Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for custom pool builders.
Deposits, staged draws for excavation, gunite, and decking, a rotation of plumbers, electricians, and tile setters, and permit costs that run higher than most jobs in the yard. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $37,000. The tile and coping draw for the Harmon pool got booked against that job, along with the four subs who worked it.
- Draw 2, Harmon pool, guniteProgress draws
- Final payment, Sutter poolFinal payments
- Gunite crew paymentGunite and shell subs
- Tile and coping orderTile and decking materials
- County pool permit feePermits and engineering
Why your books are different
Custom pool books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees draws and subcontractor bills. Your business runs a job over three to six months, through eight or more trades, and a permit and engineering cost that dwarfs most other outdoor projects. When the books do not track each stage on its own, you cannot tell whether a pool actually made money until the final invoice is long gone.
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1
A six month job hides its profit until the very end
Excavation, gunite, plumbing, tile, decking, and equipment each get drawn and billed at different points over months, so it is easy to lose track of whether the job is running ahead of budget or behind until the final draw is already collected.
What we doTracks each draw and its matching costs against the job as they happen, so you know where a pool stands well before it is finished. -
2
A rotation of subs blurs into one labor number
Excavators, gunite crews, plumbers, electricians, and tile setters all get paid out of the same account, and without separating them by trade, the owner cannot see which stage of the build is eating the most margin.
What we doKeeps each subcontractor trade in its own category, tagged to the job, so cost by stage is visible. -
3
Permit and engineering costs get treated like a rounding error
Pool permits, engineering review, and sometimes a soil report cost far more than a typical patio or deck permit, and if it is filed as a small general expense, the true cost of getting a pool approved disappears from the job's numbers.
What we doBooks permit and engineering costs against the job, so the real cost of approval is part of that pool's numbers, not lost in overhead. -
4
A big equipment draw looks like a loss on paper
A single draw to cover a pool's pump, filter, heater, and app-controlled system can be a large one-time cost that makes a month look thin, when it is really the customer's money already accounted for by an earlier deposit.
What we doTags equipment purchases to the draw and job they belong to, so a big buy does not read as a loss.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a custom pool builder.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Progress drawsPayments collected at excavation, gunite, tile, and equipment milestones.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the pool passes final inspection.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded water features, lighting, or smart pool controls billed separately.
Money out
- Gunite and shell subsExcavation and shotcrete crews for the pool structure.
- Tile and decking materialsWaterline tile, coping, and decking materials.
- Plumbing and electrical subsLicensed trades for pool plumbing, wiring, and smart controls.
- EquipmentPumps, filters, heaters, and app-controlled systems.
- Permits and engineeringPool permits, engineering review, and soil reports.
- Equipment rentalExcavators and cranes for shell construction.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz, Angi, and Google local services ads.
What we watch for you
- Cost by build stage
Excavation, gunite, and finish costs tracked separately, so you can see where a job's margin actually shrinks.
- Sub cost by trade
Each trade's pay against the job, so pricing reflects what plumbing, electrical, and tile really cost.
- Jobs in progress
Draws collected against work not yet done, so a multi-month job's true position is visible mid-build.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things custom pool builders ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I booked it as a change order on the same job, so the added scope and what it cost are both visible.
I have been tracking each draw against its costs as they came in. Right now it is tracking to plan, and I will flag it the moment a stage runs over.
If you pay either one $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a custom pool building business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing across a long job. A draw counted before its costs are in, permit and engineering fees lost in overhead, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsExcavators, cranes, or shop equipment bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like an electrician, plumber, or tile setter, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions custom pool builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Excavator and crane rental
- Gunite equipment maintenance
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Houzz and Angi lead fees
- Engineering and soil report fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck wraps and yard signs
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A custom pool building year, kept every month.
A pool build can run three to six months, so a season's income often lands well after the job that earned it. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring deposits start coming in for the season ahead.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how sub costs by trade compared to what you priced.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment worth buying before winter, and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for custom pool builders. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions custom pool builders ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run draws and scheduling in Buildertrend. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a draw or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off an excavator purchase all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are behind from last season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
How does Gus track a job that runs for months?
He tracks each draw and its matching costs against the job as they happen, so you can see whether a pool is on budget well before the final invoice.
Do you handle sales tax on the tile and equipment I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever