February 2011 Ask a Builder

What sort of things should I think about when installing a pool in my new home?

Like landscaping, installing a pool all starts with understanding what you want to do with the pool and if you can, incorporating it into your home design. It will typically cost 5-10% of the total value of the home and should be given a lot of attention from the outset if possible. Like the verandah, in Darwin the pool can really become another living area, where you can spend a lot of time comfortably.

You should ask yourself if you want to be cooking poolside or under an adjacent verandah, if you want room for just a table and chairs or room enough to host poolside parties. Whether the pool is to be for families or as a statement to built form, this needs to be identified from the start.

In Darwin, we would advise you should from the outset budget for an umbrella or shade sail, and an industrial fan if you can install it safe from the elements. These can make a pool much more accessible for use and much more comfortable for the life of the pool. Umbrellas cost more than shadecloth but offer flexibility and they are far easier to retract, making them less exposed to the elements and damage.

Perhaps the most common question we receive about installing a pool is whether to install a spa or not. We find spas in Darwin usually are the crowning piece of the pool puzzle and you usually find they are most used part of a pool, sharing with friends and family. However, a spa can add significantly to the costs of the pool and will require significant additional electricity and as often happens with home improvement, you will have to balance budget with desired lifestyle.

Pool features to personalise the project abound and include waterfalls, swim jets and for the true local, water. They are regularly installed in Darwin, and your pool installer will know all about them should you elect to warm the water for those dry season days where the water is no longer hot tub temperature. It is little wonder why sometimes Territorian behavior is sometimes considered unique!

You will always have a thought when investing into a property a pool to keep an eye on making sure it is appropriate for future use, whether you sell the home or your requirement change, or to keep pace with technology. I would say just make the pool the place that feels for you right today, as it is tough to plan too far to the future. Who would have thought 10 years ago we would be installing internet enabled outdoor televisions on walls on most of our new homes?