THE FIRST-TIME POOL BUYER’S PLAYBOOK
Fibreglass, plunge, above ground and infinity – when it comes to pools, the choices are endless, and starting your pool journey is no small endeavor. From initial planning and design to final construction, working with a trusted pool builder can make all the difference, ensuring your project is completed to the highest standard. Join Sydney Pool + Outdoor Design’s Josephine Day as she sits with Andrew Good, founding director of Lap of Luxury Pools, sharing expert advice to help you avoid common pitfalls.
Deciding whether a pool is the perfect addition to your home and family is a significant decision that requires careful thought and consideration. Much like buying a house or choosing your dream car, it’s not a decision that should be rushed. Taking the time to evaluate your space, lifestyle and needs ensures you find the best solutions that will bring lasting enjoyment. Good has been helping homeowners chase the Australian dream by designing and installing custom pools that perfectly suit their unique spaces and lifestyles.
As one of Sydney’s most experienced pool builders, Lap of Luxury Pools has been creating premium quality, custom swimming pools across Sydney and surrounding suburbs since 1994. “Lap of Luxury Pools specialises in custom concrete pools that range from backyard plunge pools to spectacular infinity edge pools, suspended pools, pools with glass windows, pools with integrated pool covers. Basically, anything you can dream up,” Good states. He founded the business from a passion derived from delivering exceptional results, that he can be proud of. Good and his team welcome projects of any size, from small plunge pools in tight backyards to expansive acreage projects with intricate features like Remco covers and in-floor cleaning systems.
THE MASTERY OF POOL DESIGN
Considering how you want to use your pool is the crucial first step in creating a design that truly fits your needs. Whether you’re after a space for daily laps, training, or a family-friendly oasis, defining your pool’s purpose helps both you and your pool builder narrow down the vision. This clarity ensures the final design meets your expectations and is uniquely yours.
However, designing your dream pool isn’t always smooth sailing, with common mistakes that can be easily avoided. Good often sees issues arise when pool owners hire architects without a clear understanding of the project’s cost, leading to disappointment or compromises during construction. Another common mistake is first-time owners seeking multiple quotes and choosing solely based on price. Good explains that price differences usually reflect the quality of trades, finishes and equipment used, emphasising that experienced owners understand this and tend to stick with trusted builders. Since adding features after the concrete pool is built is difficult and costly, Good advises making your wish list known early in the design stage. This allows his team to explore different options to ensure that nothing is overlooked.
Good’s philosophy is to design pools thoughtfully to suit each owner’s lifestyle and requirements, emphasising that quality takes time. Rushing the design and construction process often results in a compromised final product. “The main issues from a rushed design and approval process is the client not getting exactly what they want and where they want it. Pushing for CDC might be slightly quicker, but means that size, position and surrounding structures might be compromised,” he explains.
KNOW YOUR VISION
While site-related challenges are often expected during a pool build, Good warns that many homeowners overlook two critical factors – their block and timeframe. “Customers who build new homes and then look at adding a pool after don’t realise the huge additional time and costs of excavation using smaller machines,” he explains. Similarly, sloping blocks can present hidden costs, with above-ground pools requiring extensive formwork, steel and piering.
Good stresses the importance of considering the entire outdoor space from the beginning to ensure the pool and landscaping work together harmoniously. When it comes to building your first pool, Good has clear advice: “Engage a reputable pool builder or landscape designer early, reputation is everything. Given a pool is expensive, you want to make sure you go with someone you can trust – set a realistic budget and work with a builder. There is no point designing a pool and landscape plan and then setting a budget.”
On the flip side, he cautions, “don’t try and do it yourself if you don’t have the experience. I deal with many owner builders who try and manage themselves and subcontract stages and then have big issues and struggle to get trades back. Big builders use Lap of Luxury Pools to manage and complete various processes to make sure their projects are completed properly to the highest standards.”
THE DEEP END OF POOL CARE
To help homeowners find a reputable pool builder, Good shares valuable advice based on decades of experience. “Lap of Luxury Pools prides itself on its genuine customer reviews. Ask your pool builder to provide two references for work completed in the last six months or so,” he suggests. “It’s always harder to get good reviews as customers today expect the best. Any builder with good reviews and a good reputation will be fine. Those with consistent negative feedback are likely to give issues on the journey.” Good also recommends turning to local social media forums where real homeowners share honest feedback, often offering trustworthy insights based on personal experience.
Most importantly, a good pool builder should offer ongoing guidance. Good recalls a recent case where a customer sealed tiles improperly. The incorrect application caused more than half the tiles to detach within a year. Despite not being at fault, Lap of Luxury Pools removed and replaced all loose tiles at no cost to protect the client’s experience.
Images courtesy of Lap of Luxury Pools.