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Stainless Plunge Pool & Kwila Deck — One Tree Hill
A family bungalow in One Tree Hill with a small front yard on a slight slope, solid volcanic rock underneath and powerlines overhead. The brief was a pool and an entertaining space in one footprint. We built the plan drawn on the first visit, in five weeks. A metre of Kwila deck runs right round it.
What was there before
A patch of grass with a trampoline on it, in the front yard of a family bungalow on a busy street. The space was small and fell away on a slight slope, and the client could not picture what would fit. The question on the first visit was less what they wanted than whether anything was possible in a yard that size. A metre below the topsoil sat solid volcanic rock.
What the client wanted
A pool and a family entertaining area, both, in one small front yard, fully used and looking like it belonged to the house rather than sitting on top of it. We drew a plan on the first visit and built that plan, with nothing changed along the way. The client handled their own planting and paving after us, and brought in their own electrician.
What made it hard
Five constraints on one small yard. Powerlines over a busy street ruled out a large crane, so the pool had to be light enough for a small Hiab. Excavation stopped at solid volcanic rock about a metre down; some pile holes went in clean and the rest had to be broken out. A shed sat hard against one side, so the pool had to hug it. And a one-metre path had to thread between the pool and the house.
What we built, and how the curve was set out
The shell is the largest Outback model, 3.4 × 1.5 m and under 200 kg empty, stainless steel with a top lip, an insulation layer and a blue liner, supplied by The Pool Distributor. Decking is 140 × 19 mm smooth Kwila over 140 × 45 joists and laminated 190 bearers built from two 45s, all subframe timber H3.2, on 125 × 125 H5 house piles, with stainless plates, brackets and screws throughout.
The frame went in before the pool. We built a temporary structure for one purpose: to anchor a rigid tape at the exact centre of the pool, then set the curve off the shell's own dimensions plus an allowance for fit, expansion and drainage. Every finishing board was scribed and cut individually with a jigsaw. That is why the deck edge follows the pool line rather than nearly following it.
The plant sits open behind the pool, reachable for servicing and out of sight from the deck and the path. The client's own electrician brought power to it and ran the lighting along the deck edge by the entry path, so the approach to the front door is lit without a fitting showing anywhere on the deck.
Consents and the barrier
The shell is above ground, small and removable, and required no consent of its own. The barrier did. It is frameless glass, finished into the boundary with two custom black aluminium panels, installed and certified by Profit NZ, with the consent lodged and approved by a specialist consultant we appointed.
What made it hard
Five constraints on one small yard. Powerlines over a busy street ruled out a large crane, so the pool had to be light enough for a small Hiab. Excavation stopped at solid volcanic rock about a metre down; some pile holes went in clean and the rest had to be broken out. A shed sat hard against one side, so the pool had to hug it. And a one-metre path had to thread between the pool and the house.
What we built, and how the curve was set out
The shell is the largest Outback model, 3.4 × 1.5 m and under 200 kg empty, stainless steel with a top lip, an insulation layer and a blue liner, supplied by The Pool Distributor. Decking is 140 × 19 mm smooth Kwila over 140 × 45 joists and laminated 190 bearers built from two 45s, all subframe timber H3.2, on 125 × 125 H5 house piles, with stainless plates, brackets and screws throughout.
The frame went in before the pool. We built a temporary structure for one purpose: to anchor a rigid tape at the exact centre of the pool, then set the curve off the shell's own dimensions plus an allowance for fit, expansion and drainage. Every finishing board was scribed and cut individually with a jigsaw. That is why the deck edge follows the pool line rather than nearly following it.
The plant sits open behind the pool, reachable for servicing and out of sight from the deck and the path. The client's own electrician brought power to it and ran the lighting along the deck edge by the entry path, so the approach to the front door is lit without a fitting showing anywhere on the deck.
Consents and the barrier
The shell is above ground, small and removable, and required no consent of its own. The barrier did. It is frameless glass, finished into the boundary with two custom black aluminium panels, installed and certified by Profit NZ, with the consent lodged and approved by a specialist consultant we appointed.
Why it cost what it cost
Three things, and none of them is the timber. Craftsmanship: boards scribed one at a time to a curve rather than cut to a line and packed out. Material: Kwila, H5 house piles and stainless fixings throughout, so the substructure outlasts the surface. And experience — knowing on the first visit that the powerlines meant a Hiab and a light shell, and how to fit a pool, a metre of deck and a path into a yard this size.
What the client said
Kevin and his team were absolutely outstanding when installing our Outback Pool. We even threw a few smaller jobs at Kevin on his visit which were completed perfectly. We are so stoked with the finished product and looking forward to having the team back in the future.
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