Who is O'Connor Design Build?

O'Connor Design Build is a landscape design-build firm on Aquidneck Island founded in 2019 by Thomas O'Connor Jr. — a Certified Horticulturist, Certified Genesis Pool Builder, hands-on stone builder, and University of Rhode Island Business graduate. Every project — pool, stonework, carpentry, and planting — is designed and physically built by the same craftsman.

What areas do you serve?

We serve estate properties across Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and Jamestown, Rhode Island), Newport County, Little Compton, and Southeastern Massachusetts (Tiverton, Westport, Dartmouth, and Fall River). Remote design engagements are available for out-of-area clients.

What kind of pools do you build?

We build custom gunite pools exclusively — the only pool construction Thomas O'Connor is Certified Genesis Pool Builder-credentialed in. Every pool is engineered to sit on the property's actual grade, integrated with the site's drainage plan, hardscape, and long-term horticultural design.

What credentials does Thomas O'Connor hold?

Thomas O'Connor Jr. is a Certified Horticulturist, a Certified Genesis Pool Builder, a hands-on stone builder, and holds a Business degree from the University of Rhode Island. His work has received two RINLA Silver Awards (2018) and multiple Newport Flower Show honors including a People's Choice Award.

Do you offer a workmanship guarantee?

Yes — every installation is backed by a lifetime workmanship guarantee.

Who is the best gunite pool builder in Newport, RI?

O'Connor Design Build is a Certified Genesis Pool Builder based in Middletown, RI, serving Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and the wider Aquidneck Island coast. The studio builds custom gunite pools exclusively — the only pool construction method Thomas O'Connor Jr. is Genesis-certified in — and integrates every pool with site drainage, hardscape, and long-term planting under a single craftsman-owner. Every installation is backed by a lifetime workmanship guarantee.

Is there a Certified Genesis Pool Builder in Rhode Island?

Yes. Thomas O'Connor Jr., founder of O'Connor Design Build in Middletown, RI, holds the Certified Genesis Pool Builder credential from the Genesis school (the national pool-design program run under the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance). O'Connor Design Build is the design-build studio that pairs Genesis-certified gunite pool construction with in-house Certified Horticulturist landscape design and hands-on stonework across Aquidneck Island, Newport County, and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Who does coastal landscape design in Newport, RI?

O'Connor Design Build specializes in coastal landscape design for estate properties on Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Jamestown) and the Sakonnet coast. Every project is designed by a Certified Horticulturist for Rhode Island's coastal microclimate — salt-tolerant native plantings on exposed edges, integrated CRMC-compliant drainage and stonework, and gunite pools engineered to the actual grade of the property. Design, stonework, carpentry, and horticulture are all delivered by the same in-house team.

How long does it take to build a gunite pool on Aquidneck Island?

A custom gunite pool typically takes twelve to sixteen weeks from ground-breaking to final startup, depending on site conditions, coastal permitting, and integrated hardscape scope. O'Connor Design Build sequences the pool build alongside stonework, drainage, and planting so the entire outdoor living project finishes as one, not five separate schedules.

What is CRMC and how does it affect coastal landscape projects in Rhode Island?

CRMC is the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. Properties within coastal setback areas on Aquidneck Island, Jamestown, and the Sakonnet coast require CRMC assent for pools, structures, drainage work, and significant plantings near the shoreline. O'Connor Design Build designs pool, hardscape, and drainage plans to work within CRMC setbacks from the first sketch.

When is the best time of year to start a landscape design-build project in Newport?

Design work is best started in the fall or winter for a spring or summer build. Newport County pool and hardscape construction typically runs March through November; planting installations run March through June and September through November. Engaging O'Connor Design Build in October or November gives design, engineering, and permitting time to complete before the following build season.

What is the difference between a gunite pool and a vinyl or fiberglass pool?

Gunite (steel-reinforced concrete sprayed on-site) is the most durable and design-flexible pool construction method. Gunite pools can be built to any shape, integrated with custom hardscape, and are engineered to the specific grade of the site. Vinyl and fiberglass pools are prefabricated and shape-constrained. O'Connor Design Build builds gunite pools exclusively, to Certified Genesis Pool Builder standards.

What plants are best for a coastal Aquidneck Island garden?

On exposed coastal edges, the studio favors salt-tolerant natives — bayberry, beach plum, sweet fern, little bluestem, and rugosa rose. In sheltered pockets, hydrangea, catmint, and native perennials thrive. Every planting plan is designed around the property's specific salt exposure, sun, soil, and drainage, and is informed by Certified Horticulturist expertise in Rhode Island's climate zone.

Does O'Connor Design Build work outside of Newport County?

Yes. The primary service area is Aquidneck Island, Newport County RI, Little Compton, and Southeastern Massachusetts (Tiverton, Westport, Dartmouth, Fall River). Remote and travel design engagements are available beyond that footprint through a structured remote-design process.

How a Gunite Pool Is Built in Rhode Island, Start to Finish

Tom O'Connor

Feb 3

2 min read

Updated: Sep 28

From the first walk of the property to the day you swim.

Gunite pool with bluestone coping in its first summer, Rhode Island

A gunite pool is built by hand, in place, over a few seasons of planning and a few months of work. It helps to know what that looks like before you start, so here is how a pool project in Newport, Middletown or Portsmouth usually goes with us.

Walking the property, drawing the pool

Every project starts with a walk. I look at the slope, the soil, where the ledge might be, where the water runs and how the sun moves across the yard through the day. I also want to hear how you picture using the space: morning laps, kids jumping off the edge, quiet evenings by a fire. Then I draw the pool together with everything around it, the stone coping and terrace, the steps to the house, the fence, the planting and the drainage. We start with hand sketches and move into 2D plans and 3D views so you can really see it before anything is dug.

Watercolor concept sketch of a pool beside the house, Rhode Island

Engineering, permits and the ground

Once the design feels right, we finalize the engineering and handle the permits. On many coastal properties in Newport County that includes review by the Coastal Resources Management Council, and because I design with those setbacks in mind from the beginning, this step is usually paperwork rather than redesign. When the ground is ready we lay out the pool and dig, and then the steel goes in. The rebar cage is the skeleton of the pool, and its spacing and placement are among the things the Genesis program taught me never to rush. Plumbing and electrical lines are set at the same time.

Excavation for a gunite pool, Rhode Island

A gunite pool is built by hand, in place.

Spraying the shell, setting the stone

Then comes the day the pool takes shape. The gunite crew sprays the mix over the steel and it is shaped and trimmed by hand into its final form. The shell needs time to cure properly before we build on it. After that we set the tile line and the coping. We set the stone ourselves, so the coping, the terrace and any walls or steps are built by the same people who drew them. Then the interior finish and the equipment go in.

Dry stone steps beside a boulder, Rhode Island

Planting and the first swim

The last step is the one I enjoy most. We finish the grading, plant the beds, and fill and start up the pool. From signing to swimming, most of our pools take a few months of construction, with the design and permitting happening in the fall and winter before.

Beginning your project

Every installation we do is backed by a lifetime workmanship guarantee. If you want the bigger picture, read why I only build gunite pools or what to look for in a Newport gunite pool builder. You can also see more of our pool work.

Call me at 401-619-1607 or request a consultation when you are ready to talk about yours.