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Renovating Garden Pools & Spas

Renovation dilemma What should we do with this area

5 years ago

Hi all

We have bought a veneer brick house recently with a big back yard and a swimming pool. The house is old and needs renovation. We are specially concerned about the backyard and swimming pool area. Pool is surrounded with sloping stone wall which are neither very symmetrical nor in very good state... Looking forward to get some suggestions from all pros and helpers

1 What should we do with the stone walls ( see the ones on which colorbond fences are fixed ) just pressure wash or some concreting or creating a new wall parallel to it and planting some creepers ???

2 Completely demolish them ... which could be tricky as the fence is common with neighbours ???And what could be the alternative ???

3 By the looks of it there is concrete stencilling done around the pool We are looking forward to have travertine fixed instead but tile supplier suggested that it may not be possible due to slope etc ???

4 landscaping ideas ???

We are still in settlement period and do not have frequent access to property so can’t get landscapers to do site visit ....

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Comments (3)

oklouise
5 years ago
first confirm that all retaining walls are in safe condition which needs an inspection by a structural engineer and then "bag" for a rough rendered finish and paint the retaining walls to match the Colourbond fence and paint the crazy paving (not the pebble edges) with paving paint and consider new pool fences and some to create a fresh new look while you live in the house...long term a covered fenced deck overlooking the pool attached to the tall brick wall would create a sitting area and also add some privacy from the neighbours
PRO
Dr Retro House Calls
5 years ago
I am afraid I am going to disagree with oklouise about painting the stone retaining wall to match a colorbond colour. I would probably just give it a good pressure wash to see what is underneath the grime, and change the colour of the boundary fence.

Before I start on the cosmetics I would be looking at the flow of the backyard and how the pool relates to the house. It looks like you don't have great access or a visual link between pool and house. You may want to consider if decking opening off some of the rear facing rooms, and overlooking the pool area may consolidate things a bit more.

Modern Addition to Victorian Home · More Info

Both the boundary fence and the pool fence detract from the pool, but good, secure pool fence is essential and a better looking fencing should be incorporated into the design. I would be looking at the whole backyard and its relationship between the pool and the house to improve flow, usability and safety.

Best of luck with your overall design and planning (before the cosmetic stuff)

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info
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Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
first things first - 100% agree with Retro - don't focus so much on the nitty gritty on the cosmetics for now, rather focus on an overall masterplan for the property as you said the residence requires renovation. How you manage the stone walls to the pool is honestly the lesser of your issues here (you can deal with that one way or another depending upon certain preferences and budget............but clearly the bigger issues is the obvious awkwardness of the pool location and access in relation to the home - most likely an afterthought dropped/squeezed in the back...... what you have here though is great opportunity to improve the relationship of the interior and external spaces - this is way more important as a priority as it will make the most difference in terms of your overall living experience/enjoyment/functionality (and property value one way or the other) than the cosmetics. So if you can't see how you're are going to achieve that yourself, I'd be suggesting you best seek some Pro design consultation that deals with the renovation scope & covers consideration of landscaping /external elements/spaces that properly negotiate the site levels and better link/integrate everything in together....of course budget is always a critical factor/controller....

Hope this helps steer your focus in the right direction....

Best of luck

PD :)

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