Gunite or concrete
- Planning range
- $120,000–$200,000
Pool Project Planning · Hawthorn Woods
Pool builder · Hawthorn Woods, IL
Pool builder for Hawthorn Woods homes: in-ground pools for large-lot rear yards.
Yes, Wave Outdoors Pools designs and builds in-ground pools for homes in Hawthorn Woods. The village requires pools to be in-ground and in the rear yard, sets a 20-foot rear setback that includes the equipment and fence, and asks for year-round landscape screening of any part of the pool visible from the street, so the layout is planned with those rules from the start. The first step is a consultation, followed by an assessment of your property and site. Wave handles village permits and engineering coordination, and custom gunite and concrete pools lead our work.
A completed Wave pool
Pool options
Choosing the pool that fits a Hawthorn Woods lot.
Wave leads with custom gunite and concrete pools, formed on site so the shape, depth, steps and any integrated spa follow the design. Fiberglass is the second path, recommended when the property's space, access and an available shell form support it. We also install vinyl-liner pools and above-ground pools.
Hawthorn Woods' R-1 district sets 40,000-square-foot minimum lots for the dwellings it describes, but the setback and screening rules still shape the layout: every pool must be the underground type, so ordinary above-ground pools are out, and the pool, pumps, filters, fence and walks keep 20 feet from the rear lot line, and any part of the pool visible from the street is screened with landscaping all year. On sloping land the village allows part of an in-ground pool to rise above grade, which can turn a grade change into a design feature.
Hawthorn Woods permits and code
What the village asks for before a pool goes in.
A pool in Hawthorn Woods needs a building permit, and the village's swimming pool checklist requires the in-ground pool to be in the rear yard. The code is direct: all swimming pools shall be the underground type, though on sloping land a pool may project up to 2 feet 6 inches above grade over no more than half of its area (Hawthorn Woods Village Code Section 8-3-7). The checklist asks for the application and scope, two plats of survey, two sets of architect-prepared pool plans, two sets of engineered grading plans (the grading code asks for four, so the count is confirmed with the village) and the equipment information. Grading plans are prepared by a registered professional engineer and address drainage, erosion and sediment control (Section 8-6-3). Hot tubs need their own permit and cannot sit in front or side yards.
Placement and screening are where Hawthorn Woods differs. Rear-yard pools and their appurtenances, including pumps, filters, disinfection equipment, fences and sidewalks, must be 20 feet from the rear lot line, and corner lots carry the street-side yard through the rear yard (Section 9-3-2). Any portion of the pool visible from a street or public right-of-way must be landscaped to give 100 percent opacity at construction and throughout the year, so berms and landscaping are part of the design, while the pool fence itself is open-type wrought iron or an approved similar material.
The fence is specified closely: 4 to 5 feet high, generally 3 to 15 feet from the pool edge and outside easements, with self-closing and self-latching devices at least 4 feet above the ground, and stockade fences are not permitted (Section 8-3-15). Where the house wall forms part of the barrier, additional alarm requirements apply. Wave designs that enclosure into the plan and installs code-compliant pool safety fencing to it. The village has adopted the 2018 International Residential Code and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
In Hawthorn Woods, the 20-foot rear line includes the pump, the fence and the walk.
Hawthorn Woods is a Lake County certified community that adopted the county's Watershed Development Ordinance as amended July 11, 2023, and properties on a well or septic system need Lake County health approval. Contractors register with the village. The pool checklist lists the inspections, as applicable: footing or pre-pour, grading, underground electrical, deck base and bonding, underground plumbing, fence footing and the final electrical, plumbing and building inspections. The village's standard review and issuance time is 20 business days, not counting delays from incomplete submittals.
From consultation to water
Four stages, with planning ranges for each.
Consultation and site assessment
We start with how you want to use the yard, then assess the property: usable rear-yard space, access for equipment, grades, drainage and the setback line. Engineers and architects are brought in when conditions require them.
Design and engineering
Design development and engineering coordination can take about eight weeks. Custom 3D design is available as a paid add-on if you want to review the layout before approving it. See 3D pool design.
Village permits
In Wave's planning, the permit stage commonly takes about one to three months; actual timing depends on the village's review. Wave handles the village permit submittal and the engineering coordination behind it.
Construction
Excavation can take a few days. After approvals and site readiness, fiberglass construction typically takes three to four weeks and concrete six to eight. Concrete work can continue in winter under a temporary tented enclosure when site conditions, weather and the approved plan support it. These are planning ranges, not schedule promises. See how we build your pool.
Budget
Planning ranges, before the site sets the number.
Fiberglass
- Planning range
- $80,000–$150,000
Vinyl liner or above-ground
- Budget
- Project-specific. Contact us to discuss project budgets and payment options.
These are typical project-planning ranges, not quotes or minimum-price promises. Site conditions, access, size, materials, features, utilities, safety work, surrounding construction, and whether Wave handles the full project or a build-only scope all change the budget. The breakdowns are in gunite and concrete pool cost, fiberglass pool cost and in-ground pool cost in Illinois.
Around the pool, Wave designs and builds pool decks, heaters, automation and lighting, waterfalls and integrated spas, and the grading, drainage and retaining walls a site may need, so the surround is planned with the water rather than after it.
Nearby village pages
Long Grove, Kildeer, Barrington and Buffalo Grove. See the full service area.
Questions
Hawthorn Woods pool-planning questions.
Yes. Hawthorn Woods is inside our service area, and we design and build in-ground pools for homes here. The first step is a consultation, followed by an assessment of your property and site. Contact us or call (224) 344-5734.
Not an ordinary one. The village code requires all swimming pools to be the underground type, though on sloping land a pool may project up to 2 feet 6 inches above grade over no more than half its area (Section 8-3-7).
Rear-yard pools and their pumps, filters, fences and sidewalks must be 20 feet from the rear lot line, and any portion of the pool visible from a street must be landscaped to give 100 percent opacity year round (Section 9-3-2).
A fence 4 to 5 feet high, generally 3 to 15 feet from the pool edge, with self-closing and self-latching devices at least 4 feet above the ground; stockade fences are not permitted (Section 8-3-15). Wave installs code-compliant pool safety fencing. See pool fence installation.
The village's standard review and issuance time is 20 business days, excluding delays from incomplete submittals.
As Wave's planning ranges: design and engineering about eight weeks, permitting about one to three months, then fiberglass construction about three to four weeks or concrete about six to eight weeks. Design development, municipal review, site conditions, scope and season can change that.
Wave's typical project-planning ranges are $80,000–$150,000 for fiberglass and $120,000–$200,000 for gunite or concrete. They are not quotes or minimum-price promises; the site, access, size, materials, features and scope change the budget. Contact us to discuss project budgets and payment options.
Start with a look at the lot.
Request a consultation and we will assess your Hawthorn Woods property before the pool is chosen.