Building a pool house costs $15,000 to $120,000, averaging $72,000 on HomeAdvisor’s figures, with Angi publishing the same range and average (June and October 2026)23. HomeGuide prices the structure at $150 to $600 per square foot for a custom build — the same per-square-foot range the siblings publish — putting a custom 300-square-foot pool house at $45,000 to $180,000 (November 2025)123. Angi and HomeAdvisor are corporate siblings, and matching figures alone don’t establish independent corroboration — their pages match on most rows below, with HomeGuide providing the separate comparison. All figures are the latest published data from each source.
Cost by type
The siblings publish identical type averages23:
| Type | Average cost |
|---|---|
| Pool shed | $4,000 |
| Cabana | $15,000 |
| Standard pool house | $72,000 |
| Luxury pool house / ADU | $150,000 |
HomeGuide instead prices three build routes: a pool house shed at $10 to $30 per square foot ($1,000 to $15,000), a prefab kit at $25 to $150 per square foot ($7,500 to $45,000 installed), and a custom build at $150 to $600 per square foot ($45,000 to $180,000 for 300 square feet)1. On prefab specifically, HomeAdvisor puts the average at $20,000, starting at $5,000 to $6,000 and reaching $25,000 or more — ranges as published; the two publishers frame prefab pricing differently and their ranges don’t match13.
Cost by size
All three sources agree on the rows they share. The siblings cover 50 to 400 square feet23; HomeGuide covers 100 to 1,0001. The merged table below marks each publisher’s rows:
| Square feet | Average cost to build | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $7,500 – $30,000 | Angi & HomeAdvisor |
| 100 | $15,000 – $60,000 | All three |
| 200 | $30,000 – $120,000 | All three |
| 300 | $45,000 – $180,000 | All three |
| 400 | $60,000 – $240,000 | Angi & HomeAdvisor |
| 500 | $75,000 – $300,000 | HomeGuide |
| 800 | $120,000 – $480,000 | HomeGuide |
| 1,000 | $150,000 – $600,000 | HomeGuide |
Angi puts the average pool house at 180 to 220 square feet; HomeAdvisor describes typical sizes as 100 to 800 square feet23.
Labor and professional fees
Angi estimates labor at 40% to 60% of the total budget — $28,800 to $43,200 on an average project2. Its published trade rates, selected rows2:
| Professional | Published rate |
|---|---|
| Custom plans from an architect | $5,700 – $10,800 (8% – 15% of project) |
| Blueprints | $800 – $2,700 |
| Framer | $7 – $16 per sq ft |
| Roofer | $4 – $30 per sq ft |
| Window installer | $300 – $2,500 per window |
| Flooring installer | $2 – $20 per sq ft |
| HVAC technician | $2,000 – $12,500 |
HomeAdvisor publishes hourly rates instead: architect $45 to $250 per hour (or $2 to $15 per square foot), electrician $50 to $100, general contractor $50 to $1503. HomeGuide lists the architect at $100 to $250 per hour or $2 to $15 per square foot1.
Bathroom, kitchen, and other amenities
The siblings publish identical amenity ranges23:
| Amenity | Additional cost |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $1,500 – $15,000 |
| Kitchenette | $9,750 – $19,500 |
| Full kitchen | $35,000 – $95,000 |
| Wet bar | $800 – $22,500 |
| Fireplace | $1,000 – $4,300 |
| Steam room | $2,000 – $8,000 |
HomeGuide’s add-on figures diverge widely: a bathroom adds $18,000 to $47,000+ by its table (its own body text says $20,000 to $50,000 — an internal inconsistency on the page, stated as published), a full indoor kitchen adds $25,000 to $43,000, and a built-in bar runs $1,000 to $12,000 prefab or $5,000 to $30,000 custom1. HomeGuide frames its bathroom figure as the premium over building without plumbing, while the siblings frame theirs as installation cost — the framings differ, and the ranges as published don’t overlap at the low end.
Construction and finishing line items
HomeGuide’s published rates, selected rows1:
| Item | Average rate |
|---|---|
| Concrete slab foundation | $5 – $10 per sq ft |
| Framing | $11 – $30 per sq ft |
| Siding | $3 – $13 per sq ft |
| Roofing | $3 – $6 per sq ft |
| New plumbing pipes | $4 – $5 per sq ft |
| Electrical wiring | $4 – $9 per sq ft |
| Underground power line | $10 – $25 per linear ft |
| Flooring | $4 – $15 per sq ft |
| Drywall | $1.50 – $3.50 per sq ft |
| HVAC installed | $7,000 – $16,000 |
HomeAdvisor’s line items differ on several of these — siding $2 to $28 per square foot, roofing $4 to $30, flooring $2 to $22, electrical $2 to $4 per square foot, plumbing $2 to $8 per linear foot, and separate cooling ($5,000 to $12,500) and heating ($2,000 to $10,000) systems — ranges as published3. Angi puts running utilities to the structure at $1,000 to $15,000 in total2.
Cost by state
The siblings publish identical state averages, their figures attributed23:
| State | Average cost |
|---|---|
| California | $104,200 |
| New York | $88,900 |
| Florida | $73,700 |
| North Carolina | $70,300 |
| Illinois | $68,800 |
| Ohio | $68,400 |
| Texas | $66,700 |
| Georgia | $65,900 |
Permits, timeline, and value
Permit rules are set locally — confirm with your building department before starting. Published estimates: $400 to $2,000 on both sibling pages, against $500 to $2,000 (framed as 0.5% to 2% of total construction cost) on HomeGuide123. On timing, HomeGuide and HomeAdvisor match: two to three months for a custom build (up to a year for large guest-house-scale projects) versus one to three days to install a prefab kit or shed13.
On resale, the siblings estimate a 5% to 10% return for a small pool shed and up to 55% for a pool house that functions as a guest house or rentable ADU23. Treat those percentages as publisher averages, not reliable budgeting predictions — what any structure returns depends on your local market, and only comparable sales near you indicate what buyers will pay. HomeGuide notes a pool house can raise property taxes and insurance premiums as a permanent improvement; Angi likewise notes the property-tax increase12. The exact amounts depend on your local assessor and insurer.
Related cost guides
See guest house cost when the structure needs overnight amenities, ADU cost for a fully independent unit, and pool installation cost if the pool itself is still ahead.
Sources
- HomeGuide, How Much Does It Cost to Build a Pool House? (2026), updated November 7, 2025
- Angi, How Much Does a Pool House Cost?, updated October 19, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, How Much Does It Cost to Build a Pool House?, updated June 19, 2026