Austin Pool Renovation & Remodeling
Complete pool interior renovation — plaster, tile, coping, and structural repair coordinated in a single drain cycle. One contractor, one crew, one warranty. H&H Tile and Plaster, serving Austin since 2004.
Austin’s Pool Interior Renovation Contractor
A pool renovation is what happens when replastering alone isn’t enough. When the surface is failing, the waterline tile is scaling and cracking, the coping is lifting, and there may be structural issues underneath — that’s a renovation scope. H&H coordinates all of it as a single project so Austin pool owners don’t have to manage multiple contractors across multiple drain cycles.
H&H Tile and Plaster has been performing pool interior renovations across the Austin metro since 2004. Founded by Billy Johns and Joseph Johns, H&H specializes exclusively in the interior scope — plaster, tile, coping, and structural components. We have completed more than 10,000 pool interior projects across Travis, Williamson, Hays, and Bastrop counties. We understand the Austin-specific conditions that drive renovation need: Edwards Aquifer hard water, the geological difference between east Austin’s expansive clay and the Hill Country’s limestone terrain, and the thermal cycling that Austin pools endure year-round.
H&H renovation projects are interior scope only — we do not perform deck construction, equipment replacement, or new pool construction. What we do, we do exclusively and with 20+ years of focused expertise. H&H is BBB Accredited A+ since 2007, TDLR licensed, and a certified applicator for Pebble Tec, Pebble Sheen, and all major quartz finish systems.
Every renovation project starts with a free on-site inspection and a written, itemized estimate. We break out every scope item — plaster, tile, coping, structural repair — so you know exactly what you’re paying for before a single gallon of water is drained.
What an Austin Pool Renovation with H&H Includes
Every component below is part of H&H’s interior renovation scope, sequenced and coordinated within a single drain cycle. Tile and coping work completes before plaster is applied. Structural repairs happen before surface work begins. All of it under one project manager, one written estimate, one warranty conversation.
Pool Plastering & Resurfacing
The centerpiece of every renovation — new interior finish in white plaster, quartz aggregate, Pebble Tec, or Pebble Sheen. All applied by certified crews to manufacturer specifications with full warranty eligibility on certified finishes.
Austin Pool Plastering
Waterline Tile Replacement
Calcium scale from Austin’s Edwards Aquifer water accumulates until grout fails and tiles crack. Full removal and replacement in glass mosaic, ceramic, travertine, or natural stone — completed and fully cured before plaster is applied.
Austin Pool Tile
Coping Repair & Replacement
Coping lifts and cracks across Austin due to Blackland Prairie clay movement in the east and limestone terrain in the Hill Country west. H&H replaces in travertine, natural limestone, brick, or precast — calibrated to your pool’s soil conditions.
Austin Pool Coping
Structural Crack & Shell Repair
Draining reveals structural cracks invisible when the pool is full. H&H routes, repairs, and bond-coats shell cracks before any new surface is applied. Covering structural cracks with new plaster without addressing them first is one of the most common causes of early renovation failure.
Leak Detection & Plumbing Repair
If unexplained water loss preceded your renovation decision, H&H performs pressure testing and leak diagnosis during the drain phase before any new finish is applied. Renovating over an undetected plumbing leak is an expensive, avoidable mistake.
Austin Pool Leak Detection
Austin-Calibrated Startup Chemistry
The 28-day fill and startup phase after renovation is critical — and most contractors hand over a generic sheet. H&H provides startup guidance specific to your water source: Austin Water’s Colorado River supply or the harder Edwards Aquifer groundwater common in Williamson County communities.
Three Austin Pool Renovation Scenarios H&H Handles Most
Not every pool that calls H&H needs the same scope. These are the three most common renovation situations we encounter across Austin, and what each typically requires.
