Oklahoma City · family owned since 1959

Sixty-seven years of Oklahoma water.

Cardinal Pools of Oklahoma has designed, built, remodeled and looked after pools across the OKC metro since Ralph and Adleen Shipley started the company. Same family. Same shop on NW 10th. 4.8 stars from 230 reviews.

Call (405) 495-2570

Three generations, one counter

Ralph and Adleen Shipley opened it in 1959. Their grandchildren still work here.

Their children Jerry and Debbie carried it on, and the company has passed down again since. Today Elizabeth and Guy run it between them. Guy’s wife Michelle keeps the books with Josie, and his children Justin and Ryan are on the crew.

In 1972 Cardinal joined the Aquatech Corporation, now United Aqua Group, a network of award winning builders responsible for more than 100,000 recognized pools and spas. That is where the aquatech in our address comes from.

Sixty-seven years in one metro means something specific: a good share of the pools our service trucks pull up to on a Tuesday are pools we dug ourselves.

The whole story

What we hold

  • United Aqua GroupMember since 1972, when it was the Aquatech Corporation.
  • Sundek dealer since 1986Decorative concrete for decks, patios, driveways and entries.
  • Jandy dealer since 1986Equipment we stock parts for and stand behind.
  • BioGuard Platinum dealerProfessional strength water care, not the diluted shelf version.
  • BBB accreditedAnd a Chamber of Commerce member.
  • 200+ years combinedAcross the people who answer the phone and drive the trucks.

On the record

The numbers a pool company can actually be held to.

Founded before Oklahoma City had a ring road, and rated by the people whose pools we look after now.

Year the Shipleys opened Cardinal

1959

Year the Shipleys opened Cardinal

Google rating from 230 reviews

4.8

Google rating from 230 reviews

Weeks from first drawing to first swim

8-12

Weeks from first drawing to first swim

Years of combined crew experience

200+

Years of combined crew experience

Four departments, one building

We dig them, we fix them, we keep them clean, and we sell you the chlorine.

Most companies do one of these. Cardinal has run all four out of the same address on NW 10th for decades, which is why the person who diagnoses your heater over the counter is often the person who installed it.

Every service, in one list

Eight to twelve weeks

What a pool build actually looks like from the yard.

Nobody hands you a schedule like this, so here is ours. Four stages, in the order they happen, on jobs we finished in and around Oklahoma City.

A large freeform pool with a raised spa beside a two storey brick Oklahoma home, newly finished

01

Design and permits

We walk the yard, work out what the grade and the setbacks will actually allow, and draw the pool to fit it. Then we pull every permit the build needs. That part never lands on you.

An estate pool with a negative edge and a cedar pergola outdoor kitchen on open Oklahoma pasture

02

Excavation and steel

The hole is dug to the drawing, then structural steel is tied through the whole shell. This is the part nobody sees again and the part that decides whether the pool is still sound in forty years.

A freeform pool with a sculpted rock grotto feature and a tan Sundek deck under Oklahoma rain

03

Gunite, plumbing and electrical

Shotcrete goes on over the steel and cures into the structure. Plumbing runs and electrical are set at the same time, because retrofitting either one through a finished shell is how a pool ends up with a patch in it.

A finished Cardinal Pools freeform pool with a blue mosaic raised spa at golden hour beside an Oklahoma lake

04

Finish, deck, fill and start-up

Interior finish in quartz, pebble or plaster, tile and coping set at the waterline, then the deck. We fill it, balance it, run the equipment through its first cycle with you, and show you what each valve does.

The front door of the Cardinal Pools store on NW 10th, carrying the Aquatech pool builders seal, a BioGuard decal, a BBB Accredited Business decal and the printed business hours

6500 NW 10th Street

Bring us a jar of your water. We’ll tell you what it needs.

The testing is free and it has been free for a long time. One reviewer has been carrying samples through this door since 1987. Behind it is a real shop, stocked with BioGuard Platinum chemistry, covers, lights, safety fences, saltwater accessories, and the Polaris and Jandy parts a big box store will never have on a Saturday morning.

Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Military personnel and first responders get 15% off in store. Not valid with any other offers or promotions, restrictions apply, and you need to mention it at the time of scheduling.

What the shop carriesDirections and hours

Not only backyards

Hotels, HOAs, apartment courtyards and resort decks.

Commercial water is a different job: depth markers, ADA lifts, drainage, turnover rates, and a season that cannot slip. We build and service it across Oklahoma.

Commercial work
A hotel courtyard pool with an ADA pool lift, brick columns and the Oklahoma state flag flying beside the US flag
A large multi basin resort pool with orange trim and stamped concrete decking under an Oklahoma sky
An apartment courtyard therapy spa with travertine coping and herringbone pavers
A neighbourhood HOA pool with depth markers, cedar fencing and poolside furniture

4.8 from 230 Google reviews

The people who wrote these have had our number for a while.

We have used Cardinal Pool and only Cardinal Pools since 1987! We take a water sample in, they analyze it and let us know exactly what we need to do or what chemicals we need to purchase to keep our water safe and beautiful! We have had to order new pumps, filters or other parts and they have alw...
Tammy Crockett· Google
They built my pool 17 years ago and have taken great care of it ever since. They recently put new tile and coping around the top and did a wonderful job.
Ron Cable· Google
Cardinal Pools has exceeded our expectations as a pool company! They are knowledgeable and only sell products they stand behind. I appreciate their expertise and willingness to explain and help me troubleshoot pool issues. I wouldn't go anywhere else!
Michael Carlisle· Google

Before you call

The questions the counter gets every week.

In-ground concrete pools, saltwater pools, indoor pools and hot tubs. Every pool is built on site, so the shape and size are yours to decide. We design freeform pools that read like natural water, geometric pools with straight edges and even corners, and infinity pools where the water appears to run off toward the view.

Eight to twelve weeks from start to swim, depending on the design, the site and the weather. We handle all the permits, so that part is not your problem.

Yes. Concrete pools are formed on site rather than dropped in, so the size and shape are fully customizable to your property. That is the main reason we build them.

We provide warranties on all our pools. What each one covers depends on the type of pool installed, so ask us for the specifics on your build.

We work with finance companies to offer options. Call the store and we will walk you through what is available for your project.

Weekly at minimum. Daily is ideal in an Oklahoma July. If you would rather not think about it, our service department runs a regular cleaning and maintenance program.

Proper water balance, the right chemicals, and filtration that is actually working. Bring a water sample to the store at 6500 NW 10th and we will test it and tell you what your pool needs. As a BioGuard Platinum dealer we carry professional strength product rather than the diluted version.

Yes. The retail store carries pool chemicals, covers, lights, safety fences, saltwater accessories, parts and equipment. We stock Sundek, BioGuard, Polaris and Jandy.

With proper maintenance and regular upkeep, our pools are designed to last a lifetime. Some of the pools we service now were built by us decades ago.

We offer an exclusive 15% off in-store discount to military personnel and first responders. Not valid with any other offers or promotions, restrictions apply, and you need to mention it at the time of scheduling.
Everything else, on the contact page →

Free estimates · we handle all permits

Whatever the pool needs next, start with a phone call.

A new build, a resurface, a heater that quit, or a bucket of chemicals and a straight answer. Cardinal Pools of Oklahoma, 6500 NW 10th St, Oklahoma City.

Call (405) 495-2570