Are you thinking of buying a house and eventually installing a pool? Wherever you are in the planning process, a swimming pool remains to be a substantial personal investment. The selection of possibilities is growing all the time: in-ground or above, concrete or fibreglass, painted or tiled, infinity edge or lap pool.

The key to making successful financial decisions is to conduct your research first. So if you are keen to install a pool in your backyard while building your home, you should apply this process too. Yes, a swimming pool may add a significant cool factor to your home, but there are a few things to think about before taking the plunge.

Here are six pillars of consideration when buying a house with the intention of building a pool:

Before bidding at the auction or making an offer, we get asked every day — will a pool be feasible on this block? We evaluate different site factors to ensure its feasibility on the site. Based on our experience, here’s some advice you can consider:

1. ACCESS: Check the access size for machinery. How will the machinery access the backyard to dig the pool? Are there any restrictions on bringing in materials? Restricted access will add costs for machinery and hand labour, so you will need a bigger budget.
2. BUILT UPON AREA: For total softscape and hardscape, each council zone has special conditions around the amount of hard surface and landscaping allowable. If the whole block is already concrete or built upon, it is unlikely that the council will allow a pool to go in without ripping up some concrete and replacing it with some greenery.
3. UNDERGROUND SERVICES: Sewer lines and easements that cut through the block will need to be diverted or encased.  The only way to know is by looking at the sewer diagram, and if you think the asset will affect the pool position, you can order a sewer peg out on the property to show the exact depth and location. This will help you plan with precision. Also, consider the general distances from the sewer manhole required for you to establish. The standard is at 2.6 metres. Before going to auction, do your due diligence and look at all the diagrams. 
4. SOIL CONDITIONS: Soil conditions such as sand and rock will add to the total cost of the project. A clay site is relatively standard, but runny sand needs additional structural work and forming up. Rock excavations can also add costs for rock breaking and are usually charged per cubic metre rate.  Both rock and sand can add $5000 to $10000 to the budget, depending on the pool and site elevations. A Geotech report may help identify what is seated underground, but it can also add costs. With this at hand, be sure to ask the real estate agent if they have a Geotech report on file for review.
5. LEVEL OF LAND: If your site is a standard flat-level block with open access, then prices will remain the same. If the land is on a slope, structural costs may change. A good pool builder will design a pool to suit the elevations without blowing the budget. This makes choosing an excellent builder crucial so they can advise on all kinds of pool structures and not just fibreglass, as a fibreglass pool on a sloping block may cost a fortune to retain.
6. STREET PARKING & CRANE LIFTS: Installing a fibreglass pool can be costly. Be mindful of power lines, double story lifts, traffic control requirements, busy streets, loading zones, and the like during the planning process. 

We’d like to be part of your journey of bringing the pool of your dreams to life. For a free site appraisal, take our 5-min property quiz and share the relevant documents.