9 Things To Know Before Adding a Pool to Your Inner-Suburb Block
Summer’s here, the days are warmer, and a lot of homeowners are suddenly imagining themselves poolside, kids splashing, BBQ sizzling, maybe a plunge to cool off after a long week. While the great Australian dream is often a big suburban backyard with a pool, the reality in the Inner West and other city-fringe suburbs is very different.
The good news?
You absolutely can build a pool on an inner-suburban block, even in heritage conservation areas, but it just takes a bit more thought, planning, and the right strategy.
Here’s what you need to know before you dive in.
1. How Much Space Do You Actually Need?
You can get a pool onto a surprisingly small block. Even a 2.2m x 2.2m plunge pool will work if all you want is a cool dip in summer. But the key thing to remember is:
Whatever your internal pool size is, add at least 500mm around the perimeter. So to achieve a 2.2x2.2 metre pool plan for an area that is say 3x3m to allow for pool plumbing, cleaning, pool structure and finishes.
If you're tight to a boundary or retaining wall, plan for 1m instead to give yourself a buffer.
And yes, planning setbacks apply, so depending on your area, you may not be allowed to build right up to a fence line.
2. Don’t Design the Pool in Isolation. Masterplan the Backyard
This is one of the biggest issues I see with planning of pools.
A pool shouldn’t be plonked randomly, it needs to be designed into the flow of the home, the landscape, and your long-term renovation plans.
Ask yourself:
How will you use the pool day-to-day?
What’s the line of sight from the house?
Can you integrate it with future outdoor living or extensions?
Will it feel like it "belongs" on the site?
For most clients, the smartest approach is:
Plan the pool at the same time as your renovation, not after.
That way the structure, levels, drainage, services and design all work together.
This is also where Ballast Point comes in.
We’re not traditional pool builders for established homes but when you’re renovating, if you have a builder with the in-house capability, including the pool to the construction package is almost always more efficient, more cost-effective, and better integrated, than engaging an entirely separate contractor.
3. Yes, You Can Build a Pool in a Heritage Conservation Area
Pools can absolutely be approved in heritage zones, often under Complying Development (CDC), which is faster and more predictable than a DA.
CDC is essentially a “tick-the-box” approval.
If your pool design fits within the rules, it will be approved.
If it doesn’t fit?
Then it moves to DA, and it becomes more site-specific, impacts on neighbours, setbacks, heritage context, etc.
For our inner-suburb clients, we usually test the CDC pathway first because it saves months.
4. Why Inner-Suburb Pools Cost More Than Suburban Pools
Installing a pool in Balmain or Paddington is never going to be like dropping one into a big block in Kellyville.
Here’s why:
No Prefabricated Pools (Almost Ever)
The cheapest pool option is a pre-cast “drop-in” pool.
But in the Inner West?
We’ve never once been able to crane one in. Not once.
Why?
Narrow streets
Power lines
Significant trees
Rear lane limitations
No crane access
No wide side passages
This means:
Inner-city pools are almost always built in-situ (concrete).
This adds time, labour, and cost, but also gives you more flexibility with shape and design.
5. Other things that determine price
Higher Specs + Automation Means Higher Costs
Many inner-suburb homeowners want:
Automated pool covers
Heating
Easy self-cleaning systems
Integrated pool blankets
Premium tile finishes
Balancing tanks
Jet systems
More automation is more expensive but it does mean easier maintenance on a small block.
Budget Guide
For most inner-Suburb properties:
Expect $100k–$200k depending on access, finishes, and complexity.
6. Designing the Pool into a Tight Site
Space is the biggest constraint on an inner-suburb block.
The challenge is making the pool feel like it belongs, not like it’s consuming the entire yard.
Two key design principles we always use:
a. Hide and minimise pool fencing
Pool fences can make a small yard feel even smaller.
We use strategies like:
Aligning pool fences with existing walls
Using dense planting to mask or soften adjacent fences
Running a fence off the house corners to keep views open
Using fixed glass windows to remove fencing between the pool and house
When done well, you barely notice the fence.
b. Treat the pool as a feature, not an afterthought
You want to be able to see the water from inside, it becomes a visual anchor, almost like a water feature.
A well-integrated pool makes a small home feel larger, not smaller.
6. How Long Does the Whole Process Take?
As a rule of thumb:
Design + Approvals can take 4–6 months with a CDC being the fast option and DA more time consuming.
Construction is typically around 4–6 months.
So in total that’s approximately 8–12 months from idea to swimming.
If everything is straightforward, it can be quicker, but it’s better to plan for a year.
7. How Much Value Does a Pool Add?
In the Inner West, pools absolutely add value, if they are the right fit for the property.
A good pool:
Broadens your buyer pool (pun intended)
Appeals to families
Completes the lifestyle package
Makes the home more memorable
But… if the pool consumes the whole yard and kills the entertaining area, it can backfire.
Every site needs to be workshopped with:
your designer, your builder, and your selling agent
That’s how you make sure it’s an asset, not a liability.
9. Why Install the Pool with Your Builder?
When you’re renovating, integrating the pool into the build gives you:
One builder coordinating everything
One engineering approach
One waterproofing strategy
One project timeline
One set of contractors
Aligned levels, drainage and landscape
Better cost control
We don’t advertise ourselves as standalone pool builders.
But we do design and build pools as part of our projects, and we now have the full capability in-house:
Specialist pool plumbers
Structural engineers
Concrete and formwork teams
Tilers and finishers
Project management and staging expertise
Pools are simple structures it’s the integration that matters most.
Final Thoughts
If you live in the Inner West or inner-suburbs of Sydney and you’re dreaming of a pool, it’s absolutely possible, even on a skinny block or in a heritage conservation area.
But the key is to:
Get the design right
Masterplan the whole backyard
Plan for access and services early
Understand the real cost and time involved
Integrate the pool into your plans to make it feel like it was always supposed to be there
If you’re thinking about it, we’d love to help you workshop what’s possible and design a pool that feels like it has always belonged to your home.
Want to chat about adding a pool as part of your renovation?
Get in touch with our architecture and construction team at Ballast Point.
