What Marquise Pools does

Marquise Pools is a privately held, founder-led custom swimming pool and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Oak Ridge, Texas, serving the Greater Houston area and Texas Gulf Coast within a 175-mile radius. Founded on April 1, 2001 by Chris Smith (President/Designer) and Greg Watson (VP of Operations), the firm designs and constructs gunite residential pools and integrated outdoor living environments, with projects typically priced above $150,000 and targeting high-net-worth homeowners seeking turnkey, architect-led solutions rather than commodity pool builds.

The firm's core offering spans custom pool design and construction, in-house landscape architecture (master planning, hardscape, planting, drainage, irrigation, lighting), and full outdoor living environments including kitchens, cabanas, pergolas, and fire features. Differentiation rests on having degreed, licensed landscape architects on staff — including Smith, who trained at LSU — combined with a high-tech 3D design studio running AutoCAD, MicroStation, and Pool Studio, plus drone-assisted composite site imaging that inventories existing utilities, drainage easements, and vegetation before design begins. The firm has earned multiple HGTV features, 20+ years of APSP awards, International Design Award medals, and a #20 ranking on the Pool & Spa News Top 50 list in 2025, alongside a BBB A+ rating held continuously since 2002.

Commercially, Marquise Pools operates a high-touch, referral-driven field sales motion: prospects are toured through three comparable completed projects in their budget range, meet prior clients, and engage in design consultations producing 3D renderings before contract. Revenue streams include one-time construction projects (the bulk of revenue), landscape architecture professional services, and a smaller recurring pool repair and maintenance book staffed by R.A.I.L.-certified technicians. The customer base is fragmented across individual luxury homeowners and a secondary channel of custom home builders, with customer financing facilitated through a Frost Bank partnership. The firm remains entirely founder-owned with no external investors or parent entity.

Name

Marquise Pools

Legal name

Marquise Pools, LLC

Website

https://marquisepools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marquise Pools is a founder-led, Houston-area custom pool builder and licensed landscape architecture firm designing and constructing $150K+ gunite pools and integrated outdoor living environments for high-end residential homeowners, leveraging drone-assisted 3D design and a referral-driven, tour-based sales motion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Residential Pool Construction

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Equipment Installation & Upgrades (Automation, Covers, Sanitizers) (HSAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Custom pool construction
• Landscape architecture
• Outdoor living design
• Pool maintenance services
• Residential pool builder

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Ridge North

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Pool Construction: Primary revenue stream from designing and constructing custom residential swimming pools. Projects range from formal pools to infinity edge pools, lagoon-style pools, and resort-style installations. Construction typically takes 4-6 weeks after permits with pricing in the $150,000+ range for high-end projects.
2. Outdoor Living Spaces: Complete outdoor living environment design and construction including outdoor kitchens, summer kitchens, cabanas, pergolas, fire pits, and entertainment areas that seamlessly integrate with pool designs.
3. Landscape Architecture Services: Full-service landscape design including hardscape, planting, drainage, irrigation, and lighting systems. Design capabilities include master planning for phased implementation over time.
4. Pool Repair and Maintenance: R.A.I.L. certified pool repair/maintenance services. The company provides ongoing service programs, technical repair, and warranty follow-up through a dedicated two-person team.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Marquise Pools designs and builds custom gunite swimming pools and integrated outdoor living environments for high-end residential homeowners in the greater Houston area. The firm provides turnkey services spanning landscape architecture, hardscape, planting, irrigation, drainage, lighting, outdoor kitchens, cabanas, fire features, and ongoing pool repair/maintenance, typically for projects priced at $150,000 and above. Their design process uses drone-assisted site surveys, AutoCAD/MicroStation, and Pool Studio 3D modeling to produce animated virtual tours before construction.

