THE JOURNAL
Pool building advice, written by pool builders.
Plain answers to the questions Sydney owners actually ask. Approvals, timelines, difficult blocks, finishes. Written from the site sheds, not the sales office.
Latest articles
The questions worth answering properly.
Do you need council approval for a pool in NSW?
Almost always, yes. The real question is which path: a complying development certificate through a private certifier, or a development application through council. Here is how the two work, what each takes, and which one your block is likely to need.
Read the articleBuilding a pool on a sloping block in Sydney.
The best pool sites in Sydney are rarely flat. How concrete pools are engineered into slopes and sandstone, why the fall in your land is an opportunity rather than a problem, and what it means for access, engineering and the build.
Read the articleHow to choose a pool builder in Sydney. Ten questions to ask.
A pool is a structural build, and the builder matters more than the brochure. Ten questions that separate the builders from the marketers, and the answers you should expect to hear before you sign anything.
Read the articleThe real pool building timeline in Sydney.
Stage by stage, from first site visit to first swim. How long design, approvals and construction genuinely take, when to start if you want to swim by summer, and the things that stretch a timeline.
Read the articleFully tiled pools. Glass mosaic, porcelain, pebble and quartz compared.
The interior finish decides how the water looks, how the pool feels underfoot, and how it ages. An honest comparison of the four finishes we build with, and which suits which kind of project.
Read the articleFrom the people who pour the shells
A clean rectilinear lap pool and spa, set into a level sandstone terrace. Every answer in the Journal comes from building pools like this one.
Bauer Residence, Bellevue Hill.Why we write these
The same questions, since 1968.
We have been building concrete pools in Sydney since 1968, and the questions owners ask have barely changed. What does approval involve. How long will it take. Can you build on my block. What finish should I choose.
The Journal answers them the way we would across a kitchen table. If you would rather ask in person, book a consultation and we will talk through your site, or start with what drives the cost of a concrete pool.