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Educational Resource

Project Investment Analysis

Structured reports that examine real backyard projects and explain how the same scope may be delivered under a transparent cost plus construction management model.

For HomeownersFor Custom Home Builders

Why We Created These Reports

Backyard construction is one of the largest investments a homeowner will make outside of the home itself. Yet most homeowners begin the process with limited visibility into how a pool or outdoor living budget is actually structured. Traditional lump sum proposals bundle construction cost, overhead, sales expense, warranty reserve, and profit into a single figure that is difficult to evaluate.

Project Investment Analyses were created to demystify that process. Every contractor has different overhead, staffing models, marketing expenses, and pricing structures. This series does not exist to criticize other builders. It exists to show how the same project may be structured under an open book, cost plus construction management approach.

For a deeper explanation of the underlying model, review the cost plus pool construction guide and the protect your pool investment overview.

Planning Your Own Pool?

Understand how real project costs may be structured, where your investment may go, and how a transparent cost plus process works.

Explore Reports for Homeowners

Helping a Client Plan a Custom Home?

Use the reports to begin transparent backyard planning conversations earlier and help clients understand the financial structure before construction begins.

Explore Reports for Builders

Research Methodology

How Our Cost Analyses Work

Our cost research is published by The Backyard Company, Florida Certified Pool Contractor CPC1458115. The research focus is Tampa Bay, Florida. The steps below describe the process every published analysis follows. Analyses listed further down this page as upcoming or in preparation have not been through this process yet.

Depending on the project, an analysis may draw on public permit records, construction documents and plans, documented project scope, local project, trade and material pricing. Each published analysis names the sources it actually used.

  1. 1. Identify a public permitted project

    Each analysis begins with a pool or backyard project that appears in a public permit record within a Tampa Bay jurisdiction.

  2. 2. Review available construction documents

    Where plans or other construction documents are available through the public record, they are reviewed to understand what was actually designed and approved.

  3. 3. Identify and normalize the documented scope

    The scope visible in the documents is written out in consistent categories so different projects can be described the same way.

  4. 4. Estimate direct project costs

    Direct project costs are estimated using current local trade, material and project pricing available at the time of the analysis. The pricing date is published with the analysis.

  5. 5. Add project-specific management compensation

    The management compensation calculated for that specific project under our cost-plus structure is added as its own line.

  6. 6. Show the estimated cost-plus total

    Estimated direct project costs plus management compensation produce the estimated total for the same scope under our model.

  7. 7. Show the permit-reported value separately

    Where a permit-reported project value exists in the public record, it is shown separately for context, clearly labeled, and never merged into our estimate.

  8. 8. Treat permit value as public-record context only

    A permit-reported project value is not automatically treated as the homeowner's contract price, the amount paid, or the final project cost.

  9. 9. Publish assumptions, exclusions and limitations

    Every analysis carries the assumptions it relies on, the scope it excludes, and the limits of what it can establish.

  10. 10. Sanitize anything shown from a plan

    Plan excerpts are reviewed and redacted before publication so homeowner privacy is protected. An analysis cannot publish until that review is recorded.

Two Different Types of Evidence

We publish two distinct kinds of analysis. They rest on different source material and support different conclusions, so we label each analysis by type and never present one as the other.

Public Permit Cost Analysis

Uses public permit information and any available construction documents to analyze the documented scope of a real permitted project.

  • •Scope is read from the public record and available plans.
  • •The permit-reported project value is contextual public-record information.
  • •The permit value is not treated as an actual contract price.

Actual Proposal Comparison

Uses an actual proposal that was legitimately provided to us for analysis, comparing its documented scope and pricing against our model.

  • •Scope and pricing come from a real document supplied for review.
  • •Written permission is required before anything is published.
  • •Contractor identity is not disclosed unless separately authorized.

Permit-Reported Project Value

The permit shows the project value listed in the public record. Permit values don't always match the homeowner's final contract or final project cost, so we use this number only as a comparison point.

How Management Compensation Is Shown

Management compensation shown is the amount calculated for that specific project under our cost-plus structure. It is not a published rate, and it will differ from project to project.

Homeowner Privacy In Our Research

Although permit records are public, The Backyard Company does not republish homeowner names, exact residential addresses, parcel or folio numbers, signatures or contact information in its public cost analyses. Plan excerpts are reviewed and sanitized before publication. This is our own policy, applied to protect the privacy of homeowners whose projects appear in the public record.

Corrections And Updates

Our analyses reflect the documents and pricing information available at the time of review. If source information changes or an error is identified, the analysis may be corrected or updated, and a material change is reflected by an updated analysis date. We do not continuously monitor permitted projects after an analysis is published.

Methodology and Data

Project comparisons are based on publicly available permit information, visible project features, and The Backyard Company's professional estimates using known or current trade, material, design, and management costs. Permit values may not represent the final contract amount or complete project scope. Actual costs vary based on site conditions, engineering, selections, access, scheduling, and market pricing. Each analysis is educational and is not a bid, appraisal, or guarantee of savings.

