Royal Pools by Adams builds custom inground pools and water features for homeowners throughout Los Gatos. Our team understands the site challenges specific to this community: hillside terrain, proximity to Los Gatos Creek, and the Heritage Tree Ordinance that affects pool siting on many properties. We are Diamond Certified, CSLB licensed (License #278052, C-53 Swimming Pool), and we have been designing and building pools for South Bay homeowners since 1953.
We build every category of pool and outdoor water feature for Los Gatos residential properties:
Los Gatos homeowners hire based on expertise, not marketing. They want a pool contractor who can walk a sloped lot and explain what the engineering will require, identify whether a tree’s root zone will conflict with proposed excavation, and anticipate the questions the Town’s Planning Department will ask during permit review. That depth of local knowledge comes from decades of project experience in exactly this market.
Our Diamond Certified rating is verified through a third-party customer satisfaction survey process. Our C-53 Swimming Pool Contractor license from the California State License Board confirms we are licensed to perform residential pool construction under California law. We offer financing options for qualifying homeowners and provide free in-home site visits before any commitment is made.
Los Gatos has three site-specific conditions that distinguish pool construction here from other South Bay cities. The first is the Heritage Tree Ordinance, codified in Chapter 26, Article IV of the Los Gatos Town Code. Trees with a trunk diameter of 24 inches or greater at breast height are protected heritage trees. Pool excavation within the drip line or critical root zone of a protected tree requires Planning Department review and, in most cases, an arborist report. If a heritage tree is within 25 feet of your proposed pool location, we identify it during the site visit so the permitting path is clear before design is finalized.
The second condition is Los Gatos’s hillside terrain. Properties with a slope of 10 percent or greater require a Site Development Permit from the Los Gatos Community Development Department in addition to the standard building permit. Hillside projects may also require a geotechnical report. We have extensive experience with hillside pool design, including retaining wall integration, drainage planning, and slope-appropriate equipment pad placement.
The third condition applies to properties near Los Gatos Creek. The Los Gatos Creek corridor has an elevated water table in certain zones. When a pool is excavated in a high-water-table area, hydrostatic pressure from groundwater can cause an empty pool shell to float or crack. We engineer shells in these zones with hydrostatic relief valves and, where the water table risk is significant, reinforced concrete specifications that keep the shell stable when the pool is drained for service. Homeowners near the creek should expect this to come up in the engineering review.
Yes. All inground pool construction in Los Gatos requires a building permit from the Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department. You will need engineered structural plans, a site plan that shows setbacks from property lines and existing structures, and documentation of pool barrier compliance under California Health and Safety Code Section 116049. Hillside properties require a Site Development Permit in addition to the building permit. Our team prepares and submits all permit documentation as part of the construction contract.
Under Chapter 26, Article IV of the Los Gatos Town Code, any tree with a trunk diameter of 24 inches or more at breast height (approximately 4.5 feet above grade) is classified as a heritage tree and is protected from removal or significant root disturbance without Town approval. If your proposed pool location falls within the drip line or critical root zone of a protected tree, you will need to provide an arborist report as part of the permit application, and the Town may require pool placement to be adjusted to avoid root zone encroachment. We conduct a tree survey during the site visit and advise on placement before design work begins.
It may. Properties within a certain distance of Los Gatos Creek can have an elevated water table, particularly after wet winters. When groundwater is present at or near the depth of pool excavation, hydrostatic pressure can lift or crack an empty pool shell during service draining. For these sites, we engineer the pool shell with a hydrostatic pressure relief valve, which allows groundwater to enter and equalize pressure when the pool is drained rather than pushing the shell upward. In areas with more severe water table conditions, additional shell reinforcement and drainage measures may be specified. We evaluate this during the site visit and include it in the engineering scope if needed.
Los Gatos is served by San Jose Water (SJW), which blends surface water with local groundwater. The groundwater component can contribute significantly to total hardness, with some areas experiencing water in the 200-to-300 mg/L range. Hard water leads to calcium scale buildup on pool plaster, tile grout, and equipment over time. For Los Gatos pools, we recommend quartz or aggregate plaster finishes that tolerate higher calcium levels better than standard white plaster. A proper chemical startup protocol, including hardness and pH balancing before the pool opens for the first time, also reduces early scaling significantly.
Yes to both. Water features, including grottos, naturalistic waterfalls, deck jets, and sheer descent panels, are among the most requested additions to Los Gatos pools because they complement the hillside and garden-style landscaping common in this area. Solar pool heating is also a strong fit for Los Gatos properties with south- or west-facing roof sections. A properly sized solar collector array can extend your swim season by two to three months at a fraction of the ongoing energy cost of gas heating. We size and install both water features and solar heating systems as part of the original pool build or as standalone additions to existing pools. Contact us through our online form to discuss options.
Call us at (408) 371-8000 to schedule a free in-home site visit for your Los Gatos pool project. Our San Jose showroom at 2258 Camden Ave. is open for material consultations, and our online contact form is available anytime. We look forward to working with you.