Toorak Renovations & New Homes | benssur Architects

When a pool is included in a Toorak renovation brief, its outline can quickly become the centre of the garden plan. Yet swimming may be only one of the things the household wants to do outside. Sitting, tending plants and walking between rooms and garden need useful places of their own.

We would position the pool while the house layout, landscape and outdoor circulation can still be considered together. A pool that fits within the boundaries may still leave an awkward garden once its barrier, paving, cover and equipment are included.

Choose the water space for its actual use

Begin with how the pool would be used and by whom. Regular swimming, a short dip and sitting beside the water suggest different priorities. Discuss the appropriate dimensions and operation with the pool designer rather than choosing a familiar rectangle before its purpose is clear.

Place that outline on a measured plan with the garden activities you want to keep. Include the actual outdoor seat, planted areas and routes from the house. A smaller pool or another orientation may leave a more useful piece of garden; a larger pool may be justified when its intended use depends on that length.

Compare the complete outdoor arrangement in each option. An attractive water surface should not conceal the loss of the only sunny sitting place, a valued tree or a straightforward route to the rest of the property.

Understand the landscape and building already there

Local heritage evidence shows why the existing setting deserves attention. The Clendon Road precinct citation describes Victorian villas and mature oak trees in particular front gardens, alongside a strong street-tree setting. These observations concern a defined group of properties, not every Toorak garden or a blanket restriction on rear work.

The Toorak Post-war Modern Group citation describes another local architectural tradition: rectilinear homes with extensive glazing and a deliberate visual relationship between inside and outside. A renovation to such a home needs to understand that relationship before placing a new enclosure or equipment in its outlook.

Record the actual trees, garden structures, paths and significant landscape elements, with appropriate heritage and arboricultural advice. Stonnington's current heritage guidance specifically asks owners to locate pools carefully to maintain important landscaping. Establish the relevant property controls and tree requirements before fixing excavation.

Tree trunks are only part of the drawing. The pool, associated services and construction work need to be considered around the assessed root constraints. If the proposed position depends on substantial landscape removal, compare another location or a different pool size before redesigning the garden around that loss.

Draw the barrier before moving the rear doors

The safety barrier is a physical division in the garden. Draw its full line and gate with the house doors, paths and outdoor furniture. The Building and Plumbing Commission states that a new outdoor pool area must not be directly accessible through a building; the arrangement needs a properly resolved barrier.

A pool across the full rear width can put its enclosure between the living room and other outdoor activities. A pool towards one side may leave a separate route to planting or an outdoor table. Neither position is universally preferable, but their everyday consequences should be visible before a new glazed wall is designed.

Include the closed gate in the normal-use plan. Show how someone reaches the garden without entering the pool enclosure, and where towels or outdoor items can be stored without crowding its edge. Ask the relevant building surveyor to confirm the barrier, gates and clearance requirements for the actual proposal.

In a renovation with an existing pool, changing doors, levels, fences or nearby landscaping may affect its barrier arrangement. Coordinate that work as part of the house project and confirm the necessary approvals and inspections. An apparently small change to the garden can have a wider consequence.

Architectural concept: an offset pool enclosure leaves a lawn and separate route between the home and outdoor sitting area.

Allow room for the parts that keep the pool working

A pool cover needs a practical place and a usable operating arrangement. The Australian Government's outdoor-living guide explains that a suitable cover reduces evaporation and heat loss. Show its roller or storage position on the plan, with room to use it; it should not be a final object placed across a path.

Locate pumps, filters and any heating equipment with service access, ventilation and acoustic advice suited to the equipment. Consider the rooms and neighbouring windows nearby. A screen may reduce its visual presence while still needing enough space for operation, replacement and maintenance.

Discuss excavation and installation access with the project team. The space needed to build the pool may extend beyond its finished edge, and work close to a retained building or tree needs suitable investigation. Include temporary access and reinstatement in the project comparison.

The operating brief matters too. Decide which seasons and times the household expects to swim, and obtain equipment and energy advice around those expectations. Avoid allowing the equipment selection to settle a site-planning problem after the house and garden have been fixed.

Review the view from the home as well as the garden

Study the arrangement from the main sitting position, dining area and any nearby bedroom. A water view can be valuable, but a barrier, cover roller or equipment screen may occupy the same sightline. Some planting and a separate garden seat can give the outlook depth beyond the pool edge.

Test sunlight and shadow from the retained trees, house and proposed addition at the times you expect to use the outdoor spaces. The place that suits the pool may differ from the place that suits sitting beside it. A new wing should be assessed with both uses in mind.

Bring benssur a survey if available, photographs from the relevant rooms and a description of the pool and garden use you want. We can study the renovation, extension or new-home arrangement with the pool designer and landscape team, keeping the whole outdoor life of the home in view.

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Plan the pool with the rest of your Toorak home