Research Library

Published analyses
3
Jurisdictions represented
Hillsborough County, Florida
Analysis types
Permit-Based Cost Analysis
Scope categories
Pool Investment Analysis
Pricing dates
September 18, 2026, September 7, 2026, September 5, 2026

Published by The Backyard Company. Research focus: Tampa Bay, Florida.

Featured Published Analysis

Completed pool and spa representing an Odessa pool cost analysisPublished Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

Real Pool Cost Analysis: Marsh Trail, Odessa, FL 33556

Odessa, FL

Pool Type
Pool + Raised Spa
Project Size
567 sq ft pool with 1,582.62 sq ft of decking

We reviewed the construction plans for this Odessa pool and raised-spa project, priced the work using our open-book cost-plus model and compared our estimate with the value reported on the permit.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

View Analysis

Latest Published Analyses

Wandsworth Drive plan showing the pool and spa layoutPublished Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

Real Pool Cost Analysis: Wandsworth Drive, Tampa, FL 33626

Tampa, FL

Pool Type
Pool + Spa
Project Size
515 sq ft pool with existing pool, screen and deck demolition

We reviewed the construction plans for this Westchase-area pool replacement, priced the work using our open-book cost-plus model and compared our estimate with the value reported on the permit.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

View Analysis
Carrollwood Village Drive plan showing the pool, raised deck and screen-enclosed site layoutPublished Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

Real Pool Cost Analysis: Carrollwood Village Drive, Tampa, FL 33618

Tampa, FL

Pool Type
Pool + Screen Enclosure
Project Size
450 sq ft pool with 1,147 sq ft of paver decking

We reviewed the construction plans for this Carrollwood Village pool and screen-enclosure project, priced the work using our open-book cost-plus model and compared our estimate with the value reported on the permit.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

View Analysis

Upcoming Analyses

Modern rectangular pool with raised spa in South TampaUpcoming Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

South Tampa Pool and Spa Analysis

South Tampa, FL

Upcoming analysis examining a modern pool and spa project and how a comparable scope may be structured under a transparent cost plus construction management model.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

Request This Analysis
Family pool with screen enclosure in a Westchase backyardUpcoming Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

Westchase Family Pool Analysis

Westchase, FL

Upcoming analysis examining a family pool with screen enclosure and outdoor entertaining space, evaluated against a transparent cost plus construction management approach.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

Request This Analysis
Covered outdoor kitchen with dining area in TrinityUpcoming Analysis

Outdoor Kitchen Analysis

Trinity Outdoor Kitchen Analysis

Trinity, FL

Upcoming analysis comparing traditional lump sum delivery of an outdoor kitchen and living package against a transparent construction management model.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

Request This Analysis
Luxury backyard planning overlay on an Odessa acreage lotUpcoming Analysis

Luxury Backyard Analysis

Odessa Luxury Backyard Analysis

Odessa, FL

Upcoming analysis of a luxury backyard on an Odessa acreage lot, evaluating pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, pavilion, and landscape as an integrated cost plus construction package.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

Request This Analysis
Coastal pool planning documentation in ClearwaterUpcoming Analysis

Pool Investment Analysis

Clearwater Coastal Pool Analysis

Clearwater, FL

Upcoming analysis of a coastal pool project evaluating equipment selection, deck materials, and long term durability under a transparent cost plus construction management model.

Permit values and estimates may not reflect complete scope or final project costs. View the full methodology.

Request This Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

It is an educational report that examines a real backyard project and outlines how the same scope may be structured under a transparent cost plus construction management model. It is not a bid, quote, or criticism of any other contractor.

Traditional project figures are derived from publicly available permit records, published market data, and general contractor pricing patterns in the Tampa Bay region. Each report describes its own sources within the analysis.

No. Every contractor operates with a different overhead structure, business model, and pricing approach. These reports are not a critique of any individual builder. They are an educational look at how construction management can be structured.

No. The difference represents how the same project may be structured under a transparent cost plus construction management model. The emphasis is on transparency, control, and how investment dollars may be reallocated inside the project.

Yes. Homeowners and custom home builders can request a Project Investment Analysis tailored to a specific site, scope, and design intent. It is intended as an educational document to support informed planning.

New Project Investment Analyses are added on an ongoing basis as projects move through planning. Categories will expand to include pools, outdoor kitchens, outdoor living, screen enclosures, and full luxury backyard projects.

Learn More

Explore the underlying services and resources behind our approach: cost plus pool construction, protect your pool investment, swimming pool construction, 3D pool design, outdoor living spaces, and custom home builder partnerships. You can also request a homeowner analysis, request a builder analysis, or contact our team.

Request A Project Investment Analysis

Homeowners and custom home builders can request an analysis prepared for a specific site, scope, and design intent.

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