional chlorine?
Both sanitize with chlorine. A salt system generates it from salt in the water instead of added chemicals. Salt systems cost more up front and are gentler day to day; traditional systems are simpler and cheaper to install. We’ll walk through the tradeoffs for your project.
What is a tanning ledge and is it worth it?
A tanning ledge, sometimes called a sun shelf, is a wide shallow shelf about 9 to 18 inches deep for loungers, kids, and cooling off without swimming. It adds surface area and cost, and it’s one of the most-used features in family pools. Whether it’s worth it depends on your space and how your family uses the water.
Where we build
We work across Greater Houston: Cypress, Tomball, Katy, Fulshear, Kingwood, Humble, Memorial, League City & Clear Lake, Pearland, and Richmond. Each area page covers the local permitting, soil, and neighborhood realities that shape a project there. See all service areas.
Request a site walk.
About an hour on your lot with the person who would build it: goals, access, drainage, trees, utilities and a straight answer on budget range. It is a first conversation, not a commitment, and there is no proposal pressure either way.
Planning for next summer starts earlier than many homeowners expect: design, engineering, permits and HOA review all happen before the first shovel. How long a pool takes in Houston walks through the calendar.