Table of contents for No. 30 in Poolside Showcase

When I was growing up, autumn would mark the beginning of the end for the swimming season. It was a time when pool owners would throw in extra chemicals before hiding the pool away with an obnoxious plastic pool cover. This was because the water would be far too cold to swim in and the effort to keep the pool clean and healthy over winter didn’t seem worth it. Nowadays most pools are made to be enjoyed year-round, regardless of the weather. Heating is more efficient than ever before, with many pools having two systems, gas and solar, to utilise free energy from the sun, with gas as a back-up or booster. Pool cleaning has also improved significantly, with automatic in-floor cleaning becoming more mainstream, and pool covers are far…

With the top priorities for their pool design being entertainment, relaxation and enjoyment, these Victorian homeowners engaged Tim Sprague and Stephen Lloyd, co-owners of Kiama Pools, to create their dream following the build of their new home. Their architecturally designed house wraps around a central courtyard and the spectacular 12m-long pool has become the main focal point of the home. The striking fully tiled pool with elevated spa, surrounded by frameless glass fencing and bluestone paving, can be viewed from every room in the house, which makes for a real visual treat for the homeowners. With landscaping by Outdoor Vision Landscaping, the completed project shows what magic can happen when the design of a house, pool and outdoor area all work together in perfect harmony. “We believe that good design…

AT A GLANCE Pool designed and renovated by: Structural Pools and Spas Pool size: 25m x 4m Heating: Waterco heat pump with an independent heat pump for the spa Filtration: Waterco Micron S602 ECO and Waterco PR4 Acid Chlorine Feeder Tiles: Ezarri in Black Russian (for the waterline tiles and around spa) Interior: Resurfaced by Phil Popovich with Pebblesheen finish with a black fleck Pavers: 600mm x 400mm limestone Lighting: Flush-mounted AquaQuip in the spa. Wall-mounted retro-fit AquaQuip wall lights in the pool. When the owner of this Central Coast home first purchased this house, she saw potential in the large, outdated pool. She initially contacted Mick Webster from Structural Pools and Spas to install a ramp in the pool so her school-aged son, who has cerebral palsy, could access…

The lush green NSW Sapphire Coast has been a favourite holiday spot for this family of four for many years. Their sloping 10ha site, with a new home and infinity-edge pool, is now a place where the couple and their two children in their 20s can truly indulge. “We have been visiting the region since childhood and stay at our adjacent family farm several times a year,” say the homeowners. “We are interested in hiking, beach runs on soft sand, keeping fit and we swim multiple times a day — either in the ocean or pool. A great day is when you don’t get out of your togs or board shorts!” They requested a rectangular-shaped pool that takes advantage of their enviable beach views and interacts well with their house,…

Good design is all about thinking long-term — setting up a space that’s going to work for you for years to come. This couple, with young adult children, renovated their home and garden with two important aspects in mind: a house large enough for entertaining friends and family, but one that would be low maintenance to see them through to the next phase in their lives. “The pool takes up most of the backyard as our client didn’t want any grass. He wanted the space to be as low maintenance as possible,” explains Josh Schwal from Southern Cross Pools. All low-maintenance pool systems have been used, including an in-floor cleaning system. The pool is a mineral pool, which is gentler on the skin and healthier than other chemical sanitising systems.…

To complete their Mornington Peninsula holiday house, this family of six envisaged a medium-size, low-maintenance pool in order to truly relax, away from their busy lives in Melbourne. “Our holiday house is near the beach and we wanted the spa and pool to be a relaxing location away from the sandy beaches — somewhere to just chill out with a cold drink and a magazine,” says homeowner Paul. “I travel every month for work and because this property is our holiday home, we needed something low maintenance and not too big.” For their 1100sqm rectangular block, nestled among trees, the family opted for a dual-zone pool-and-spa combination — the rectangular Sabre Plunge Pool and Smooth Edge Grande Spa, both in Ocean Wave, from Endless Spas and Pools. “Our family had…

The Naked System is the latest in fresh-water technology that requires far less chemicals and maintenance than traditional sanitisers. Chlorine, high salt levels and other chemicals used in pool water can irritate skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, and can cause harmful reactions in allergy or asthma sufferers. This breakthrough system safely removes harmful bacteria from your pool without the need for harsh chemicals “We’ve combined two very traditional concepts with revolutionary technology to deliver the best in pool sanitation,” says Darren Milne, director of Naked Pools. “It’s a very similar technology used by NASA. What you’re left with is healthy, rejuvenating, crystal-clear water that contains less chlorine than the water from your tap! “You can use the water from your pool directly on your garden (subject to local…

