If you’re building a new home and a swimming pool is part of the plan, when should the pool be built?
Should the pool go in before construction of the house begins, should the two projects happen together, or is it better to wait until the house is finished?
There isn’t one answer that suits every property. Site access, the position of the pool, house design, landscaping, retaining walls and the construction program can all influence the best approach.
At L&V Pools, our biggest recommendation is simple: even if you’re not ready to build the pool, plan for it early.
Here’s how the two main approaches compare.
Option 1: Building the Pool Before the House
With Gold Coast block sizes becoming increasingly smaller, constructing the pool first can make a lot of sense, particularly where access to the backyard will become difficult or impossible once the house is built.
PRO: Better machinery access
This can be the biggest advantage.
A concrete pool requires excavation and access for machinery, trucks, materials and trades. An open block generally provides far greater flexibility than trying to reach a backyard around a completed home.
If the house will leave narrow side access, building the pool first may avoid the need for smaller machinery, cranes or other specialised access solutions later.
PRO: Easier excavation and soil removal
Excavating a concrete pool can generate a substantial amount of material.
Before the house is built, there may be more room for excavation equipment and trucks to move around the property and remove material efficiently.
PRO: Less disruption to finished areas
There is no new lawn, landscaping, driveway or completed outdoor area to protect.
Major pool construction can happen while the property is already a building site, rather than turning your newly completed backyard back into one.
PRO: Pool position can be incorporated into the overall build
When the pool design is finalised early, levels, retaining, drainage, services and outdoor areas can be coordinated with the home.
This can help create a finished pool area that feels genuinely integrated with the architecture.
CON: The pool needs protection during house construction
Building the pool first doesn’t necessarily mean finishing the pool first which means the pool site will need required OH&S protection as part of the construction phase to maintain safety.
A completed pool sitting beside an active construction site can potentially be exposed to dirt, concrete, building materials and accidental damage. Careful construction sequencing and protection are therefore essential.
CON: Site conditions can change during the house build
Heavy machinery and multiple trades still need to access the property.
The pool’s position needs to be considered in the broader site logistics so it doesn’t obstruct access required to construct the house.
CON: Levels need to be accurately coordinated
Constructing the pool before surrounding structures means everyone needs to be working from the correct design information and levels.
The relationship between the house floor level, alfresco, pool coping, paving, drainage and landscaping needs to be established before construction.
This is one reason early coordination between your pool builder, home builder and designers is so important.
Option 2: Building the Pool After the House
Waiting until the house is substantially or completely finished is another common approach.
It can simplify some aspects of coordination, but it can introduce challenges of its own.
PRO: You can physically see how the pool relates to the home
Once the house is built, the relationship between indoor and outdoor areas becomes much easier to visualise.
You can see sightlines from living areas, understand how sunlight moves across the backyard and get a clearer sense of how the pool will interact with the alfresco and landscape.
Good architectural planning can achieve this before construction, but some homeowners find it easier to make decisions once they can physically experience the space.
PRO: Less risk to the pool during house construction
Waiting avoids having a new pool surrounded by months of home construction.
There is less risk of building debris, heavy trades or house construction activities affecting the pool structure and finishes.
PRO: The house levels and structures are established
The physical relationship with the house is known.
This can remove some uncertainty, although the pool still needs to be designed carefully around existing levels, drainage and structures.
PRO: The projects can be financially separated
Building a house and pool simultaneously can put considerable pressure on a construction budget.
Waiting gives some homeowners an opportunity to complete the home first and tackle the pool as a separate project later.
CON: Access may be significantly harder
This is potentially the biggest disadvantage.
Once the house is complete, access to the proposed pool location may be restricted by the house itself, garage, fences, retaining walls or other structures.
The pool may still be entirely achievable, but restricted access can affect how excavation and construction need to be approached.
CON: New landscaping may need to be disturbed
If the backyard has already been completed, some of that work may need to be temporarily removed or protected.
Turf, gardens, fencing, paving and other finishes can potentially be affected by access requirements.
If you know a pool is coming shortly after the house build, it may make sense to delay some final landscaping until major pool construction is complete.
CON: Services may already be in the way
Electrical, plumbing, stormwater, air-conditioning equipment and other services may have been positioned without considering the future pool.
Knowing the proposed pool location before the house is built gives your project team an opportunity to consider these potential conflicts.
CON: You may have fewer design options
Once the house, retaining walls, services and landscaping are fixed, the pool has to work around them.
Planning the pool earlier gives the design team more freedom to consider the property as a whole.
Even If You’re Building the Pool Later, Plan It Now
Perhaps the pool isn’t in the budget for another two, three or five years.
You can still make decisions during the house build that will make adding it later much easier.
Consider the future pool position when planning access, retaining walls, drainage, underground services, landscaping, fencing, outdoor entertaining areas and pool equipment locations.
You don’t want to discover in five years that the perfect place for your pool now contains essential services, or that the only practical machinery access has been permanently blocked.
Is It Better to Build the Pool Before or After the House?
If access to the backyard will become difficult once your home is built, there can be a strong case for completing the excavation and appropriate stages of pool construction early.
But that doesn’t mean every pool should be built first.
On a property with excellent side access, for example, there may be little advantage in rushing pool construction simply because the block is currently vacant.
The best sequence depends on the individual site and available budget constraints.
Talk to L&V Pools Early
At L&V Pools, we design and construct custom concrete pools around the individual property. If you’re building a new home and a pool is part of the plan, whether you’re ready to build it now or several years from now, it’s worth talking to us early.
We can assess the proposed pool location, construction access and relationship with your home to help determine the most practical sequence for your project.
Our team have decades of experience and are happy to lend their thoughts to your specific situation which might help guide your decisions. Call us on 5529 3723.