Product overview

Marquise Pools is a custom pool design and construction company offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on gunite swimming pools and outdoor living environments. The core offering consists of Custom Pool Design and Construction, complemented by in-house Landscape Architecture services that include master planning, hardscape, planting, drainage, irrigation, and lighting. They provide complete Outdoor Living Spaces featuring kitchens, cabanas, pergolas, and fire features. Their differentiation comes from high-tech design capabilities using AutoCAD, MicroStation, and Pool Studio with drone-based site surveys for accurate 3D composite designs. Additional services include Pool Repair and Maintenance with R.A.I.L. certified technicians, Pool Automation Systems for smart control of water features and equipment, and Pool Financing Assistance through Frost Bank partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Pool Design and Construction Custom gunite swimming pool design and construction services for high-end residential properties in the greater Houston area, integrating pools seamlessly with home landscaping and outdoor living spaces. Projects typically start at $150,000+ and include formal, infinity edge, lagoon-style, and resort-style pools, with construction typically taking 4-6 weeks after permits.
• Landscape Architecture In-house registered landscape architecture services including master planning, hardscape design, planting design, drainage, irrigation, and lighting systems for residential properties.
• Outdoor Living Spaces Complete outdoor living environments including outdoor kitchens, summer kitchens, cabanas, pergolas, fire pits, and entertainment areas integrated with pool designs for high-end residential clients.
• Pool Repair and Maintenance Ongoing pool repair and maintenance services delivered by R.A.I.L.-certified swimming pool repair/maintenance technicians, including warranty support, technical repair, and follow-up service programs for completed Marquise Pools installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 minutes per week is all it usually takes to maintain a pool built by Marquise Pools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Better Business BureaucoreOthersMarquise Pools has been BBB Accredited Business since January 3, 2002 with A+ Rating. Christopher Dean Smith serves as Ambassador on BBB Montgomery County Advisory Board, representing the company in the business community.
• Texas Board of Architectural ExaminerscoreOthersProfessional licensing body. Christopher Dean Smith is registered with the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners License # 2185, required for landscape architecture practice in Texas.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)coreOthersProfessional association membership. Marquise Pools team members are affiliated with ASLA, the leading professional organization for landscape architects in the United States.
• Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP)coreOthersIndustry association membership and awards participant. Marquise Pools has won multiple APSP awards over the years including Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Merit recognitions.
• Modern Method GunitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGunite contractor partnership. Cesareo Sanchez, President of Modern Method Gunite, has worked with Marquise Pools since inception, providing quality gunite application services for their pool projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Anthony & Sylvan Pools: Established national residential pool builder with a long history in custom and semi-custom gunite pools. Operates in multiple U.S. markets and overlaps with Marquise on custom residential pool construction.
• Premier Pools & Spas: Largest residential pool builder in the U.S. operating across many states with both custom and production pool offerings. Comparable in product category (custom residential pools) but with vastly broader scale and geographic reach than Marquise.
• Blue Haven Pools: National custom residential pool builder with a multi-decade operating history and franchise model serving multiple U.S. markets. Comparable in core product offering (custom gunite pools) but at significantly larger scale than Marquise.

Emerging players

• Leisure Pools: Composite fiberglass pool manufacturer with U.S. operations competing in the residential pool market with a different construction technology. Partial overlap on residential pool buyer, but a different category of pool.

Direct peers

• Riverbend Sandler Pools: Texas-based luxury custom pool builder headquartered in the Dallas area with similar design-driven, high-end residential positioning and integrated outdoor living services.
• California Pools & Landscape: Long-standing custom pool and landscape builder based in Southern California with a similar premium residential focus, integrated design-build model, and portfolio of award-winning projects.
• Keith Zars Pools: San Antonio-based custom pool builder with a long-standing reputation and similar premium residential positioning, recurring service business, and integrated outdoor living offerings in the Texas market.
• Claffey Pools: Texas-based luxury custom pool builder serving the DFW/North Texas market with similar high-end residential focus, design-led sales process, and comparable project price points. Direct head-to-head peer in the Texas luxury custom pool segment.
• Artesian Pools: Texas-based custom pool builder serving residential clients with design-build outdoor living environments; comparable in service model, regional footprint, and luxury residential positioning.
• Aqua Design Pools: Houston-area custom pool builder offering design and construction services to high-end residential clients with comparable project scope and price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MarquisePools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marquise-pools
• Instagraminstagram.com/marquise_pools
• Pinterestpinterest.com/marquisepools/_saved

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marquise Pools