About Us

Suncana Custom Pools & Outdoor Living was founded by highly-experienced Central Texas pool specialist John Hirrill and his loving wife Kay. Faith & Family are important to the Hirrill's, but so is the principle that beautiful, high quality, award-winning swimming pools don't have to be expensive. John and his team offer custom new pool design, construction, and a wide variety of other backyard amenities for homeowners throughout all of Central Texas. 

“Our goal is to provide our clients with superb quality and a highly
satisfactory and memorable experience.”

John Hirrill

Suncana Custom Pools & Outdoor Living combines cutting-edge technology with world-class designs to produce energy-efficient swimming pools that are also low-maintenance.

“Pools should be a dream to own. 
They should not be a chore.”

John Hirrill



Our Services

We provide the following products and services for homeowners throughout the greater Central Texas area. This includes the cities of Waco, Temple, Belton, Georgetown, Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, and of course our “corporate hometown,” Troy Texas. 


10 Reasons People Love Suncana Custom Pools & Outdoor Living

Our clients love us for a lot of reasons. Here is what we consider our “top 10” list of reasons we’ve heard from our clients while serving them throughout the greater Central Texas area.

  1. TOTAL BACKYARD – We’re a lot more than just a swimming pool company. We’ll handle just about any backyard amenities that you want to have around your swimming pool – fireplaces, fire pits, pergolas, covered patios, outdoor kitchens, sports courts, and so much more.
  2. Custom Designs WITHOUT the Ridiculous Price Tag – We specialize in world-class, cutting-edge designs. But we don’t charge that way. As a small, focused, custom boutique builder, we keep our overhead low, and pass the savings on to you.
  3. Extensive Experience– Our principal founders have spent nearly 2 decades designing, building, renovating, and servicing custom swimming pools throughout Central Texas.
  4. No-pressure Sales Philosophy– We believe nothing ruins your pool buying experience more than a slick, fast-talking salesman trying to pressure you into a pool buying decision before you are ready. That’s why you’ll never feel any pressure from us. We’re not ready to move to the next step until you’re ready to move to the next step.
  5. Triple Warrantees – Thanks to a special arrangement with our supplier, we provide three-year warranties on all new pool equipment. That’s triple the industry average! 
  6. Energy-Efficient Design & Construction – Our pools are designed to be efficient from the ground up. From the hydraulics to the equipment to the flow dynamics, we strive to make sure every pool project is as energy efficient as it is beautiful.
  7. “Self Maintaining” Designs and Features – We believe owning a swimming pool should be a dream, not a chore. That’s why all our designs include the latest options in self-maintaining features, such as in-floor cleaning, automatic covers, and complete chemical control systems.
  8. Unbelievably Beautiful and Smooth Interior Finishes – People love the deep, rich colors of an aggregate finish, but they don’t like the roughness. That’s why we offer the super-smooth “Pebble Radiance™” interior finishes, with high-performance polymers and multi-hued glass beads & abalone shells. They produce brilliant shades of watercolor, without the usual roughness.
  9. “Grade A” Rating with the BBB – true to our commitment to serve our clients/homeowners first, the BBB confirms our integrity with our “A” rating at the Central Texas BBB.
  10. Active Member of Pool Industry Associations – Unlike the other 90% of Central Texas pool builders, we’re active members of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance (a.k.a. PHTA). We can’t imagine why every professional pool builder isn’t an active member of the PHTA, but then we’re not every pool builder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions pertaining to building inground gunite or concrete pool.

Why choose Suncana Custom Pools & Outdoor Living?

Our approach is simple. Our main goal is customer service, from the moment we first meet you in your backyard to discuss ideas to when the water is going in the pool. With low overhead, we are able to offer custom pools at lower prices than larger companies. We do not cut any corners and use the latest equipment and technology on every pool. Our clients are our family.

How long does it take to build a pool?

Typically, pool construction takes about 6 to 8 weeks depending on the type of pool, features on the pool, and most importantly the weather.

What pools do we build?

We build gunite or concrete pools. With concrete pools, you have many more options; such as benches, water features, steps, size, shape, and depth. 

How much does a pool cost?

The cost of a pool is determined by a number of factors. Inground concrete pools will cost more than fiberglass, vinyl, and above-ground ones. We build in-ground concrete pools because these have proven to be more durable and allow for a variety of designs and features. The size of the pool, the amount of decking, slope of your lot (which can require more excavation and foundation support), type of materials, and finishes all contribute to the final price. The only responsible way to get a firm estimate is to have us come out and measure your lot and meet with you to assess the type of pool you are wanting.


Our Association and Certifications

Further evidence of our advantages in the swimming pool industry are the various groups and associations we belong to. 

PHTA – Pool and Hot Tub Alliance

The PHTA was formed in 2019 through the merger of The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals and The National Swimming Pool Foundation. Both organizations have similar goals of making swimming safe, healthy, and fun, so the merger was a logical improvement.

PHTA is the world’s largest association representing a swimming pool, hot tub, and spa manufacturers, distributors, manufacturers’ agents, designers, builders, installers, supplier, retailers, and service professionals.  PHTA offers a pool and hot tub education and certification programs, provides valuable membership benefits, develops trusted industry standards, and advocates for critical legislation. 

PHTA members adhere to a code of ethics in business and technical practices and share a strong commitment to the safe, healthful, and enjoyable use of industry products.


We’re a “Totally Hayward” Pool Builder

A "Totally Hayward" pool builder is someone who is qualified to offer the complete line of technologically advanced pumps, filters, heaters, heat pumps, automatic pool cleaners, lighting, controls, and salt chlorine generators. These are all high-quality components that are engineered to work together to keep your pool always at its best.

As a Totally Hayward builder, we are able to offer you a three-year extended warranty on all Hayward equipment. That’s three times the industry average!

Hayward® is one of the top pool equipment manufacturers in the world. For the past 80 years, their focus and objective are to make every homeowner’s pool experience worry-free and hassle-free. Their equipment is engineered to last, work smart, and help pool owners enjoy the pleasures of pool ownership.