Pool renovations,
Gold Coast.
A renovation keeps a sound concrete shell and renews what wears: the interior, waterline tile, coping and equipment. We also reshape older pools, add spas and seats, and replace fibreglass with concrete, and we will tell you plainly when a shell is not worth keeping.
Plate 01 · New coping on an existing shell
4.9 / 5 · 126 Google reviews
QBCC licence 0000000
Seven years on workmanship
SPASA Gold 2023 · Clayfield Residence
N°01 · Overview
Reviewed by Tom Hollis · Founding director
What a pool renovation is.
A pool renovation keeps the concrete shell and replaces the parts that wear out: the interior, the waterline tile, the coping and the equipment. Because the shell is structural concrete, an older pool can be drained, stripped back to sound concrete and finished again, for well under the price of a new pool.
It is also the moment to change what no longer suits you. Steps can move, a bench or sitting ledge can go in, a deep end can be raised, and a spa can be built into one corner. If the pool is fibreglass, we replace it with concrete. If the shell is not sound, we say so before you spend anything.
When a shell is worth keeping
A concrete shell that holds its water and its level is usually worth keeping, however tired the finish looks. Rough pebble, loose tiles, a stained waterline and cracked coping are surface problems, and a renovation deals with all of them. So are an old pump and a sanitiser near the end of their life, which are replaced as part of the work.
Before we price anything, a director inspects the pool with the water in. We check the level holds overnight, tap the render for hollow spots, pressure test every line and measure the fence against today’s rules. A leaking skimmer or a crack at the waterline is found then, and its repair is written into the fixed price.
Some shells are not worth keeping. If the pool has lifted, settled out of level or shows rusting steel through the render, repairs can cost as much as a new pool. We will tell you at the first visit, and price a new concrete pool alongside the renovation.
What a renovation involves
Every renovation starts with drawings, as a new pool does. We survey the existing pool, and James Whitcombe draws the new finishes over it along with any change to steps, benches or depth. Where the structure changes, an engineer designs the new concrete and steel and how they tie into the old shell, and a private certifier approves it before we start.
On site, we check the groundwater before draining, because an empty shell on a sandy block with a high water table can lift. The old interior, tile and coping come off back to sound concrete, cracks are cut out and repaired, and failed pipework is replaced. Coping and tile go down first, then the equipment, and the interior goes on last so it is never walked on in boots.
Expect 6 to 10 weeks from first visit to first swim for new finishes and equipment, depending on the repairs and the interior. Reshaping or a new spa needs engineering and approval first, and we show you that programme at design stage. Replacing fibreglass takes about as long as a new concrete pool.
Renovation scopes
A renovation can be one of these scopes or several. We start from the condition of the shell and how you want to use the pool, and price each scope as its own line.
Variation 01
Resurface and recope
The pool is drained, stripped and repaired, then finished with new waterline tile, coping and a pebble, mosaic or tiled interior. Where most renovations begin, and what our from price describes.
Variation 02
New equipment
Pump, filter, sanitiser, LED lighting and app control replaced, with every line pressure tested. Add a heat pump and a cover, and an older pool can cost less to run than it did.
Variation 03
Reshape and add
Steps moved, a bench or sitting ledge added, the deep end raised or a spa built into one corner. New concrete is tied into the old shell with steel, to an engineer’s design.
Variation 04
Fibreglass to concrete
We lift out the fibreglass shell and build a custom concrete pool in its place, reshaped if you like. It is a new pool in every sense, with the same lifetime structural warranty.
Living with a renovated pool
A renovated pool is looked after like a new one: about an hour a week in summer, a brush along the waterline every few months and a check of the salt cell. We fit variable-speed pumps and a cover where the design allows, show you the running numbers at design stage, and come back twelve months after handover to check the work.
Book a design consultation
Start with a site visit.
A director visits, measures the site and talks through ideas and budget. No cost, no obligation.
Reply within one business day · 07 5576 3480
N°02 · At a glance
Typical specification
The work, by the numbers.
Typical figures for the renovations we take on. Every older pool is different under its finish, so we confirm the scope on site before we price it.
Starting point
Your existing shell
Build time
6 to 10 weeks
Typical finished
$35K to $90K
Interior
Pebble, mosaic or tile
Coping
Travertine or limestone
Equipment
Pump, sanitiser, lighting
Warranty
Seven years, workmanship
Pebble life
15 to 20 years
N°03 · Pricing
2026 pricing · Including GST
How much a renovation costs.
From
$35K
A renovation of a simple, sound concrete pool starts from $35K. That covers the inspection, design, draining, stripping and repairs to a written allowance, then a new pebble interior, waterline tile, coping, pump and sanitiser, and handover. Most of ours finish between $35K and $90K.
What moves the price
01
Condition of the shell
Cracks, hollow render and failed pipework are found at the inspection. Repairs beyond the written allowance are charged at the rate in the contract.
