A Pool for the Grandkids — The Murray Family Build

About one in five of our clients are building their pool as part of preparing the family home for the long term — the years when grandkids visit and they want a place for the kids and the cousins to swim together.

The Murray family in Capalaba were exactly this. Retired couple, mid-60s, generous block, four grandkids ranging from 5 to 14. They wanted a pool that the grandkids would love, that they could use themselves for gentle exercise, and that wouldn't be a maintenance nightmare as they got older.

What we built: Family Pool I (6×4m), integrated spa, gentle entry steps with a built-in seat, full automation, robotic cleaner, premium glass fence. Final: $74,800.

The 'low maintenance' brief

The Murrays' top priority wasn't aesthetics, though they cared about the result looking good. It was time and effort — they wanted to enjoy the pool, not service it.

So we designed in three specific automation upgrades:

1. Full automation system. The Zodiac iAquaLink system controls the pump speed, salt chlorinator output, lights, and heating from a phone app. No daily fiddling — set the program, the system runs itself.

2. Robotic cleaner with auto-park. The Zodiac Polaris robot we specified runs on a schedule (set in the app), cleans the floor and walls in 90 minutes, then docks itself. They drop it in once a week.

3. Glass mosaic waterline tile. Easier to clean than calcium scale on pebble-crete. Small upgrade ($1,800) that pays back in years of effort saved.

Combined automation upgrades added about $5,500 to the standard package price. The Murrays considered it worth every cent.

The grandkids' design input

Mrs Murray asked if we'd mind having the grandkids over to look at design samples. We had a Saturday afternoon at our Capalaba office with four kids ranging from 5 to 14.

The 5-year-old wanted 'bright blue, like the sea'. The 14-year-old wanted 'something cool, not boring'. We went with a Mediterranean blue pebble-crete (kid-approved) with charcoal tile band at the waterline (also kid-approved). The grandkids felt like part of the project.

This kind of involvement matters more than it sounds. The grandkids talk about 'our pool' — even though it's at the grandparents' — because they helped design it. They're more likely to visit, more likely to use it, more likely to remember those summers.

The spa decision

The Murrays nearly skipped the spa, then decided to add it at the design phase. The integrated spa added $12,390 to the build.

Six months in, they've used the spa more than they expected. Mr Murray has back issues; the spa is a daily 20-minute therapeutic session for him. Mrs Murray joins him most evenings.

Total return on the spa investment, in their words: 'best $12K we've ever spent'.

The build

Standard suburban build, no major drama. 12 weeks contract to handover. The only complication: their existing back deck needed extending to integrate with the new pool surround. We coordinated with a deck builder they'd worked with previously — he did his work in the gap between our coping installation and our pebble-crete.

One nice detail: the gentle pool entry steps. Standard pool steps are vertical risers. We designed three wide steps with a gentle slope plus a built-in seat at depth. Older swimmers can ease in without ducking under, and the seat sits at chest-deep so they can chat with grandkids in the pool.

How they're using it

School holiday weekends: full house. The grandkids are over for swims, lunches, sometimes overnight stays. The pool gets used 5-6 hours a day during these periods.

Weekdays: Mr Murray's morning therapeutic spa session, Mrs Murray's late-afternoon water walk for joint mobility, occasional evening glass of wine with the spa on. Easy, gentle use of a great asset.

The lesson for similar buyers

If you're building a pool for the second half of life, prioritise differently than younger buyers:

• Pay for automation — saves time and frustration
• Add the gentle entry option — your knees will thank you in 10 years
• Build in the spa — therapeutic value increases with age
• Design for grandkids — they're the future of the pool's use
• Get good glass cleaning fence — it'll look good for 30 years

If you're at this stage of life and considering a pool, come and chat. We've done dozens of these builds and we know what matters.

— Cathy

Family name changed for client privacy. Project details accurate.