The Aging Pool — 10 to 20+ Years Old
The most common scenario. White plaster is past its lifespan, waterline tile has severe calcium buildup and failing grout, coping has lifted and cracked stones, and the pool hasn’t been comprehensively addressed since it was built. Full renovation scope — plaster, tile, and coping in the same drain cycle. In Austin, pools in this category frequently have structural crack issues from years of soil movement and thermal cycling that H&H’s drain-phase inspection catches before the new finish covers them.
The Post-Freeze Pool
Austin’s Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) and subsequent freeze events caused significant pool shell damage across Travis and Williamson counties. Pools that were patched after the 2021 freeze but not fully renovated are now showing those patch failures. Freeze events crack plaster, pop tile, and stress coping mortar beds as water expands inside surface materials. H&H performs full interior renovation for post-freeze pools with shell assessment to identify any freeze-related structural damage before applying new surfaces.
The Pre-Sale or Cosmetic Refresh
Austin’s real estate market makes pool renovation a high-ROI pre-sale investment in neighborhoods where pools are standard. A fresh Pebble Sheen interior, new waterline tile, and clean coping can transform a pool from a negotiating liability to a selling asset. H&H’s free on-site estimate helps Austin homeowners understand realistic renovation scope and cost before a listing decision is made. We work on timelines that respect listing schedules.
How Austin’s Geology Affects Your Pool Renovation
Austin spans two fundamentally different geological zones, and where your pool sits determines what renovation challenges H&H anticipates before draining. Most Austin pool contractors don’t make this distinction. Twenty years of working both zones means H&H does.
East Austin & Northern Suburbs — Blackland Prairie Clay
The eastern half of the Austin metro sits on highly expansive Blackland Prairie clay — the same clay that drives pool renovation demand across San Antonio. It swells when wet and contracts during drought, placing cyclic stress on pool shells, coping mortar beds, and plumbing fittings every season. Coping failure, shell cracking near main drains and returns, and plumbing fitting failures are substantially more common in this zone.
What this means: H&H anticipates more structural prep — crack routing, fitting inspection, mortar bed assessment — on pools in these areas. We budget for it upfront rather than presenting it as a post-drain scope surprise.
West Austin & Hill Country — Limestone & Hard Water
West Austin pools on limestone bedrock have less shell movement but face harder groundwater — especially in areas served by Edwards Aquifer supply rather than Austin Water’s Colorado River source. Lakeway, Lake Travis waterfront properties, and Bee Cave pools face some of the highest calcium hardness in the metro (300–400+ ppm), producing severe tile scaling and aggressive plaster surface degradation.
What this means: H&H specifies more durable, scale-resistant finishes for western Austin pools. Premium aggregate finishes are a particularly strong investment in this zone where water chemistry is the primary enemy of finish longevity.
Williamson County Water Note
Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park, and Round Rock are served by a mix of Austin Water Colorado River supply and local Edwards Aquifer groundwater. Williamson County groundwater runs 300+ ppm calcium hardness — among the hardest in the Austin metro. H&H calibrates startup chemistry to each community’s actual water source, not an Austin-area average.
How H&H Runs an Austin Pool Renovation
Every renovation follows the same sequence. The scope changes based on what the drain phase reveals. The process doesn’t.
Free On-Site Inspection & Written Estimate
We visit the pool before quoting anything. We assess the existing plaster, tile, coping, and any visible structural issues. You receive a written estimate that breaks out every scope component — plaster, tile, coping, structural repair — as separate line items. No lump-sum quotes. No phone estimates. We will not quote an Austin pool renovation without physically inspecting it first.
Scope Confirmation & Single-Drain Scheduling
Once accepted, we confirm finish selections and internally coordinate the trade sequence — tile and coping crews scheduled before the plaster crew so everything completes within one drain cycle. You have one project manager and one contact number throughout. No juggling three contractors and three schedules.
Drain & Structural Assessment
The drain phase is where Austin renovation projects are truly scoped. Draining reveals structural cracks, hollow spots, failing plumbing fittings, and delaminated plaster zones that are invisible when the pool is full. H&H communicates all drain-phase findings before proceeding — no scope expansion without your knowledge and approval.