Leyla Mosaic undertook extensive analysis of the shortcomings of swimming pool tiling systems that use the traditional paper face, clear film face, mesh backing and dot-mounting mosaic tile systems. The company’s silicon spacing system is the result of three years of research and development. This innovation is now available in 27 beautiful colours, making the decision of which pool mosaic to use an easy one. The hard choice will be choosing your colour! Find out more at leylamosaic.com or phone (02) 9905 8887. Lifestyle BBQs has more than 40 years in the business and is still manufacturing its state-of-the-art barbecues and outdoor kitchens in Australia. The company’s designer-series barbecues, such as the one pictured, allows you to customise a barbecue to suit your needs, including barbecue frame size, depth, grill…

A Total Concept Landscape Architects was commissioned to renovate the external areas of this stunning Manly property. It was to include a swimming pool and entertaining areas at the front of the property to capitalise on beach views, and an outdoor room to the rear to take advantage of the shade and provide shelter from strong north-easterly winds in summer. The intent of the pool design was to create an easy flow from the home to outdoor areas, and to ensure the design was simple with clean lines so as not to detract from the main feature — the extensive views of Manly Beach and the northern Sydney coastline. A tired, existing swimming pool was demolished as part of the overall upgrade and in its place a new understated rectangular-shaped…

The family who lives here requested a pool for both exercise and enjoyment, in addition to a stunning outdoor space to entertain other family members, including grandchildren and friends. Brought to fruition by the Kiama Pools’ team, this beautiful 10m-long lap pool can be viewed from all living areas of the home. The visual highlight is the silver travertine wonder wall with sheer-descent rainwater feature. Kiama Landscapes worked in conjunction with Kiama Pools on the project to complete all the landscaping, including an alfresco area with an outdoor kitchen, the feature wall, floating timber bench seating, bluestone paving and planting. “The project involved varying levels, and as the neighbouring property ground level was 1.2m higher, we had to build retaining walls,” say Tim Sprague and Stephen Lloyd, co-owners of Kiama…

AT A GLANCE Pool designed by: Urban Habitat Pool built by: 360 Pools Size of pool: 12m x 4.5m Heating: Solar Cleaning: Tritan robotic Filtration: Waterco advanced water system Lighting: Waterco Hard cover: Sunbather hard roller The owners of this farm block, in Balhannah in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, were looking for an open swimming space in their pool area and, fortunately, they had plenty of land to work with. The very active family are into sports, including motocross, and since they have been blessed with a large site, they envisaged a great family entertaining area for their pool project. The family turned to Michael Robinson of Bellevue Heights-based 360 Pools to build their 12m-long, modern rectangular design, which was designed by Urban Habitat. “As it’s set in…

AT A GLANCE Pool designed by: Beau Corp Aquatics & Construction Pool built by: Beau Corp Aquatics & Construction Size of pool: 5m x 3m Heating: Oasis Cleaning: Astral saltwater chlorination Filtration: Astral Coping: Travertine Tiles: Mosaic blend tiles Lighting: LED Spa Electrics in pool and garden Fence: Frameless glass Landscaping: Soft landscaping by client and Beau Corp Plants: Jasmine vine For the creation of this Ashgrove pool, a rocky site proved to be a blessing in disguise for the homeowners, a young Brisbane family, and its creator, Beau Corp Aquatics & Construction. The family dreamt of an elevated plunge pool with an overflow as a feature, and a sitting area on the top deck. The brief was tranquillity, and the homeowners also wanted to maintain their grass area and…

With land at a premium in Melbourne’s trendy Collingwood, the owners of this warehouse conversion looked to the sky to expand their home. They added a second storey with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and a contemporary outdoor terrace. Gorgeous travertine pavers surround the pool and flow from the terrace into the home. The couple chose the 5.3m-long x 3m-wide Tuscany pool by Miami Pools. Being fibreglass, the pool was easily and quickly installed on the second storey of the inner-city property. The material is low maintenance, never has to be repainted as the colour is built into the shell, and is normally half the cost of a concrete pool. A swim spa kit has been incorporated into the design with 12 jets so that the pool can…

How did you get your start? I began as a horticulturist and segued into designing and creating landscapes. I always thought it was a shame that we lost a great deal of the effect and atmosphere at night by not having suitable light fittings. At the time, only decorative fittings, like coach lights, were available, as well as bollards and flood lights. I heard about a company in the USA that produced 12-volt fittings especially for the outdoors, so I went there to investigate. That was the start of my search for fittings that could provide the lighting I wanted. What is your approach to design? My design philosophy is that I am “painting with light” and my aim is to recognise the best features, including architectural elements of both…

