A pool changes how you live in your backyard. It becomes the reason friends come over in January, the place where kids spend every afternoon from October to March, and the feature that brings the whole outdoor space together.

But building a swimming pool is a big decision (and a big investment) for your home. The planning choices you make will affect the budget, the timeline, and the way the finished garden looks as a whole. That’s why we’ve created this swimming pool building checklist to help you begin.

Here is everything you need to know before you start building your pool.

Quick Intro

Pools in Victoria generally require a building permit before work begins
Budget well beyond the pool shell itself: excavation, fencing, surrounds, and landscaping all add significantly to the total cost
Pool fencing is a legal requirement under Victorian regulations, not optional
Site conditions and drainage design have a major impact on both cost and outcome
The landscaping around your pool matters as much as the pool itself – plan them together

Love It Landscaping’s Swimming Pool Building Checklist

1. Building permits

Swimming pools in Victoria generally require a building permit before construction starts, covering the pool structure and safety fencing, though it’s important to confirm the specific requirements with your building surveyor or local council. Getting approval can take several weeks, so it pays to factor this into your timeline. Be wary of anyone who suggests going ahead without one.

2. Concrete or fibreglass?

These are the two main options in Melbourne. Fibreglass pools install in a matter of weeks and suit simpler, more straightforward sites. Concrete takes longer and costs more upfront, but gives you full freedom over shape, depth, and finish. Your block shape, budget, and how you intend to use the pool will usually make the decision fairly clear.

3. Site conditions

Melbourne’s reactive clay soils have a significant effect on excavation costs and drainage design. On a sloped block, level changes and retaining work are often needed before the pool can go in. Note that these are core project costs, not extras that get figured out later. Understanding what your site requires early prevents budget surprises mid-build.

4. Timing

If summer is the goal, the best approach is to start planning as early as possible. Approvals, construction, and the landscaping that follows all take time, and timelines can vary significantly depending on your site, contractor availability and the scope of works. Projects that rush the final stages tend to finish the season with an incomplete outdoor space.

Budgeting for the Cost of Your Pool

5. The pool quote is just the starting point

Fibreglass pools generally have a lower upfront cost than concrete pools, though pricing varies depending on size, site conditions, access and the complexity of the build.

Whichever option you choose, the pool quote itself is only the starting point. Excavation variations, council fees, fencing, pool surrounds and landscaping all add to the total project cost, and it’s worth budgeting for the whole outdoor space from the outset rather than just the pool shell.

6. Factor in ongoing running costs

Chemicals, electricity for filtration, water top-ups, and periodic equipment servicing are costs you’ll carry every year. Heating, whether solar, heat pump, or gas, adds to the energy bill but extends your swimming season well into spring and autumn, which is worth it for many Melbourne households. Know what you’re signing up for before you commit.

7. Future-proof from the start

Automation systems, energy-efficient pumps, solar heating, and LED lighting are far easier and cheaper to install during construction than to retrofit later. Running conduit and wiring for features you might want in five years is generally more cost-effective at the build stage, though the exact cost will always depend on the project. It can cost a lot more once the pool is finished and the garden is done.

Pool Landscaping, Surrounds, Fencing and Drainage

8. Pool fencing requirements in Victoria

In Victoria, any pool with more than 300mm of water depth requires a compliant safety barrier meeting Australian Standard AS 1926.1, with self-closing, self-latching gates. Good fence design can also beautifully frame the pool area, creating a sense of enclosure while connecting the water to the wider garden in an intentional way.

9. Pool surrounds and paving

The surface around your pool needs to be non-slip, durable, and comfortable underfoot when it’s 35 degrees in February. Travertine, bluestone, porcelain, and textured concrete are all popular choices. What you choose should work with the style of the pool and the wider garden, and how they flow into outdoor dining areas, decking, or entertaining spaces. Designing them together from the start produces a much more cohesive result.

10. Drainage around pools

Poor drainage around a pool causes problems that show up slowly: waterlogging, cracked paving, erosion, and damage to planting. It’s especially important on sloped blocks. Overflow, backwash discharge, and surface water all need to be accounted for before construction begins, not worked out afterwards when the surrounds are already laid.

Talk to the Love It Landscaping Team

At Love It Landscaping, we design the entire outdoor space together from the outset, not just the pool. Levels, drainage, paving, retaining walls, planting, entertaining areas and how you’ll actually use the space are all considered as part of the one project, so everything works together rather than the pool going in first and the rest catching up later.

If you’re planning a pool in Melbourne and want to get the full outdoor space right from the ground up, talk to the Love It Landscaping team. We can talk you through everything you need to know before building a pool.

Our pool designers and landscape architects in Melbourne work across pool landscaping and construction, retaining walls, paving, garden and water feature landscape design, bringing the whole project together as one cohesive design rather than a series of separate decisions.

For commercial landscaping services, we can help there too.

10 Things to Know Before Building a Swimming Pool