Question 1

Do I need council approval for a pool cabana?

Accepted Answer

Often yes, once it is roofed, enclosed, plumbed or close to a boundary. Many structures that look like “just a pergola” are buildings under the planning scheme. Talk to the council or a certifier before you pour a slab that assumes a kitchen. The approvals essay is the companion reading.

Question 2

Can the plant room share a wall with the changing room?

Accepted Answer

It can, and on a tight block it often should. Detail the wall for noise, heat, chemical storage and access. A pump that shares a wall with a daybed without acoustic thought is a summer-long argument. Keep chemical drums out of the room where children change.

Question 3

Where should the outdoor shower go?

Accepted Answer

On the route from the water to the house, with a drain that does not sheet into the pool or onto the neighbour’s soil. A roof or a simple screen makes it usable. A tap on the side of the shed with no waste is how you grow a mud patch and a mosquito story.

Question 4

What should I plant against a pool fence?

Accepted Answer

Something that will not become a climbable ladder, will not drop a sticky mess on the coping, and can be kept without leaning over the water every weekend. Low, clump-forming natives and a few well-chosen grasses beat a hedge that wants to be two metres thick. Keep the non-climbable zone honest.

Outdoor living

Pool houses, cabanas and outdoor kitchens

Landscaping around a custom Australian pool

Pool fencing, barriers and Australian standards

Spas, plunge pools and swim spas as custom projects