FAQ
The questions worth asking any pool builder
Ask these of us and of everyone else quoting. The answers tell you a lot.
Common questions
How much does a concrete pool cost in Brisbane?
A straightforward 8m × 4m family pool on a flat block with good access starts around $82,000 fully finished — that includes paving, fencing and certification, not just the hole. Narrow side-yard lap pools start near $68,000, and anything on a serious slope with engineered retaining runs from about $125,000. The site visit is what turns a range into a number.
Concrete or fibreglass?
Fibreglass is cheaper and faster if your block suits it — good access, no rock, and you’re happy with a shape off the shelf. Concrete wins when the space is awkward, when you want a specific shape, depth or bench, or when the pool has to double as a retaining structure. We only build concrete, so if fibreglass is genuinely the better fit we’ll say so and point you elsewhere.
What if you hit rock?
Parts of Brisbane are shale or sandstone not far down. The soil test usually warns us, and we quote a per-cubic-metre rock excavation rate in the contract from day one, so if we hit it you already know the rate. What we don’t do is discover rock and then renegotiate the job.
Do I need council approval?
Yes — every pool in Queensland needs building approval, and the barrier has to comply with the pool safety standard before it can be filled and used. We lodge the application (usually through a private certifier, which is faster), manage the inspections, and issue your pool safety certificate at handover. It’s in the price.
How long will my backyard be a construction site?
Fourteen to eighteen weeks from the first dig for a typical build, longer on heavily engineered sites. It isn’t continuous noise — there are quiet stretches while concrete cures and approvals come back. Temporary fencing goes up the day we excavate and stays until the permanent barrier is certified.
What does a pool cost to run?
Budget $80–$140 a month in Brisbane for power, chemicals and water top-up on a mid-size pool with a variable-speed pump and a salt chlorinator. An old single-speed pump alone can add $60 a month to that, which is why we fit variable-speed as standard. A heat pump used through winter is the one thing that changes the figure materially.
Can you build on a steep block?
It’s most of what we do. Brisbane’s good views come with falls, and a pool on a slope is an engineering problem rather than a pool problem — engineered retaining, sometimes the pool wall doing double duty, occasionally a suspended slab. It costs more, and the result is usually the best part of the house.
Do you take over half-finished pools?
Sometimes, and we’re careful about it. We’ll inspect the shell, get an engineer to sign off on what’s there, and quote to finish it — but only if the existing work is sound. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you honestly rather than take on someone else’s problem and inherit the liability.