A pool is a huge investment and it’s not something you want to get wrong. Even if you have the best designer and builder working on your project, there is still the possibility that your vision and their ideas aren’t aligned, and you could ultimately end up with a pool and outdoor space that isn’t what you imagined. Ideas can get lost in translation and 2D renderings can be misinterpreted, only to be realised when the pool is finished and it’s far too late to make changes. Fortunately, 3D design software has come a long way and is now commonly used with reputable designers and architects. With some 3D concepts it’s difficult to differentiate between a photograph of an existing project and a computer-generated 3D design. With 3D design software…

AT A GLANCE Pool designed by: Rachcoff Vella Architecture Pool built by: Aquarius Pools Size of pool: 15m x 3.5m Heating: Sunbather Premium Solar Cleaning: Paramount PCC 2000 Filtration: Astral FG 905 Coping: Bluestone Pool interior: Q Crystal Lighting: Spa Electrics LEDs Outdoor cushions: Big Chair, Mornington Located on an expansive rural Mornington Peninsula property, this spectacular 15m-long rectangular pool boasts vistas to the lake at one end and views of Port Phillip Bay at the other. “The owners’ brief was for a pool that was large enough for swimming laps and family fun, entertainment and relaxation,” explains Chris Jackson, director of Aquarius Pools. Rachcoff Vella Architecture designed a clever shaded alfresco dining area adjacent to the sleek pool, which maximises the stunning rural outlook and hides away the pool…

Although this Elsternwick home is more than a century old, its owners, an active family with two children aged six and nine, still saw the potential to add a pool during their renovations. The L-shaped lap pool sits flush within the grounds of an original Edwardian home built in 1905 and a new house extension, built on a 669sqm flat, rectangular site. “A pool was on our wish list when we briefed architect Huw Wellard from Wellard Architects, but we never imagined he would design the whole house renovation around its inclusion,” explains homeowner Lisa. “From the moment we saw the concept drawings we knew it was the right way forward.” Form Pool Design worked closely with Lisa and Huw to make their vision a beautiful reality. “The pool sits…

It’s hard to imagine the work that’s gone on behind the scenes to create the glamorous projects in this magazine. This pool in particular is one that didn’t come without its challenges. It was built on a sloping block of clay and rock soil that also has a leach drain running through the proposed pool site. “It was a challenging site,” says Steve Nener, director of The Water’s Edge Pool Design and Landscaping. “We had a few obstacles to work around in order to make this pool work; specifically we had to design the pool around a leach drain.” A 1970s fibreglass pool was removed and a completely new design was created to expand the entertaining area and build a pool that made the most of the large block. It…

AT A GLANCE Pool built by: Artesian Pools Pool designed by: Homeowner and Rory Brooks Architects Pool size: 7.4m x 1.25m Heating: Sunlover Rigid Panel solar Cleaning: Dolphin M5 Robotic Filtration: Zodiac Magnapool Coping: Granite Tiles: Hisbalit Hayman glass mosaics Pavers: Granite Lighting: Aqua-Quip white LEDs Decking: Blackbutt on house decks Fence: Frameless glass around pool, metal fencing on the steps, cabana and balconies Artesian Pools was presented with an old existing pool in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that had been filled in. Now its owner wanted to breathe new life into it and use it for both swimming and as a design feature of the courtyard. Artesian Pools was required to use a very small space, approximately 3m wide, to create the rectangular lap pool. “This 7.4m-long pool makes great…

AT A GLANCE Heating: Hurlcon JX160 gas heating Cleaning: Aqua-Quip Jet-Vac Filtration: Mineral-based system Coping: Sawn bluestone tiling with a 70mm drop edge for the pool coping, sawn bluestone for the tiling and pool steps Tiles: Bisazza mosaic Landscaping: Minimal planting palette including Rhaphiolepis ‘Oriental Pearl’, Beschorneria yuccoides, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, Plumeria acutifolia, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Alpinia zerumbet, Arthropodium cirratum, bougainvillea and Michelia champaca Lighting: 2 x Bellson LED flush-mount pool lights Decking: 90mm spotted gum hardwood Fence: Black powder-coated aluminium GOODMANORS Pool + Garden prides itself on taking jobs right through from design to construction. The emphasis placed on careful consideration of existing architectural proportions results in an holistic and individualised approach to each site. From the softscaping and plantings through to a quality execution of structural elements — retaining walls,…

Relaxing with family and friends, enjoying the pool-side lifestyle in your backyard oasis may be something you’ve dreamed of. A self-cleaning pool allows you to spend more time enjoying life while your pool cleans itself. The pool will also be more efficient to operate and more enjoyable to swim in because of the increased circulation benefits. Owning a pool has never been this easy. Not all self-cleaning pools are the same. The QuikClean range of in-floor cleaning systems features advanced technology and has been developed for Australian conditions, tested in even the most demanding situations. The focus of a QuikClean system is you. Three superior systems, all with unique features and advantages, are designed to suit your unique pool and lifestyle requirements. Whether you have a heavy debris site, want…