Carrollwood sits among the mature lakefront neighborhoods of northwest Tampa, where established lots and Carrollwood Village deed restrictions shape a pool build more than raw square footage does.
Carrollwood has a smaller pool of local builders than most Florida cities, so these top picks are ranked on license standing, permit history, and real reviews to help you narrow it down fast.
Real, recent project photos from Carrollwood's most-reviewed builders, pulled straight from their own profiles.
Carrollwood builders draw an above-average amount of customer feedback — here's a real, recent sample, good and bad.
“We recently worked with Patio Pools for a full-service pool renovation, including design, demolition of our old pool, and construction of our new pool & spa, and I can’t say enough good things about the experience. From start to finish, their professionalism, responsiveness, and care were exceptional. A special shout-out to Matthew Messer—an outstanding partner…”
“Five-Star Experience with Patio Pools We couldn't be more thrilled with the service and experience we had with Patio Pools. As a cautious homeowner, I had concerns given all the stories you hear about pool companies not finishing jobs. However, Matt, the salesperson, was a breath of fresh air. He wasn’t pushy at all and…”
“We just completed a new pool/spa/screen enclosure with Patio Pools. We are very pleased with the final results. Matthew Messer was very professional, informative, and patient throughout the process. He was always available to talk by phone or text message. The quality of the pool/spa/screen enclosure construction is to a very high standard and quality.…”
“Our pool was completed June 2022. We waited over a year in order to write an honest review of our experience with Patio Pools and of our finished pool. I can say right up front that we are thankful that we chose Patio Pools for our project. Our entire experience from design to installation and…”
“If I could leave zero stars, I would. Working with Patio Pools has been a horrible experience. Their work was significantly delayed without reasonable excuse despite promises that it would be completed quickly (seven months later we are still trying to have things completed), our pavers sunk in causing my toddler to almost have a…”
Carrollwood grew up around Lake Carroll and Lake Magdalene decades ago, so most of its yards come with mature oaks, settled grading, and existing screen rooms or decks. A builder who works this part of Hillsborough reads those conditions first: root systems near the dig, older septic lines on some streets, and drainage that already runs a certain way. Match the contractor to that reality rather than to a portfolio of blank new-construction lots.
Much of the area falls under deed restrictions. Original Carrollwood, Carrollwood Village, and the smaller gated pockets each carry their own architectural review, and several require sign-off on pool placement, screen-enclosure color, and fence style before the county will see a plan. Ask any builder you interview to name the review board they submit to and to build that approval window into the schedule.
Verify the license before the design talk goes far. Florida pool builders are state-certified or state-registered through the Florida DBPR, and the online lookup shows the license number, its status, and any complaints on file. A residential pool contractor holds a CPC- or RP-prefixed license; a general contractor or handyman is not cleared to build an in-ground pool here. Confirm liability and workers' compensation coverage in the same sitting.
On the lakefront streets around Lake Carroll, setbacks from the water and the seawall can tighten where a pool and deck will fit, so a good builder walks the yard before quoting. Read every proposal for what it leaves out. The gap between two Carrollwood bids usually traces to the screen enclosure, the barrier fence, and tree or deck removal rather than the shell, so get at least three written scopes and compare the line items, not the totals.
Carrollwood is unincorporated, so a pool here is permitted by Hillsborough County Development Services, not a city hall. Every residential in-ground pool needs a building permit before excavation, filed through the county's HillsGovHub portal along with a site-specific layout showing the pool against property lines, easements, and structures. The county pool requirements checklist spells out what the submittal has to include.
The county permits the pool, the screen enclosure, and the safety barrier fence as separate applications, each with its own inspection. Plans are reviewed against the Florida Building Code for private swimming pools, and a flood-prone lot brings the ASCE 24-14 flood standard into the review too. Inspections run at set stages through HillsGovHub — steel and electrical bonding before the shell pour, the plumbing pressure test, the barrier, and a final once deck and enclosure are done.
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515) sets the safety floor statewide. Every new residential pool needs a barrier at least four feet high with no gaps a young child could slip through, and any gate must self-close and self-latch, opening away from the pool with the latch release on the pool side.
The statute asks for at least one more layer of protection on a new pool. Accepted options include an approved safety cover meeting the ASTM F1346 standard, exit alarms on the doors and windows that open to the pool, or self-latching devices set out of a small child's reach on those doors. A Carrollwood builder folds the barrier and that second feature into the plan set from the start rather than treating it as an afterthought.
A handful of older Carrollwood streets still run on septic. On those lots the pool, deck, and equipment pad have to hold documented setbacks from the drainfield, which can steer placement on a tight yard. Confirm your contractor pulls each permit in their own name and books every county inspection, rather than handing you an owner-builder disclosure to sign.
Carrollwood homeowners tend to open with two questions: who signs off on the pool, and how the older neighborhood affects the dig. The permit answer is the county, through HillsGovHub, but many owners are surprised that their deed-restricted community adds an architectural review on top of the county's building permit. In Carrollwood Village especially, that board's sign-off comes first.
The second thread is the age of the area. Buyers with mature oaks, an existing screen room, or a lakefront lot near Lake Carroll want to know what has to move, what the seawall setback allows, and how much of the quote is site work rather than the pool itself.
Cost creep is the last recurring worry. People have heard that the sticker number on a pool rarely matches the final invoice, and they want to know what pushes it up in an older, established neighborhood. Here the usual culprits are tree and old-deck removal, the screen enclosure, and the barrier fence — line items a thin quote leaves out and a complete one spells out. The questions below are the ones that come up most on Carrollwood projects.
Carrollwood is unincorporated, so the permit comes from Hillsborough County Development Services rather than a city hall, filed through the HillsGovHub portal. A residential in-ground pool needs a building permit before excavation, submitted with a site-specific plan showing the pool against property lines, easements, and the home.
In the deed-restricted parts of Carrollwood, yes. Original Carrollwood, Carrollwood Village, and several gated pockets run their own architectural review, and many want sign-off on pool placement, screen-enclosure color, and fence style before the county sees a plan. Ask your builder which board they submit to and to build that approval window into the schedule.
The statewide standard applies. Under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, a new pool needs a barrier at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the water. On top of the barrier, the pool needs one more safety feature, such as an approved cover or exit alarms on doors with pool access.
It can. On the streets around Lake Carroll, setbacks from the water and the seawall tighten where a pool and deck will fit, and lakeside grading affects drainage. A builder who knows the area walks the yard and checks the flood map for your parcel before quoting a size or placement.
Yes. On a lot served by a septic system, the pool, deck, and equipment pad have to hold documented setbacks from the drainfield. That can steer placement on a tight yard, so a local builder locates the field first and lays the design out around it rather than assuming where it sits.
Check the Florida DBPR license lookup. A residential pool contractor holds a state license, usually with a CPC or RP prefix, and the record shows its status and any complaints. Confirm the license is active, the insurance is current, and the contractor pulls the permit in their own name rather than asking you to.
Yes. The county permits the pool, the screen enclosure, and the safety barrier fence as separate applications, each with its own inspection. Screen rooms are common on Carrollwood pools for shade and debris control. Fold the enclosure into the original contract so it is priced with the pool, not billed as an add-on later.
Every pool builder we currently track in Carrollwood — a shorter, more manageable list than in busier Florida cities.
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