Bunnell is Flagler County's inland seat, a town of large lots and working acreage where pool sites tend to run bigger than the tight canal parcels near the coast.
Bunnell 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.
A look at real project photos from Bunnell's top-ranked builders, pulled straight from their own profiles.
A real, recent sample of customer feedback for builders serving Bunnell — good and bad, not just the five-star highlights.
“If I could give Agua Construction 10 stars I would! I love everything about my new pool! From the design, and the quality of the work, to the great customer service & care I received during the entire process. Dan and his team (Carmen, Andre, Carlos, Washington, and many others) were amazing. Although I have…”
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dan Priotti personally for over 15 years, and my experiences with him and Agua Construction have been nothing short of outstanding. Dan is a hands-on contractor who genuinely listens to your needs and desires, whether you're looking to build a pool, remodel your home, or embark on a custom…”
“Dan did an amazing job on our pool and some remodeling in our house. The one thing I will always remember about Dan is that we came from Colorado and looked at the house, I googled construction companies to see if by chance one would come out while we were there for the weekend to…”
“Our pool is 18 years old and needed a new fresh modern look. We went with Dan at.Agua Construction because of the great reputation they have with other clients. The first step was they drain the pool next was they removed all the old tile and replaced it with beautiful blue and gray tone Luv…”
“Check his reputation with locals and the town or county before signing a contract with him. His reputation precedes him most of the time. $111,000 and he says these issues “aren’t abnormal”. Tiles falling off, overhang on pool deck goes from 1.25” to 3.5” and he says that’s because of the house placement, wants to…”
Bunnell sits inland at the crossroads of US-1 and State Road 100, well west of Palm Coast's canals and the barrier island. Homes here range from the older grid near downtown to acreage parcels and farmland stretching toward Haw Creek and Crescent Lake. That means more room and, on the rural lots, private well and septic. The right builder for Bunnell has laid out pools on open ground and understands drainfield setbacks, not narrow coastal infill lots alone.
A larger lot opens up design choices you would not have on a coastal canal parcel, from longer decks to detached spa placement, but it puts the well, the septic drainfield, and any barn or outbuilding into the setback math. Have the contractor walk the property and lay out the shell and equipment pad around those features before drawing final plans.
Verify the license first. Florida pool builders are state-certified or state-registered through the Florida DBPR, and the online lookup confirms the license number, status, and any complaints. A residential pool contractor carries a CPC- or RP-prefixed license. Confirm the company's insurance is current and that it, not you, pulls the permit and schedules the inspections.
Read the proposals for scope rather than price alone. In Bunnell the gap between two quotes usually traces to the screen enclosure, the barrier fence, and any well-and-septic site work rather than the pool shell. Ask for references from inside the city or the surrounding rural county, since a builder used to Bunnell's ground will handle your project better than one who only works the coast.
The permitting authority for a Bunnell pool depends on the city line. Property inside the incorporated city is served by the City of Bunnell Building Division, part of Community Development, which issues its own swimming pool permits and runs inspections through the city. Plenty of homes carrying a Bunnell mailing address actually sit in unincorporated Flagler County, and those permits go to Flagler County Central Permitting in Bunnell instead. A check of the property record settles which counter applies.
Either way, an in-ground pool or spa needs a building permit before excavation, and the review follows the Florida Building Code. The application carries a site plan showing the pool against property lines and structures, engineered structural drawings, the plumbing layout, and the electrical bonding plan. Inspections run through construction: steel and bonding, plumbing, the safety barrier, and a final after the deck and any enclosure are finished.
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515) governs pool safety statewide and applies inside the city and out in the county alike. Every new pool needs a barrier at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates opening away from the water, plus at least one more safety feature: an ASTM F1346 safety cover, exit alarms on doors with pool access, or a self-latching device set out of a child's reach. The Florida Building Code sets the construction standards behind that.
Bunnell's inland position spares most of the town the coastal V-zone rules that shape building in Flagler Beach, but it does not erase flooding entirely. Low ground near Haw Creek and the Crescent Lake basin carries its own FEMA flood designations, so pull the flood map for your parcel early. On the rural well-and-septic lots that define much of the area, the bigger constraint is keeping the pool, deck, and equipment pad clear of the drainfield and well by the required setbacks.
Two questions come up on nearly every Bunnell pool consultation: who issues my permit, and how do my well and septic change the layout. The permit answer turns on the city line, which surprises owners who assumed a Bunnell address always means a city permit. A fair number of homes here sit in unincorporated Flagler even with a Bunnell mailing address.
The second thread is the rural lot itself. Owners with acreage want to know how far the pool has to stay from the drainfield and the well, and how much of their open space they can actually use once those setbacks are drawn. Downtown owners on the older grid raise the more familiar questions about barrier fencing and screen enclosures.
Cost is the quieter worry underneath both. Owners want to know what separates a thin quote from a complete one, and on Bunnell projects the answer usually sits in the site work: the screen enclosure, the safety barrier, and any grading or fill a rural parcel needs. The answers below cover what Bunnell homeowners ask most.
It depends on the city line. Property inside the incorporated City of Bunnell is permitted by the city's Building Division through Community Development, which issues swimming pool permits directly. Homes with a Bunnell mailing address that actually sit in unincorporated Flagler County go to Flagler County Central Permitting. Checking the property record tells you which applies before you file.
Yes. Bunnell runs its own Building Division as part of Community Development and issues swimming pool permits for property inside city limits, along with the inspections that go with them. The review follows the Florida Building Code. Property outside the city limits, even with a Bunnell address, is handled by Flagler County instead.
On a lot served by a private well and septic system, the pool, deck, and equipment pad have to keep documented setbacks from the drainfield and the well. That shapes the layout more than anything else on rural Bunnell parcels. A builder who works the area will map those setbacks before drawing the design, which the larger local lots usually accommodate well.
The same statewide standard applies in Bunnell. 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 pool. On top of the barrier, the pool needs one more safety feature, such as an approved safety cover or exit alarms on doors with pool access.
Less than on the coast, but not zero. Bunnell's inland position keeps most of it out of the FEMA V zones that shape Flagler Beach, though low ground near Haw Creek and the Crescent Lake basin carries its own flood designations. Pull the flood map for your parcel early so the builder can plan equipment placement and any elevation requirements.
Check the Florida DBPR license lookup. A residential pool contractor holds a state license, typically 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 file as an owner-builder.
Yes. Screen enclosures are popular on Bunnell pools for shade and keeping out insects and debris, and each one takes its own building permit and inspection apart from the pool. The enclosure has to meet the code for self-closing, self-latching screen doors. Build it into the original contract so it is priced with the pool, not tacked on later.
Every pool builder we currently track in Bunnell — a shorter, more manageable list than in busier Florida cities.
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