This luxurious pool and entertaining area has become the pièce de résistance of the property and the inspiration for a future house renovation
More often than not, pool and garden projects are an afterthought and come second to the completion of the perfect house. However, the owners of this Rosslyn Park home in Adelaide had a different plan.
With two young toddlers at ages where drawing on the walls is a regular occurrence, the owners chose to create their dream outdoor area first, hoping to connect this to a fully renovated home in years to come.
Elite Pool Constructions SA was engaged to design, build and manage the project from start to finish. “We worked with the clients to come up with a design that not only met their current requirements, but would also stand the test of time and suit the needs of the family in future years,” says Anthony Scaffidi, owner of Elite Pool Constructions SA. “We set the pool back further away from the house than we normally would to ensure the clients have the space to build out and connect the new home with the pool.
“We had limited access to the site, with only a 1.5m-wide pathway to the backyard, which we had to keep in mind when doing the design. The block also had a slope to it, which is why we decided to build the pool out of the ground to reduce excavation. We also built a block wall to the outer permitter to suspend the slab, so the paving would be at the same level as the pool,” says Anthony.
The balance tank wading pool is a noteworthy feature. The idea came to Anthony as he noticed the homeowners’ children playing in a trough. “Seeing the kids play in the trough sparked an idea to create a play area for them in the balancing tank to the infinity edge, which is 600ml of water. When you build an infinity edge, you need about this much space for the balance tank anyway. Normally you’d put a lid over it so you don’t see it, but I had the idea to keep it exposed and provide a wading pool for the young children.” The result is a 1.2 m x 12 m-long wading area the kids love to play in.
Elite Pool Constructions SA was responsible for the design and build of the entire space, including the alfresco area with an outdoor kitchen and fireplace as well as both pavilion shade structures. “The homeowners wanted some sort of shade structure, so we came up with the idea to create a balanced look with two pavilions opposite each other,” says Anthony. The pavilions have retractable awnings which, when fully opened, shade approximately one third of the pool from the sun.
The heating system is another well-thought-out aspect of the pool design, which was initially more expensive to set up than other heating options, but now saves the homeowners on running costs. The homeowners chose to install two heating devices — a combination of Sunlover Rigid Panel solar heating and a titanium heat exchanger with an electric heat source that doubles as the hot water service for the bathroom and outdoor kitchen. “The clients are now able to heat their pool for under $2000 for the whole year,” reveals Anthony.
This project was recently recognised for its innovation and design attributes at the SPASA SA 2017 awards, wining gold for Pool Landscape Design of the Year.
“We loved working on this project. The clients were fantastic to deal with and this design paved the way for a new direction for our company,” says Anthony. “We now pride ourselves on doing something a little different for all of our clients, creating something really unique with each pool to suit their needs and the needs of the site.” Since completing this pool, the homeowners have referred Elite Pool Constructions SA to many of their friends and family and it’s not hard to see why. Not only did Anthony and his team deliver a pool and alfresco area that nailed the brief, they also turned many of the owners’ requests into show-stopping design features that will impress for years to come.
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