Dove Mountain is a master-planned community in the Town of Marana, built in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains. It opened in 1998 and has grown to about 5,000 homes on more than 6,200 acres. EarthSky puts elevations in the community between about 2,700 and 4,300 feet. That range explains most of what makes a pool here different from one in a flat Marana subdivision a few miles south: the ground moves, the views matter, and the nights are cooler.
Elevation and cooler nights
Higher ground in Southern Arizona tends to run cooler at night than the valley floor, and open foothill lots can catch more wind. A pool that feels perfect in a July afternoon can feel cold on an October evening. If you want to swim in spring and fall, plan for heat from the start rather than adding it later.
What tends to work in Dove Mountain:
- A spa connected to the pool. It heats quickly and gives you a reason to be outside on cool, clear nights.
- A heat pump for the pool and gas for the spa, or gas for both if you want fast heat on demand. Our pool heating guide compares the options.
- A cover or automation so you are not heating water you are not using.
- Wind screening. A raised wall on the windward side can protect a spa and cut evaporation.
Reading a foothills lot: slope, rock and washes
Many Dove Mountain lots are not level. Some fall away toward a view, some slope toward the house, and some sit beside a wash. Each case changes the design.
Downhill slopes. The low side of the pool may need a raised beam or a retaining structure. That height can become a feature, such as a vanishing edge or a spillover spa. Our vanishing edge guide explains when the slope supports one.
Slopes toward the house. Runoff wants to cross the yard toward the patio. We grade the deck and plan drainage so monsoon water goes around the pool and away from the foundation.
Washes. The Town of Marana regulates FEMA floodplains, locally regulated floodplains and erosion hazard setback areas, and development in areas covered by its floodplain code needs an engineering study and a floodplain use permit. If your lot touches a wash, we check with the Town early so the design does not have to change after the plans are drawn.
Rock and caliche. Foothill ground can be hard digging. We own our excavation equipment, which helps on rocky lots, and we plan for rock and caliche in the schedule and the quote.
Designing around views and dark skies
Dove Mountain backs onto open desert. Pima County’s 3,100-acre Tortolita Mountain Park is reached from a trailhead at Dove Mountain, and trails from that trailhead connect into the park. Many backyards look toward the mountains or across the valley, so the pool should frame the view rather than block it.
In the 3D design and VR walkthrough, we check sight lines from the kitchen, the patio and the spa seat. That is how we decide wall heights, where the spa sits and whether a water feature belongs at the back or the side.
Lighting deserves the same care. EarthSky describes Dove Mountain as having no streetlights and limited residential lighting as part of its dark-sky approach. Before you choose fixtures, check your association’s lighting guidelines. Low, warm, shielded light inside the pool and along steps usually lets you see the water without washing out the stars. Our pool lighting ideas post has more.
Open desert edges and the pool barrier
Where a yard meets natural desert, the barrier has two jobs: keep children out of the pool area and keep the view. We build every pool barrier at least 5 feet, following A.R.S. 36-1681, and plan gates, doors and openings into the layout. A view fence on a block base or a wall with open panels can meet both goals. See our block walls and pool fences page and our barrier rules guide.
Neighborhoods within Dove Mountain
Dove Mountain is made up of many neighborhoods. They include Del Webb at Dove Mountain, a 45-plus active adult community, and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, near the resort and its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. Lot sizes and design guidelines can vary from one neighborhood to the next, so read your own association’s architectural guidelines before you settle on a design. We provide the 3D design, site plan, materials and colors for your submittal.
Permits and water
Because Dove Mountain is in the Town of Marana, your pool permit is issued by Town of Marana Development Services. Water service in Marana is split among more than one utility, so confirm your provider from your bill before you plan the fill. For the town-wide picture, including what the Town’s permit checklist asks for, see our Marana pool builder page.
Our part
Meraki Pools AZ is family-owned. Our own crew does the excavation, steel, shotcrete, tile and decks, and we build concrete pools only. Every project gets a 3D design with a VR walkthrough and a written warranty schedule. AZ ROC #352797 (KA-5 Dual Swimming Pool Contractor) and #342505 (CR-21). Foothill view pools often lean toward our luxury pools work, with fire and water features placed for the view.
Getting started in Dove Mountain
- Find your association’s architectural guidelines, including any lighting rules.
- Note any wash, slope or open desert edge on or next to your lot.
- Book a site visit. We walk the grade, check access for equipment and look at the view lines.
- Review a 3D design and a line-item quote. Most new custom pools we build run about $40,000 to $120,000 or more, and slope work can add to that; see our pool cost guide.
- We handle the Town of Marana permit and build once it is issued.
Call (520) 342-8335 or request a free estimate.
Sources
- Dove Mountain (Wikipedia): in Marana in the Tortolita foothills; opened 1998; about 5,000 homes; more than 6,200 acres; Del Webb at Dove Mountain (45+); The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton; Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
- EarthSky: Dove Mountain: elevations from 2,700 to 4,300 feet; no streetlights and limited residential lighting.
- Pima County: Tortolita Mountain Park: 3,100-acre county park reached from a trailhead at Dove Mountain.
- Town of Marana: Floodplain Management: FEMA, locally regulated floodplains and erosion hazard setback areas; floodplain use permits.
- Town of Marana: Need a Permit: pools and spas require a Town permit.
