What a Retreat pool
costs.
Real 2026 prices from forty Retreat pools on the Gold Coast, in Brisbane and across the Northern Rivers. What each pool type costs, what the price covers, and the five things that move it.
N°01 · Prices by pool type
Updated Sep 2026
Seven pool types, priced.
Ranges come from our ledger of forty pools completed between 2023 and 2026. The lower figure is a simple shape on a flat block with good access. The upper figure adds natural stone, a fully tiled interior and site work.
Read the full cost articleThe short answer
Most custom concrete pools we build in 2026 cost between $95,000 and $180,000, fully installed.
That figure includes coping, interior, equipment, a glass fence allowance and certification. Plunge pools start from $65,000 and infinity edges from $160,000. The final number depends most on access, ground conditions and finishes.
Based on
40 Retreat pools, 2023 to 2026
Includes
GST, fence and certification
Pool type
From
Typical finished
Build time
Notes
From
$95K
Typical finished
$95K to $180K
Build time
14 to 18 weeks
Notes
8 to 12 m, any shape, on almost any block
From
$160K
Typical finished
$160K to $320K
Build time
18 to 24 weeks
Notes
9 to 15 m, with balance tank and slope engineering
03
Plunge poolsFrom
$65K
Typical finished
$65K to $95K
Build time
10 to 14 weeks
Notes
4 to 6 m, courtyards and small blocks
04
Lap poolsFrom
$90K
Typical finished
$90K to $160K
Build time
14 to 18 weeks
Notes
15 to 25 m, narrow lots and long boundaries
05
SpasFrom
$45K
Typical finished
$45K to $75K
Build time
8 to 12 weeks
Notes
2.4 to 3 m, standalone or beside a pool
06
RenovationsFrom
$35K
Typical finished
$35K to $90K
Build time
6 to 10 weeks
Notes
Resurface, recope, retile and re-equip
From
By design
Typical finished
Per project
Build time
With the pool
Notes
Decks, cabanas and planting, priced per line
Prices include GST, design, engineering, approvals, a frameless glass fence allowance and certification. A spa built with a new pool usually adds $30K to $55K to the pool price.
N°02 · What the price covers
Fixed price · Allowances in writing
A finished pool, not a shell.
A fixed price from us covers every trade from the first survey to handover. Allowances are written into the contract with quantities, so you can see exactly what has been assumed.
What every price includes
Written into the contract, with quantities and allowances.
01
Site survey, design, 3D model and structural engineering
02
Certifier approval and the QBCC Home Warranty Insurance premium
03
Excavation and spoil removal, with a written rock allowance
04
Steel, plumbing, sprayed concrete shell and curing
05
Coping, waterline tile and a pebble or tiled interior to a stated allowance
06
Pump, filter, sanitiser, LED lighting and app control
07
Frameless glass pool fence allowance, safety certificate and pool registration
08
Handover, first water balance and a return visit after twelve months
What it does not
Priced as line items at concept stage, never as a later variation.
01
Landscaping, decking and paving beyond the coping
02
Pool heating, by heat pump, solar or gas
03
Retaining walls that hold up more than the pool
04
Crane hire where no machine can reach the site
05
Rock excavation beyond the written allowance
06
Moving sewer, stormwater or power lines
07
Removing an existing pool, slab or structure
08
Changes you ask for after the contract is signed
N°03 · What moves the price
Five factors · 2026 bands
Five things that move the price.
Two pools of the same size can differ by $40K or more. Across forty builds, these five factors explain almost all of the gap, in order of how often they matter.
01
Typical effect
Site access
$6K to $25K
Our excavators need a clear path about 1.8 metres wide. A narrower side passage means smaller machines and more truck movements. With no path at all, a crane lifts the machine, steel and spoil bins over the house.
02
Typical effect
Soil, rock and water
$5K to $40K
Sandy coastal sites dig quickly but can need dewatering where the water table is high. Brisbane and hinterland sites often hit rock, priced by the cubic metre. Reactive clay can call for piers under the shell.
03
Per extra metre
Size, depth and shape
$4K to $15K
Each extra metre adds concrete, steel, interior and coping, but no more design, approvals or equipment. Depth costs more than length, and curves, raised walls and wet edges add formwork and hours.
04
Typical effect
Coping, interior and tile
$8K to $45K
Sawn bluestone or French limestone coping costs roughly twice a good porcelain paver. A fully tiled glass mosaic interior costs several times a quality pebble finish. Both last for decades.
05
Typical effect
Approvals and engineering
$3K to $20K
A flat suburban block needs a standard engineered design and a certifier. Slopes, boundaries, sewer lines, house footings and coastal or flood overlays each add consultants’ fees and weeks.
Before you sign
Allowances in writing.
We price each factor at concept stage, after a director has measured the access and test holes have shown the ground. Rock rates and exclusions go into the contract.
N°04 · Three real budgets
Recent builds · Including GST
Three real budgets.
