Pool to Pond

What do you do when you've got a pool you don't want? One Sydney couple's solution, has been to transform it into a low maintenance pond system which looks terrific.

The swimming pool was not being used and the owners found it a chore to maintain. Two options presented themselves: either fill it in or transform it into something else. The decision was made to turn the pool into a series of ornamental ponds with a biological filtration system. It is now the home of exotic and native fish, with surrounding decking and native grasses as added landscape features.

This transformation was a real team effort. The owners called in Peter Glass & Associates who did the initial concept design. Jeremy Winer from Marsupial Landscapes was the site designer behind this project and Brad Baxter from Award Pools & Landscapes formed the concrete aeration pond inside the pool and installed the hydraulics. The pool transformation took around six weeks to complete and the owners now have an attractive pond system that could be returned to a swimming pool if required as the structure wasn't dramatically altered.

The two natural filters work like a natural creek system but in a constructed sense. The reedbed filter contains the Australian natives Cyperus exaltatus, Schoenoplectus validus and Carex appressa and the main filter system draws water through pebbles and a drainage cell before being piped into the aeration ponds. There are now fantail comets, Australian bass and a pair of yabbies living in the main pond.

Cost

This transformation cost around $22,000 which included transforming the pool into pond and constructing the special reedbed filter and basic decking. It is possible to transform your pool yourself for a much lower cost. If you have any doubts about potential structural or drainage problems which may arise in the future as a consequence of altering your existing pool it would be best to seek professional advice prior to commencing major changes.

Further information

Peter Glass & Associates Pty Ltd, St Leonards, NSW
Phone (02) 9906 2727
Jeremy Winer - Marsupial Landscapes, Brookvale, NSW
Phone (02) 9905 6844
Brad Baxter - Award Pools & Landscapes, Kellyville, NSW
Phone: (02) 9629 3639

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