Pool Remodelling

After a number of years of loving use, pools can start to look tired and lifeless. The shape might be dated and ill-aligned with your more contemporary outdoor aesthetic. Or, you may have noticed surfaces wearing or functional issues like leaking arise.

Many homeowners are now opting to reinvigorate their outdoor living spaces by remodelling their old pools. Kieran Devlin, owner of Sydney’s award winning KMD Outdoor Spaces, has been building and remodelling pools for 30 years. He’s seen the impact of good design and high quality craftsmanship on increasing property values and decreasing ongoing maintenance. Here, Kieran shares the top things to know when upgrading your existing pool.

You don’t always have to start from scratch

Many people think that if you don’t like the look of your pool, you have to fill it in or start from scratch. As pools age, their coating deteriorates, interiors can start to peel, tiles fall off and pebbles begin to crack. However, retaining your existing pool structure can be highly cost effective (with little to no excavation), and helps to maintain the structure of your surrounding landscaping.

Increasingly, people want pools to be design features in their outdoor living spaces and backyards. A pool can help to water your garden (if you have the right sanitisation system), or it can even act as a base for an entertaining deck, which slides off in the summer time. A remodelled pool can bring all these exciting ideas to life as well as a new pool can, but in a fraction of the cost.

We recently worked on a home at Whale Beach, where we remodelled and re-tiled an existing pool. The results from before and after are quite incredible and the upgrade has completely transformed the owners’ outdoor living space.

Covering up decaying pools can lead to more issues down the track

Most homeowners are aware that rust spots are a warning sign for a pool past its use-by-date. However, before rust has shown up, a pool’s concrete structure may have already started decaying. Some pool suppliers suggest simply overlaying a new surface onto an existing, problematic pool interior. Good pool builders will investigate the problem and its source and advise you on the best way to proceed. This usually involves stripping the old pool interior right back so everyone knows what they’re working with.

If you’re spending good money to remodel a 20-year-old pool, you want it to last you another 20 years!

Marblesheen pools can contain asbestos

A percentage of pools built in the 1970s and 80s had an interior made from a material called Marblesheen. It’s widely unknown that Marblesheen pools can contain asbestos, particularly by homeowners inheriting an existing pool. Marblesheen is generally safe as long as the interior is in good condition and left undisturbed. However, you should always test your pool for asbestos before undertaking any maintenance, repairs or renovations. It’s a lengthy and more complicated process dealing with a Marblesheen pool if it contains asbestos, so it’s best to keep this in mind when you’re budgeting for pool remodelling. Don’t worry – if you don’t know whether or not your pool interior is made from Marblesheen, your pool builder should guide you through the process.

There are so many fantastic options available now to homeowners wishing to bring some life back into an old pool or outdoor living space. A well designed and executed pool area can completely transform a home and does wonders for property value!