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Pool, manageable size, bigger is not always better, get the hot tub. I have had both SWG and chlorine and prefer the SWG for maintenance ease.

Kitchen, quality gasser and quality kamado. On the kamado, I am partial to the primo XL Oval, for the space and size. High ceiling on kitchen and two TV's. A small beer cooler and a sink. Island or countertop a must, in stone.

Some things we did that I'm very happy I did:
-- Our equipment, Variable speed pumps, oversized filter and heater, ozonator (Everytime the builder said, "this will be good enough", I told him, "up-size it".

-- We also got a Paramount in-floor cleaning system. I don't remember the model number/name, but I love it. We never have to worry about a vacuum in the pool. I don't even own a robot vacuum. That said, twice a year when our Texas Oak trees shed their leaves, I do have to really make sure the debris bag is emptied out a couple of times per day. Usually I only have to empty it weekly. If I ever build another pool, it will definitely have this system.

-- Chlorine. The SWG is hell on the natural stones in the Texas hill country area. If you're going to use natural limestones around the pool area, you may want to consider going with chlorine pool.

-- Double the LED pool lights that the builder designs. When we're entertaining during the winter months and hanging outside around the fireplace, the ambient light from the extra LED's really are nice.

-- 7' deep. Not really deep enough for "diving", but I'm 6' tall, and I like that I can get in the deep water and actually swim and tread water without touching the bottom.

-- We went with a quartz finish. Most of our neighbors have a version of "pebbletec" and they all prefer our pool. It is just easier on the toes and knees.

-- Budget for landscaping and lighting around the new pool area. Don't let your beautiful pool be surrounded by blah-ness.

Things I would've done differently:
-- Get the pool builder to initial EVERY single item on his drawings/designs. An example, we have 3 separate stairways leading up to our patio, as our backyard is on a hill. We built the pool up to the back door level. In the design, the builder had coping on all of the stairs. But in the contract, he wrote, "Coping on 3 stairs". Well, guess what that MFer did, he put coping on just the one staircase/steps that had 3 stairs and ignored the other two stairways. Yes, I was pissed. Yes, we called each other some choice names. Yes, we ended up compromising and he did one additional stairway that faces the street on the side of the house. My point, READ YOUR CONTRACT and QUESTION HIM on EVERYTHING. My builder has been in business in this area for 27 years. He was highly recommended. And apparently, all pool builders graduated from the used-car salesman school of customer cornholing.

--Extra jets in the hot-tub/spa. We have 8 jets, but the spa can easily fit 10 adults. That's just weird to me.

Some additional advice:
-- Make an account on Trouble Free Pools.

--Cheap Bleach is better than expensive chlorine tablets.

-- Take advantage of Leslie's Pool Supplies free water testing (or whoever your local pool supplies store is). I usually buy cheap pool toys every so often just because I feel guilty for using their free service and not buying their overpriced chemicals.

-- Budget for entertainment, speakers, TVs, etc.

-- Once you build the pool/outdoor area, NEVER, EVER, go back and figure out how much you spent. Let it go and enjoy your new space.

Built one 3 yr ago and would do it again if we move. Here’s my suggestions.

Get a heater. I have the largest residential heater available, I believe 400k btu. It’s worth every penny and extends our season indefinitely. We’ve jumped in this pool on Christmas Day @ 25°, for novelty. Entire pool was 96°.

Go with Ozone/UV sanitation system as opposed to saltwater or traditional Chlorine. I have 2 friends that have converted their saltwater pools because they were so impressed with the ease of maintenance.

Splurge on fire bowls. Instead of ordering pre-made systems, find an outdoor living store that will manufacture yours in house. Local place in Baton Rouge saved me more than 4k by custom fabbing some copper fire bowls for me.

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fans in you covered sections. if you cant go overhead, get wall mount. Recessed radiant heaters are awesome on extended season as well.

Casual Creations

They are very familiar with this setup and even sell the bowls, fire rocks & fire glass. Splurge on the copper bowl as they age very well if you appreciate the patina look.

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This is very contradictory.

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Not really. New pool ownership can be a bit daunting. Utilizing Free testing services put me at ease for the first year after opening my pool. It gave me extra confidence that what I *thought* was happening with my chems was truly happening.

Trouble Free Pools gave me a space to learn about my investment.

Build a spa and any water features you want during the initial pool build and get a heater large enough to heat the pool too.

Do a gunnite pool with pebbletec finish.

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This is very contradictory. Not really. New pool ownership can be a bit daunting. Utilizing Free testing services put me at ease for the first year after opening my pool. It gave me extra confidence that what I *thought* was happening with my chems was truly happening. Trouble Free Pools gave me a space to learn about my investment.

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TFP preaches to get your own test kit bc pool stores don't know what theyre doing. Take that same sample to 3 different stores and have them test it, you will have 3 different results. Its truly amazing how many people think the kids at the counter testing your water are some kind of "expert" and what they tell you is the Bible. Hopefully your FC isn't above 3 bc that is "just way too high and dangerous".

Just curious, how much did you spend for that 1st year of chemicals, after getting results from a pool store?