Why Spring Is the Worst Time to Start Planning a Pool

There is a moment that happens every spring. The first warm weekend arrives, you step into the backyard, and you think: "This is the year. We are getting a pool."

You pull out your phone, search for pool companies in your area, and start making calls. And then you hear something you did not expect: "We are booked through August. The earliest we could start is September, maybe October."

This happens every single year. Most homeowners assume spring is when pool planning begins. It makes intuitive sense. The weather is warming up, you are spending more time outside, and summer is on your mind. But in Ontario, spring is actually the worst time to start planning if you want to swim that same summer.

Why do most people wait until spring?

It is completely natural to think about pools when the weather gets warm. Nobody is daydreaming about backyard swimming in November. The connection between warm weather and pool planning feels obvious.

There are a few reasons why people default to spring:

• The weather triggers it. The first 20-degree day in April or May is when most people start thinking seriously about outdoor living. Pool companies see a flood of calls every year between the Victoria Day long weekend and mid-June.
• They assume pools go in quickly. A lot of homeowners think of a pool installation the way they think of buying a hot tub. Pick a model, schedule delivery, done. But a pool project involves excavation, plumbing, electrical, concrete, permits, and inspections. It is a construction project.
• They do not know the industry timeline. Unless you have been through the process before, there is no reason you would know that pool companies start filling their summer schedules the previous fall.

None of this is the homeowner's fault. The pool industry does not do a great job of educating people about how far ahead they need to plan. That is part of why we are writing this article.

What does the real planning timeline look like?

A pool project in Ontario typically takes 6 to 12 months from "I think I want a pool" to "I am swimming in it." Here is why it takes that long, even though the actual installation only takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Phase	What Happens	Time Required
Research	Pool types, sizes, costs, companies	2 – 8 weeks
Site visit & design	Yard assessment, pool model selection, layout	1 – 3 weeks
Quote & contract	Detailed quote, review, sign contract	1 – 4 weeks
Permits	Municipal fence permit, building permit if required	2 – 6 weeks
Pool shell order	Manufacturer builds or ships your specific model	4 – 10 weeks
Wait for build slot	Your scheduled installation window	Varies (could be months)
Installation	Excavation through to fill and startup	2 – 4 weeks

The installation itself is the shortest part. The waiting, planning, permitting, and scheduling is where the real time goes. And the "wait for build slot" phase is where spring planners get stuck. By the time you finish the earlier steps in May or June, the summer calendar is full.

What happens when you call a pool company in April?

Here is a realistic picture of what happens when you call a reputable pool company in April wanting to swim by July.

The company is happy to talk to you. They will answer your questions, maybe schedule a site visit. But when you ask about the timeline, the conversation usually goes like this:

• Their summer build slots are already spoken for. The homeowners who signed contracts in the fall or winter are the ones getting installed in June, July, and August.
• The pool shell you want may not be in stock. Fiberglass pool shells are manufactured to order in many cases. Lead times from the manufacturer can be 6 to 10 weeks or longer during the busy season.
• Permits have not been submitted yet. Even if you sign a contract tomorrow, the permit process takes several weeks. Your municipality does not move faster just because summer is approaching.
• Subcontractors (electricians, concrete crews) are also booked. It is not just the pool company that gets busy. Every trade involved in pool projects has their own schedule, and they fill up too.

The result is usually one of two things: you get a late-season install (September or October, which means you might swim for a few weeks before closing the pool for winter), or you wait until the following spring. Neither is what you had in mind when you made that first call.

How do pool company booking calendars actually work?

A pool company is not like a restaurant where you book a table for next Friday. Each installation ties up a crew, equipment, and subcontractors for 2 to 4 weeks. Most companies in Ontario can handle somewhere between 15 and 30 pool installations per building season.

That building season runs roughly from mid-April through late October, depending on the weather. That is about 6 to 7 months of workable time. Take out rain days, municipal inspection delays, and the occasional surprise (rock in the excavation, hydro pole relocation), and the usable calendar shrinks further.

Here is how a typical pool company's calendar fills up:

When You Sign	Likely Install Window
September – November	May – June (first slots of the season)
December – February	June – August
March – April	August – October (if available)
May – June	Following spring (next year)

These are rough estimates, and every company is different. But the pattern holds across the industry. The earlier you sign, the earlier you swim.

How long do pool permits take in Ontario?

Every municipality in Ontario has its own permit requirements for swimming pools. In the City of London, you need a swimming pool fence permit before any work begins. Not after the pool is installed. Before excavation starts.

Permit processing times vary depending on the municipality and the time of year:

• City of London: Typically 2 to 4 weeks for a pool fence permit. During peak season (spring), it can stretch to 4 to 6 weeks because municipal staff are processing a high volume of applications.
• Middlesex Centre (Komoka area): Similar timeline, though smaller municipalities sometimes process faster.
• Strathroy-Caradoc: 2 to 4 weeks on average.
• St. Thomas: 2 to 4 weeks, sometimes faster.

Some municipalities also require a grading plan, a site plan showing pool placement relative to property lines, or a conservation authority review if you are near a waterway.

The permit step is not something you can rush. And it cannot start until you have a signed contract and a finalized pool layout. If you are starting the process in April, the permit alone can push you into June before any ground is broken.

How does weather affect the installation schedule?

Ontario weather is unpredictable, and pool installation is outdoor construction. Rain, frozen ground, and cold snaps all affect the schedule.