02
How much changes
New finishes on the same shape cost least. Moving steps, adding a bench or building in a spa adds engineering, approval and new concrete.
03
Coping and surrounds
Lifting old coping can disturb the paving behind it. Natural stone coping costs roughly twice a good porcelain paver.
04
Interior finish
A fully tiled glass mosaic interior costs several times a quality pebble finish. Both last for decades on a sound shell.
05
Equipment
Pumps and sanitisers last about ten years, so an older pool usually needs both. A heat pump, cover and automation are priced as their own lines.
N°04 · Pools for older houses
3 of 11 projects
Work on older houses.
A Clayfield renovation that took SPASA Queensland Gold in 2023, and two new pools set into older Brisbane gardens. Each one had to answer to a house that was there first.
All projects
N°05 · Process
About 10 weeks, first visit to first swim
How long a renovation takes.
Allow about ten weeks for new finishes and equipment, and less for a simple resurface. Reshaping or a new spa adds engineering and approval at the start.
Our process in detail01
Weeks 1 to 2
Consult and survey
Shell, plumbing and fence inspected with the water in, by a director.
02
Weeks 2 to 4
Design and 3D
New finishes and any changes drawn over a survey of the pool.
03
Weeks 4 to 5
Approvals and engineering
Engineering and approval where the structure changes, fence plan agreed.
04
Weeks 5 to 7
Drain, strip and repair
Groundwater checked, pool drained, old finishes off, cracks and pipes repaired.
05
Weeks 7 to 9
Tile, coping and interior
Coping and tile laid, equipment fitted, then the new interior.
06
Week 10
Handover and care
Water balanced over a week, fence checked, then a one-year visit.
N°06 · Client words
4.9 from 126 Google reviews
“They resurfaced our 1990s pool, swapped the coping for travertine and added a heat pump. It looks new and costs less to run.”
Lyn and Peter K.
Broadbeach · Renovation · 2026
N°07 · Where we build these
Within 90 minutes of Burleigh Heads
Where we renovate pools.
Older pools sit mostly in established suburbs, from beachside Gold Coast streets to Brisbane’s character neighbourhoods. We work within ninety minutes of the studio so a director is on site every week.
All service areasGold Coast
06
Northern Rivers
06
N°08 · Related pools
Pairs well with
a renovation.
A renovation can add a spa or new surrounds. Where a shell is not worth keeping, a new concrete pool is the honest alternative.
All pool typesN°09 · Questions
Renovation
questions.
What we are asked most about renovating a pool. For your own pool, a director will answer them in person at the first visit.
All questionsHow much does a pool renovation cost on the Gold Coast?
Our renovations start from $35K for a sound concrete pool that needs a new interior, waterline tile, coping and equipment. Most finish between $35K and $90K. The condition of the shell, reshaping, a new spa and stone coping move the price, and you get a fixed price after the inspection and design, before the pool is drained.
How do you tell if our shell is worth renovating?
We inspect it with the water in: we check the level holds overnight, tap the render for hollow spots and pressure test the plumbing. A shell that holds its water and its level is usually worth keeping. If it has lifted, settled or shows rusting steel, we tell you at the first visit and price a new pool alongside.
How long does a renovation take?
Six to ten weeks from first visit to first swim for new finishes and equipment, depending on the repairs and the interior. Reshaping or adding a spa needs engineering and approval first, and we show you that programme at design stage. Replacing fibreglass with concrete takes about as long as a new concrete pool, because that is what it is.
Can you replace a fibreglass pool with concrete?
Yes. We remove the fibreglass shell and build a custom concrete pool in its place, reshaped if you like. It is designed, engineered and approved as a new pool, removing the old shell is priced as its own line, and the new shell carries our lifetime structural warranty.
Can you add a spa or change the shape of our pool?
Usually, yes. A spa can be built into a corner or beside the pool, steps can move, and a bench or sitting ledge can be added along a wall. New concrete is tied into the existing shell with steel to an engineer’s design, and we lodge the building approval the work needs.
What warranty comes with a renovation?
Seven years on workmanship for the work we do, including coping, tile, plumbing and repairs, plus the manufacturers’ warranties on new equipment. Our lifetime structural warranty covers shells we build, so it applies when we replace fibreglass with concrete. Queensland work over $3,300 is also covered by QBCC Home Warranty Insurance.
Will our pool fence need upgrading?
It depends on the fence. Older barriers can fall short of today’s rules on height, gaps or gates. We check yours against AS 1926.1 at the first visit and price any upgrade as its own line. If the fence has to come down during the works, a compliant temporary barrier goes up in its place.
Is it safe to drain an old concrete pool?
Yes, with care. On sandy coastal blocks with a high water table, an empty shell can lift out of the ground. We check the groundwater before draining, pump around the shell where needed and make sure the hydrostatic valve works, so the pool stays where it is while it is empty.