Frequently Asked Questions

A concrete swimming pool has several advantages over alternative options such as fibreglass, even though initially the cost is slightly higher.

• Concrete swimming pools can be built to any shape and can fit any location or block size so offer greater flexibility of choice than a fiberglass pool.  You are limited by your imagination.  For example, you can chose any shape, depth or size.
• Concrete swimming pools not only can be build in-ground but can also be build out of ground or can be fully suspended.  We have completed many projects involving fully formed or suspended pools around Sydney
• Concrete Pools allow you add your own touch of individuality.  You can have swimout benches, steps and ledges, beaches, infinity edge or wet edges, custom water features and much more
• One key advantage with concrete pools is the flexible and versatile interior pool finishing options.  Depending on your budget, we can provide a beautiful fully tiled concrete swimming pool in glass mosaic tile or we can offer pebbles, quartzon, beadcrete or other render based products

An average pool size based on a standard block in Sydney ranges from 6×4 meters to 8 x 5 meters.  An average lap pool is about 12 x 3m. Ultimately there is no standard size for a concrete swimming pool given that each pool is custom designed to suit the customer requirements.  Obviously there are key things to consider such as block size in Sydney, sewer and water mains and other easements which may affect the position and size of the pool, land contours and shape and existing dwellings and trees.

Given that the average block size in Sydney is reducing, most typical pools are reducing in size.  At Lap of Luxury Pools, we have built plunge pools in Balmain to lap pools in Strathfield, fully suspended pools in Clontarf and some substantial pools and spas on acerage blocks around Dural and Kenthurst.

We will help you design the best pool option to suit your block size and budget.  We can advise of the best design and size of pool to suit your yard and your budget.

Just because you have limited space or access issues in your Sydney home doesn’t prevent you from building your dream swimming pool. Lap of Luxury Pools have built many pools including rooftop apartment pools, pools on small blocks with restricted access and pools around the inner city parts of Sydney. We are capable of building pools on any challenging site.

As a part of the initial consultation, we will provide an no obligation assessment of your block including access and potential easements including sewer and water and provide solutions and advice on what options are available.

Other than the list of issues that could arise from choosing an inexperienced builder, the first thing is that you will have to deal with is your builder for many months during the swimming pool construction process and therefore you need to choose a reputable builder that will work with you throughout the construction process.

You should be asking potential builders of the products that they use, which trades they own and which they subcontract, what equipment will be provided and used and where is it manufactured.

At Lap of Luxury Pools we believe that providing and honest and stress free experience is key.

Chlorine has been used to keep residential and commercial swimming pools around Sydney safe to swim in for many decades.  Salt Water Chlorinators are by far the best way to safely and cost effectively dose your pool with small amounts of chorine via a process known as electrolysis. We only use the best products on the market and recommend WaterCo Pumps. Salt Water Chlorinators ensure that your pool is kept clean and safe to swim all year around with very little maintenance required. Almost 100% of pools that we build utilize salt water chlorination due to how effective and low maintenance these units are.

Staining around waterline

Waterline tiles which are the band of tiles below the coping tiles are generally glass mosaic tiles.  These tiles are laid directly to the walls of the concrete pool.  We recommend a minimum 250mm strip of waterline tiles  so that the tiles are below the pool skimmer box and so always submerged in water.  We use and recommend Ezzari Spanish glass tiles.  The benefit of waterline tiles is both asthetic and also prevents from discolouration or ring stain.

Coping around the perimeter of your pool comes in many shapes, sizes and finshes. Natural stone products like hones sandstone, travertine or Himalayan sandstone are the best option for salt water conditions plus given their light colours do not get excessively hot under foot on those hot summer days.  Travertine is extremely popular for pool coping due to it being very hard wearing.

Most common today is tumbled edge travertine or there is the option of a bullnose coping tile.

All stone products should be treated with a high quality sealer such as dry treat to prevent staining and damage from the pool salt water

The most common coping beams are 300mm and 400mm and so most stone products are cut to suit these measurements.  We can also offer extended walkways which can be completed as part of the construction of the concrete pool shell.

There are some suburbs in Sydney which it is most likely that rock excavation will be required.  Given that Lap of Luxury Pools operates right across Sydney and surrounding suburbs, we have a good idea of the suburbs which rock is likely to be struck during the construction process.  We will consult with you and are transparent in our proposals about the cost of rock excavation.  Where possible we will allow for a provision for rock excavation so that there are no unwelcome surprises

Pier and beam foundations are required when soils cannot adequately support a structure or when the proximity of the structure to a slope would otherwise result in tilting or sliding.  At Lap of Luxury Pools we provide fair piering rates within all of our proposals and will work with our engineer to ensure that adequate pier or beam foundations are provided.

At Lap of Luxury Pools we pride ourselves on building the best pools for our clients in Sydney and have proudly been involved in the constructions and completion of thousands of residential pools in Sydney and surrounding suburbs.

We provide the appropriate full statutory warranties on all pool plumbing and pool finishings which includes interior and coping finishes.  The pool structure which covers the concrete shell is covered for 6 years as per NSW statutory requirements

Pool Pumps are covered for 2 years

Filters are covered for up to 10 years depending on the type of filter selected

Chlorinators are covered for 3 years

Heaters and heat pumps are covered for 2 years

All our equipment used is supplied by premium suppliers.  Waterco is an Australian ASX listed company and has a brilliant support network around Australia.

The cost of concrete pools varies greatly. Here are the key considerations that will determine the cost to build your swimming pool in Sydney

• Size – the longer and wider your pool, the greater the excavation and fill removal costs.  There is also greater cost for formwork, steelfixing, plumbing and concrete
• Interior finish –
  • the larger your pool the greater the cost of interior finishing.
  • Also, there are many different types of interior finishing for your pool.  You can fully tile your pool or add a render based product such as Quartzon or Beadcrete.  Each of these options has large cost variations.
  • Glass tiles start at around $60 per m2 and can go up to almost $300 per m2!
  • Beadcrete cost varires depending on the amount of glass content.

So you are asking yourself whether you could build your own pool to save money.  Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always yes!  The cost difference of owner-builder vs Master builder for you swimming pool is probably about 10% or less (based on when we are engaged by owner-builders to build a concrete shell only with basic pre-plumb included and get an understanding of the finishing costs quoted).

Reputable pool builders in Sydney pride themselves on negotiating excellent rates with the best pool trades and pool equipment suppliers in Sydney.

The biggest issues facing owner builders are

• sourcing reputable trades in a competitive market,
• trying to negotiate builders volume discounts which are hard to negotiate and finally
• trying to chase trades when things go wrong!  This is when the finger pointing begins.

This is why Lap of Luxury Pools believes that having a premium swimming pool built 100% trouble free for a small additional cost is worth it!

We are happy to work with owner builders to take the risk out of the project so please give us a call and we are happy to discuss with you what we can offer to make it a trouble free experience.

Timeframes will vary depending on the size and complexity of the pool and spa and landscaping project. Our experience is that you should allow 3 to 6 months from design, concrete shell construction right through to finishings. We will agree with you a timeframe and will commit to it!

The cost of running an average pool in Sydney each year is surprisingly cheap. Your main costs are
• electricity to run a pump for filtration for up to 8hrs a day in summer months
• You may require a booster pumps if you run a jetvac or Polaris pool cleaner.
• Heating costs. These are minimal if you choose solar heating as you primary option
• Chemicals. Most of the time you will need the odd few bags of salt and some stabilizer in summer and some acid which are all very inexpensive. This assumes that a basic level of maintenance of your pool and that your pool isn’t left for months unmaintained