An Impossible Pool — The Bulimba Plunge Build

Three other pool builders had told the Coopers that nothing would fit. They were ready to give up on the idea.

Their Bulimba property is what Brisbane real estate agents call 'compact' — a two-storey 1920s Queenslander on a 405m² inner-city block. Big house, tiny back courtyard. Maybe 60m² of actual usable outdoor space.

What they ended up with: a 5×3m Plunge Pool with frameless glass surround, travertine coping, hidden skimmer, integrated LED lighting. Build took 11 weeks. Total: $48,500 including upgraded finishes.

The first conversation

Liz Cooper sent us an enquiry through the website with the line 'we've been told it's not possible but my husband won't give up'. We love those enquiries.

Mike went out the following Wednesday. The courtyard was about 6m wide, 10m deep, with a 1.5m drop down from the kitchen door to the lawn. Side access was an 800mm gap between the house and the boundary fence.

Three challenges:

1. Limited footprint
2. Difficult access for excavator and concrete trucks
3. The 1.5m drop in level

Mike walked the block twice, took measurements, and called us from the car: 'this is going to work, but it'll be fun'.

The design

The pool sat 1.5m off the back deck, oriented along the length of the courtyard. 5m long, 3m wide, 1.6m deep. Just enough for the Coopers and their two teenagers to use as a cool-off.

The level drop turned into a feature, not a problem. The pool's coping sat at the same level as the back deck, with travertine steps down to the lower garden zone. The whole courtyard became one continuous outdoor space rather than two awkward terraced sections.

Frameless glass fence on three sides. Existing timber boundary fence at the back, with the climbable zone treatment to make it compliant.

Access — the hard part

The 800mm side access ruled out a standard excavator. We brought in a 1.5-tonne mini-excavator and worked in much tighter cycles. Excavation took 4 days instead of the usual 2-3.

Spoil removal was also harder. A bobcat couldn't fit, so we wheelbarrowed the dirt out to the front for our truck. About 65 wheelbarrow trips. Not glamorous but it worked.

Concrete delivery: we ran the concrete pump line through the side return rather than over the house. Saved on craning costs and protected the gardens.

All of these access challenges added about $4,500 to the standard Plunge package price ($35,900 base, $40,400 site-adjusted, plus $8,100 in upgraded finishes).

The neighbours

One unexpected hero of the project: Liz and her husband personally went around to their three immediate neighbours before we started. Coffee with each one, explained what was happening, gave them our phone numbers.

Result: zero complaints, no council noise complaints, no awkwardness. We left the street as quiet as we found it. We've started recommending this approach to every inner-city client.

The build experience

One issue mid-build. About week 4, after the shell was sprayed, we found that the existing boundary fence had a rotten section that would fail compliance. We pointed it out, Liz organised her own fencer to repair it (cheaper than us doing it as a variation), and we adjusted the schedule by 4 days to wait.

That kind of cooperative handling — client and builder working through issues together — is what we mean by a 'two-way relationship'.

The result

The pool was full and certified on a Friday in October. The kids were in it within an hour. Liz sent us a photo a week later with the caption: 'three years of being told it was impossible and you built it in eleven weeks'.

Six months later, the Coopers are using the pool weekly. The courtyard has become the entertaining heart of the home — their dinner parties moved outdoors permanently.

What we'd say to anyone in a similar position

Get a proper site visit before you assume it can't be done. Builders who quote off Google Maps will say no to anything that looks hard. Builders who actually walk the block will often find a way.

If you've been told a pool can't fit your inner-Brisbane block, let us take a look. Half the time we can make it work.

— Cathy

Family name changed for client privacy. Project details accurate.