Structural Repair, Coping & Tile
Structural cracks routed and repaired. Coping removed, mortar beds assessed, new coping installed with techniques calibrated for your pool’s soil zone. Waterline tile chipped out, new tile set, grouted, and fully cured. All of this completes before the plaster application begins — applying plaster over wet grout or uncured structural repairs is a failure waiting to happen.
Surface Prep & Finish Application
Existing plaster chipped, ground, and acid-washed for proper bond. Certified crews apply your chosen finish — white plaster, quartz aggregate, Pebble Tec, or Pebble Sheen — to manufacturer specifications. For Pebble Tec and Pebble Sheen, this means the specific crew size, mixing ratios, and troweling technique required for manufacturer warranty eligibility.
Fill, Startup Chemistry & Final Walkthrough
Austin-specific startup chemistry guidance calibrated to your water source — not a generic startup sheet. The 28-day cure protocol explained and documented. Manufacturer warranty registration for certified finishes. Final walkthrough confirms every scope item completed to specification before we close out.
What Austin Pool Owners Gain from One Renovation Contractor
The alternative to H&H’s model is coordinating a plasterer, a tile setter, and a coping crew separately — each with their own schedules, warranties, and accountability gaps. This is how most Austin pool renovations are managed. It’s also where most of the problems start.
One Drain Cycle
All interior work in a single drain. No second drain-and-fill cost, no second water bill, no gap in pool use between separate contractor visits.
One Written Scope
Every line item — plaster, tile, coping, structural repair — in one estimate. No hand-off ambiguity about who owns which scope item when something comes up post-renovation.
One Warranty
One contractor accountable for the entire interior renovation. No “that’s the tile contractor’s issue” or “ask the plaster crew” if a problem surfaces after completion.
One Point of Contact
One project manager coordinates every trade sequence. One person to call for updates, questions, or concerns — from estimate to final walkthrough.
Austin’s Interior Renovation Specialists — 20 Years, 10,000+ Projects
H&H Tile and Plaster was founded in 2004 by Billy Johns and Joseph Johns with a deliberate focus: pool interior renovation only. Not new construction, not deck work, not equipment repair — the plaster, tile, coping, and structural components that define how a pool looks and holds up over time.
That focus has produced 20+ years of Austin-market expertise that general pool contractors cannot match. H&H crews have renovated pools across every geological zone in the Austin metro — from the expansive clay neighborhoods of Manor and Hutto to the hard-water limestone terrain of Lakeway and Westlake Hills — and our finish recommendations, structural prep standards, and startup protocols reflect that accumulated, Austin-specific knowledge.
H&H is a certified applicator for Pebble Tec and Pebble Sheen. We hold BBB A+ accreditation since 2007 and are licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR). Every renovation project is managed by a dedicated project manager with a single point of contact from estimate through final walkthrough.
About H&H Tile and PlasterSee Austin Pool Renovation Before & After
H&H’s project gallery shows completed pool interior renovations across Greater Austin — from standard replasters to complete plaster, tile, and coping transformations.
View H&H GalleryWhat Austin Homeowners Say About H&H Pool Renovation
Verified Google reviews from Austin-area pool owners on their H&H renovation experience.
Austin Pool Renovation FAQ
The questions Austin pool owners ask H&H most about pool renovation scope, cost, timing, and what to expect.
A pool renovation at H&H includes the full interior scope: replastering in white plaster, quartz, Pebble Tec, or Pebble Sheen; waterline tile removal and replacement; coping repair or full replacement; structural crack repair; leak detection and plumbing fitting repair if needed; and Austin-calibrated startup chemistry through the 28-day cure period. All work is coordinated under one project manager within a single drain cycle — tile and coping before plaster, structural repairs before surface work, startup chemistry after the fill. The specific scope of each renovation is determined at the free on-site inspection. H&H never recommends scope beyond what the pool actually requires.