What three recent clients paid, broken into the four lines every Retreat quote uses. Each figure includes GST and was reconciled at handover.
All projects
Burleigh Headland
Concrete pool, 10 by 4 m, 1.2 to 1.8 m deep. A sandy block with 2.4 m side access, so no crane.
$148,000
Total paid · Including GST
Excavation and shell
$72,000
Coping, tile and interior
$34,000
Equipment and lighting
$18,000
Design, approvals and fence
$24,000
Ascot Garden Pool
Lap pool, 18 by 2.5 m, 1.2 to 1.4 m deep. Rock at 900 mm, broken out at the contract rate.
$132,000
Total paid · Including GST
Excavation and shell
$64,000
Coping, tile and interior
$30,000
Equipment and lighting
$14,000
Design, approvals and fence
$24,000
Bangalow Courtyard
Plunge pool, 5 by 2.5 m, 1.4 m deep. A walled courtyard with no side access, so a crane lift.
$84,000
Total paid · Including GST
Excavation and shell
$38,000
Coping, tile and interior
$22,000
Equipment and lighting
$9,000
Design, approvals and fence
$15,000
N°05 · Running costs
Running costs,
every year.
Typical yearly figures for a 9 metre concrete pool in South East Queensland, with a variable-speed pump and a salt or mineral sanitiser.
A pool blanket is the cheapest saving we know of. It cuts evaporation, holds heat overnight and can halve the bill on a heated pool. Plan to replace the pump and sanitiser at around ten years, and to resurface a pebble interior at fifteen to twenty.
Item
Assumes
Per year
01
Filtration and pump power
Variable-speed pump, 6 to 8 hours a day
$350 to $600
02
Salt, minerals and chemicals
Sanitiser, balancing and a spring clean
$300 to $500
03
Heating
Heat pump, May to September
$900 to $1,800
04
Water top-up
Less with a pool blanket
$100 to $250
05
Professional servicing
Optional, a monthly visit
$600 to $1,200
06
Insurance
Added to your home and contents policy
$100 to $300
A typical year
Heated, serviced and insured
$2,350 to $4,650
N°06 · Paying and finance
Five stages · Fixed price
Paid in stages, as it is built.
You pay a 5% deposit on signing, then a progress claim as each stage is complete. No claim runs ahead of the work on site.
Our process in detail01
Claim 1
5%
Deposit
On signing the fixed-price contract
02
Claim 2
25%
Excavation and steel
Steel tied and inspected, ready to spray
03
Claim 3
30%
Shotcrete shell
Shell sprayed and cured
04
Claim 4
25%
Coping, tile and interior
Coping laid and interior applied
05
Claim 5
15%
Practical completion
Pool filled, certified and handed over
A note on finance
We do not arrange finance or give credit advice. Most clients use a home loan top-up, a construction loan alongside a new build, or savings. We can refer you to a finance partner, who will explain their own products and terms.
Deposit cap · Queensland
5% on contracts of $20,000 or more
Deposit cap · New South Wales
10% on Northern Rivers contracts
N°07 · Cost guide
PDF · 24 pages · Updated Sep 2026
The 2026 pool cost guide.
Our full price ledger in one document: ranges by pool type, inclusions line by line, the five cost drivers with real figures, and a worksheet for briefing any builder.
One email with the PDF. We only add you to our list if you ask.
N°08 · Questions
Cost questions,
answered.
Straight answers to what clients ask once they have seen a number. For anything else, call the studio on 07 5550 3480.
All questionsHow much does a pool cost on the Gold Coast?
Most custom concrete pools we build on the Gold Coast in 2026 cost between $95,000 and $180,000, including GST, fencing and certification. Plunge pools start from $65,000 and infinity edges from $160,000. Beachside blocks can need dewatering and hinterland blocks often need rock breaking, so the site decides where you land.
Are prices the same in Brisbane and the Northern Rivers?
Our from prices are the same in all three regions. The ground is what changes: inner Brisbane suburbs often hit rock, and Northern Rivers builds follow NSW approvals and home warranty rules. We price both at the site visit, before you sign anything.
Is a concrete pool dearer than fibreglass?
Usually, for the same size. A concrete shell can take any shape, depth or edge, carries our lifetime structural warranty and is resurfaced rather than replaced. We only build in concrete, and we will tell you if a fibreglass pool suits your block and budget better.
Does the price include the pool fence?
Yes. Every fixed price includes a frameless glass pool fence allowance, the certifier’s inspection and the pool safety certificate. Taller panels, custom gates or a fence that doubles as a balustrade are priced as options.
How much deposit will I pay?
5% on signing. In Queensland the deposit on a domestic building contract of $20,000 or more is capped at 5%, and in NSW at 10%. After that you pay four progress claims, each one only when its stage is complete.
Will the price change once you start digging?
Not unless the ground differs from what the test holes showed, or you change the design. Rock beyond the allowance is charged at the rate written into the contract, so you know the cost of a surprise before you sign.