Thank you! The leaves are not as dark as that, but with that helpful clue, I looked at some of the other poplars, and I think I can say that it appears to most resemble the Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides).

Absolutely not Crab Grass, maybe Johnson Grass or a close relative. Where in the world are you, that would be a help. kimmq is kimmsr

Thank you, everyone. The person I talked to is my uncle. We have very limited contact, but he's still family. He's done pools for 30 years. He's done a few of the Houston Texans' yards, a couple Astros, etc. I'm thinking since he only does custom work, that might be why it's so expensive. Also, the house we were originally looking at was inside the loop, or inner city, which added permit costs and a host of other things. I think I'm going to look into a fiberglass pool, though. I want a simple square with a waterfall. I've already started drawing out what I want, so I can take it to pool builders.

We really need to know the location for this one please?