A cosy five-sided pool and spa

Far from being simply tucked away, the pool is an attractive feature of the yard. Nestled tidily in the rear corner, it sits behind revealing clear glass fencing and is surrounded by a growing collection of trees. The yard has retained the grass area for fun and games, with Kim working with landscapers to highlight the swimming area.

"We've got some pretty ugly fencing up the back there. The plants sit behind the two feature walls and make it look picturesque," says Kim.

Fortunately, the pool is shaded much of the time, and with its rich, deep-blue tiles, resonates a wonderful sense of calm. 

Kim admits the plunge-style pool is mostly for the benefit of the kids, but with its aesthetically pleasing water feature and indulgent spa functions, there are certainly aspects for the older members of the family to enjoy.

Kim knocked heads with pool designer Bill, from Domain Pools, over the design process. Kim knew what she wanted and pushed for a triangular design. However, Bill's expertise guided the design down a more practical path, working the shape into a more user-friendly pentagon. 

After heavy negotiation on the design, the pair probably thought they'd got the tricky part out of the way. Getting the new pool into the designated space, however, presented another difficulty. 

With the neighbouring houses coming right up close to Kim's yard, digging the hole for the new pool proved challenging.

"We had to squeeze down the side of the house and under an existing pergola area, weaving around the pergola posts, as well as crossing over existing paving areas in the front and rear of the property and climbing up and over two small walls," recalls Bill.

But in the end, there was no harm done and the squeezing and weaving paid off. Kim and her family are now the proud owners of a unique pool.

Bill Banovic

Domain Pools

What was the brief?

The clients have a small backyard and young kids. They wanted a pool and spa, but still wanted there to be enough backyard space so their children had somewhere to play. So we designed a pool and spa that give them plenty of swimming area, but still leaving a lot of yard space for the children.

Were there any challenges?

The biggest challenge was the excavation for the pool, as we had to squeeze down the side of the house without damaging or dismantling anything, leaving the whole place in the same state as it was before we started. All in all we removed about 70 tonnes of earth.

How did you choose the look?

Domain Pools has a finish selection service, whereby all materials are taken to the client's house and a meeting with one of our pool designers is arranged. This is when the final finishes are chosen and agreed upon.

What's your favourite aspect of the project? 

What I like most about the finished pool and spa area is the odd shape it is. The final material selections have turned out to produce a great-looking pool.

Are you happy with how it turned out?

We are extremely pleased with the end result.

Kim

What requirements did you have for the pool design?

We wanted something that would fit into our backyard. We've got small kids so I wanted the pool to not take up the whole backyard and leave me some grass. I was shown different designs and the one that Bill came up with was the one that fitted my yard the best.

What do you use your pool for? 

It's a triangle pool - you might call it a plunge pool. It's for the kids. It has a spa as well, so it's good to sit back and soak in.

Were you involved in the design process with Bill?

Yes, it was probably about 50-50. I suggested the shape and he suggested refining it. I wanted a complete triangle and he sort of squared off the ends to make it a bit more functional. He made it function much better.

Did you choose the plants around the pool area? 

Yes I did. I got a landscaper for all of that. The plants are part of the lillypilly family and make the area look nicer. We've got some pretty ugly fencing up the back there. The plants sit behind the two feature walls and make it look picturesque.  

What's your favourite aspect of the pool?

It blends in with our backyard so well. It's tiled; it has great sandstone; it's beautiful. I think it's a very attractive pool. It has so many different aspects to it, including the water feature. Some pools are just holes in the ground, where this has got real character to it.