Austin pool renovation cost depends on scope (which interior components need addressing), pool size, finish type selected (white plaster is least expensive; Pebble Tec and Pebble Sheen carry a premium for certified application), existing surface condition, and whether structural repair work is required. H&H provides free on-site estimates with written, itemized scopes that break out every component separately — plaster, tile, coping, and structural repair are never bundled into a lump sum. We do not provide phone estimates because pool condition varies too significantly to quote accurately without a physical inspection. Phone estimates from renovation contractors are almost always understated or contain scope exclusions that create expensive surprises after the pool is drained.
A full pool renovation — plaster, tile, and coping — typically takes 7–14 days for the active work phase, depending on the extent of structural repair required and pool size. This is followed by a 28-day plaster cure period. Pools with extensive structural damage or very deteriorated coping may extend the active phase beyond 14 days. H&H provides a realistic timeline at the on-site inspection before work begins.
Pool resurfacing typically refers to replacing the interior plaster finish only — drain, prep, apply new finish, refill. Pool renovation is a broader scope that includes resurfacing plus any combination of waterline tile replacement, coping repair or replacement, structural crack repair, and leak detection. A pool renovation is the right choice when multiple interior components are failing simultaneously. A resurfacing is appropriate when the plaster surface needs replacing but the tile, coping, and structure are in acceptable condition. H&H will assess which scope your pool actually needs at the free on-site inspection.
Coping cracking and lifting in Austin pools is almost always caused by soil movement, not product failure. Pools in east Austin, Manor, Hutto, and Pflugerville sit on highly expansive Blackland Prairie clay that swells with rain and contracts in drought — this cyclic movement puts stress on coping mortar beds every season. West Austin and Hill Country pools on limestone can also experience coping movement when drainage conditions shift the thin soil layer over bedrock. Austin's thermal cycling — below-freezing winters to 105°F+ summers — compounds both. H&H repairs and replaces coping with mortar bed techniques calibrated for your pool's specific soil conditions.
Repairs are appropriate when an isolated, specific issue exists — a single cracked tile section, one lifted coping stone, a small area of delaminated plaster. Full renovation is the better economic decision when multiple interior components are failing simultaneously, when the plaster is at or past its expected lifespan, or when repairing one component would be immediately undermined by the ongoing failure of adjacent components. H&H gives an honest assessment at the on-site inspection. If repair is genuinely the right answer, we'll say so — we don't push renovation scope on pools that don't need it.
October through February is optimal for Austin pool renovation. Cooler temperatures produce better plaster cure conditions, lower evaporation during the 28-day cure period, and lower UV intensity. This timing also avoids disrupting Austin's primary swim season (April through October). H&H schedules renovation projects year-round, but fall and early winter scheduling consistently produces the best longevity outcomes. Fall booking fills early — if you want an October or November renovation, contact H&H by September.
H&H specializes exclusively in pool interior renovation — plaster, tile, coping, and structural components of the pool shell itself. We do not perform pool deck resurfacing or replacement, equipment repair or replacement, lighting installation, or new pool construction. This specialization is intentional: H&H does the interior scope with 20+ years of focused Austin-market expertise. If your renovation also requires deck or equipment work, H&H completes the interior scope and can suggest trusted Austin-area contractors for those components.
Yes. H&H performs pool interior renovation throughout the greater Austin metropolitan area — Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown, Leander, Pflugerville, Hutto, Manor, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Buda, Kyle, Dripping Springs, and all Austin neighborhoods across Travis, Williamson, Hays, and Bastrop counties. H&H is headquartered on Ranch Road 12 in Dripping Springs and crews are actively working across the Austin metro year-round.
Get a Free Austin Pool Renovation Estimate
H&H visits every pool in person before quoting. Written scope, every line item broken out, no phone-only guesses. We tell you exactly what your Austin pool needs — and what it doesn’t.