River Pools® Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
River Pools is a home services franchise that sells and installs fiberglass swimming pools. Franchisees run local operations, managing pool sales, installation crews, and customer service within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A RIVER POOLS® franchise requires a total initial investment of $114K – $288K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 12.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $114K – $288K
- 41st pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- 56th pct Home Services
- Units
- 17
- 27th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $114K – $288K including a $50K franchise fee, 12.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 58/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- River Pools Franchising, LLC
- Predecessor
- River Pools Franchising, Inc. (Virginia corporation)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Manager
- Jason Hughes
- CEO experience
- 2019 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Indiana
- HQ
- 840 Commerce Pkwy, Fortville, IN 46040
- Auditor
- Roger L. Handy, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $82K
- vs $541K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason Hughes
- Headquarters
- IN
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 11% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Signsnot refundable | $0 | $9K | |
| Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Inventorynot refundable | $5K | $60K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $5K | $30K | |
| Technology and Office Equipmentnot refundable | $3K | $7K | |
| Start-Up Marketingnot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Licenses/Bondsnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Lease Deposits | $0 | $10K | |
| Your Out-of-Pocket Expenses While Attending Trainingnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Working Capital (Additional Funds over next 3 months) | $25K | $75K | |
| Total initial investment | $114K | $288K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $114K – $288K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 12.0%
- per_unit · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 14.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 12.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 14.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
RIVER POOLS® did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one RIVER POOLS® unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
15%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 14.0% — above the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 183.3% CAGR over 3 years across 17 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 19% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How River Pools® Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 8
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 11.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 18.9%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +183.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +183.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 8
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 5.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 11.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $25K
- Median loan
- $25K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern; audited financials. Single concern is no Item 19 earnings disclosure. Otherwise healthy: 17 franchised units, 183.3% net growth, low 11.8% turnover.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roger L. Handy, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 02MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy; audited financials
- 03MINORStrong growth (183.3%), low turnover (11.8%)
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 14.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Specific geographic area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 76 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 25 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual, Indiana, and approved franchise locations
- Field support
- 25 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Online Work Order System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Online Work Order System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
RIVER POOLS® · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a RIVER POOLS® franchise?
The total investment to open a RIVER POOLS® franchise ranges from $114K – $288K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do RIVER POOLS® franchise owners earn?
RIVER POOLS® does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the RIVER POOLS® FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the RIVER POOLS® FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is RIVER POOLS®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for RIVER POOLS® (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many RIVER POOLS® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, RIVER POOLS® has 17 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is RIVER POOLS® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates RIVER POOLS® as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 58 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.