Here is how weather creates delays:

• Wet spring. Excavation cannot happen in waterlogged soil. Heavy spring rain can delay a dig by days or even weeks. The ground needs to be dry enough to safely excavate without the walls of the hole collapsing.
• Late frost. Ontario can get frost into late April or early May. Frozen ground cannot be excavated, and concrete cannot be poured in freezing temperatures.
• Extended rain periods. Concrete patios and decking need dry weather for pouring and curing. A week of rain in July does not just delay one project. It pushes every project behind it back as well.
• Early fall cold. If your install is scheduled for September or October, you are racing the weather. An early cold snap can halt concrete work or make it impossible to properly backfill and settle the pool.

Pool companies build buffer time into their schedules for weather, but there is a limit. A particularly wet spring can cascade through the entire season, pushing later installs into tighter and tighter windows.

Why is fall or winter the best time to start planning?

Starting your pool planning in September, October, or November puts you ahead of almost everyone else. Here is what that looks like in practice:

• You have time to research properly. No pressure, no rush. You can visit showrooms, look at pool models, read articles, and compare options without feeling like the clock is ticking.
• Site visits happen before the ground freezes. Your pool company can assess your yard, check access, look at soil conditions, and identify any potential issues while the ground is still accessible.
• You lock in pricing. Pool prices tend to go up every year, usually in January or February. If you sign a contract in the fall, you typically lock in that year's pricing for a spring installation.
• You get first pick of build slots. The best installation windows (May and June, when the weather is most reliable) go to homeowners who planned ahead.
• Permits can be submitted early. Getting the permit process started in winter means it is approved and ready before the building season begins.
• The pool shell can be ordered with plenty of lead time. No rush orders, no waiting for the manufacturer's busy season backlog.

Planning in winter might feel strange. You are looking at a snowy backyard trying to imagine a pool in it. But the homeowners who do this are the ones swimming in June while their neighbours are still on hold with pool companies.

Month-by-month planning guide

If you want to be swimming by the following summer, here is a realistic month-by-month guide for Ontario homeowners:

Month	What to Do
September	Start researching pool types, sizes, and companies. Visit a few showrooms.
October	Schedule site visits with 2 or 3 pool companies. Get a feel for your yard's possibilities.
November	Review quotes, compare what is included, choose your pool model and company.
December	Sign contract, lock in pricing. Pool shell gets ordered.
January – February	Finalize patio design, equipment choices, and any extras. Submit permit applications.
March – April	Permits approved. Pool shell arrives or is confirmed for delivery.
May – June	Installation begins and completes. You are swimming.

This timeline gives plenty of room for each step without anyone feeling rushed. Compare that to trying to compress the same process into 8 weeks starting in April.

Does timing affect pool pricing?

Timing does not usually affect the base price of a pool project, but it can affect your total cost in a few ways.

• Annual price increases. Most pool shell manufacturers and installation companies raise their prices once a year, typically in January or February. Signing a contract before that increase means you pay the current year's rate.
• Material costs. Concrete, gravel, and other materials tend to be priced season by season. Locking in a project early can protect you from mid-season price bumps.
• No rush premiums. Some companies charge more for rush scheduling, expedited permit applications, or priority shipping on pool shells. Planning ahead avoids all of that.
• Off-season manufacturer deals. Some pool shell manufacturers offer discounts or incentives on shells ordered in the fall or winter for spring delivery. These are not huge discounts, but they do exist.

There is also a hidden cost to waiting: the cost of another summer without a pool. If you planned to swim this year but ended up waiting until next year, that is another summer of driving to public pools, paying for vacation travel, or just staring at an empty backyard.

How to get ahead of the rush

If you are reading this in spring and realizing you may have missed the window for this summer, here is what you can do right now to make sure you are ready for next year:

1. Start your research now. Use this summer to visit pool showrooms, look at different models, and read up on the process. You will be a much more informed buyer by fall.
2. Visit homes with pools. If you know anyone with a fiberglass pool, ask to see it. Look at the patio, the equipment pad, the landscaping. Get a sense of what you like and do not like.
3. Measure your yard. Know your property lines, the location of your septic (if applicable), any easements, and where your utilities run. Your pool company will do a proper survey, but having this information ready speeds things up.
4. Set a budget. A realistic range for a fiberglass pool project in Ontario is $75,000 to $130,000 CAD. Knowing where you sit in that range helps narrow down pool size, patio material, and equipment choices.
5. Call pool companies in September. Not May. September. Schedule site visits for October. Get quotes by November. Sign by December. Swim by June.

This approach puts you 6 to 8 months ahead of the homeowners who will be making those same calls next April.

What this means in London and Southwestern Ontario

The planning timeline described in this article applies across Ontario, but there are a few things specific to London and the surrounding area worth noting.

The City of London's pool fence permit process is straightforward but not instant. Budget at least 3 to 4 weeks for processing. Surrounding municipalities like Middlesex Centre, Thames Centre, and Strathroy-Caradoc each have their own requirements, and your installer should know the specifics for your area.

Soil conditions in the London region vary quite a bit. Some areas have sandy, easy-to-dig soil. Others have heavy clay that holds water and takes longer to excavate. A few areas have high water tables that require dewatering during installation. Your pool company should assess these conditions during the site visit, and they can affect scheduling. Clay-heavy sites, for example, cannot be dug during or immediately after heavy rain.

Newer subdivisions in London often have smaller lots. That does not rule out a pool, but it does mean setback requirements, access for equipment, and patio proportions all need careful planning. Tight-access yards can add time and cost to a project because specialized equipment may be needed to get the pool shell into the backyard.

The building season here runs from roughly mid-April through the end of October, but the reliable window for concrete work is shorter. May through September is when you want your patio poured. That gives the concrete proper curing conditions and avoids the risk of frost damage.

We have been building pools and designing outdoor spaces in this area since 1983. The most common regret we hear from homeowners is not "I wish I had picked a different pool." It is "I wish I had started planning sooner."

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