How to get a backyard swimming pool on a budget

Australian households keen for a backyard dip are searching for ways to install a swimming pool on a budget amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Top of the range backyard pools can cost six figures and are in hot demand from wealthy buyers with plenty of equity in their homes, but the cash-strapped are seeking the cheapest ways to cool off.

AEON Pools director Adrian Swain said there had been an increase in demand for pools with add-ons such as spas and water features.

“People are now wanting infinity pools, deck jets, bubblers, fountains, integrated lighting and rain curtains, with water coming down from the overhanging roof of a pool house,” Swain said.

“As property prices have increased, people have more equity in their homes and they want to upgrade, enjoy the lifestyle and improve the value.”

Those top-range in-ground pools can cost anything from $80,000 to $400,000, while Swain, a licensed pool builder, has designed one priced at $750,000 which has yet to be built.

But at the other end of the spectrum, more modest pools can be designed and installed for far less.

Gregory Pools specialises in fibreglass pool shells which company owner Ivailo Gregory said were cheaper to build, quicker to install and may need fewer chemicals, as they’re non-porous.

“People want to save money now and everyone is looking at their bottom dollar,” Gregory said. “But as soon as it gets hot, the phone starts ringing.”

“Around COVID, the work went up as people couldn’t travel so wanted to enjoy a pool at home and, as people talk about climate change, the demand hasn’t stopped. Also, we have a lot of growing suburbs now being built far from the ocean, so people want water near.”

His fibreglass pools start at under $50,000, including the filtration and electronics, for one sized 6 x by 3.5 metres, and go up about $3000 for every extra metre in length, up to eight metres. They come with a lifetime warranty and can be finished in glitter, or with gold or silver particles in the mould. “That can look lovely when the light hits,” he said.

Another increasingly popular option is pools made from recycled shipping containers.

Brendan Faulkner, the managing director of Aqua Pools, a specialist in shipping container pools, always tries to find out the history of each container, which adds colour and interest for his customers.

In his five years in business, demand has risen 65 per cent because of the character of the pools, the affordability and the ease of installation – in-ground, on the ground, over-ground, or propped up over sloping ground.

“Each box has a story, and you can adapt the container to the setting,” said Faulkner.

“You can have a rustic look … or it can look contemporary. It’s also an investment for the owner. You can sell it later or, if you move house, you can move it with you.

“We [recently] had a call from someone who’d bought a house where the pool had been removed, and they didn’t notice that in the contract, so they wanted one.”

The containers come in lengths of three, six or 12 metres, and can range from $33,000 to $68,000, with installation costing $10,000 to $20,000 extra, and fencing and tiles on top.

A similarly quirky alternative is a stainless-steel circular rainwater pool which is comparatively light and can be easily rolled into place, or carried over fences, to be installed in a backyard. Company Outback Plunge Pool has already launched its Colorbond range of different colours too.

Outback managing director Beau Rixon said there were 21 different options, ranging from 2.2 to 3.4 metres in diameter, and up to 1.52 metres high.

“We can have them with lights, spa jets, pump equipment, fresh water, bench seating and insulation, all the bells and whistles,” he said.

“It’s a great pool and, while some people might not like the corrugated iron look, they can always have it cladded.”

The smallest pool starts at $13,790, and the largest sells for $17,500, and they are supplied as a kit so they can be self-installed, or installation can be arranged for around $1500.

Modular kit pools can also be a cheap option, with company Classic Pools supplying overground pools, measuring 6 x 3.6 metres, for $7000.

Director Ben Chapman said demand was continuing to climb, with every summer feeling bigger than the last.

“Lots of people have equity in their homes and Australians aren’t backwards in borrowing money for their lifestyles.”

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