The Surprising Benefits of Adding a Pool to Your Home
Beyond Aesthetics: How a Pool Can Transform Your Lifestyle
The Art of Pool Design: Creating Your Backyard Oasis
Strategic Planning and Design for the Perfect Swimming Pool
Is a Swimming Pool the Ultimate Family Bonding Tool?
Exploring the Emotional and Practical Benefits of Adding a Pool to Your Home
Top Tips for Enhancing Family Time with a Home Pool
Create lasting memories with a pool that suits your family's needs.
Top Tips for Seamless Pool Integration in Tight Spaces
Maximize your backyard potential with smart pool design.
Top Tips for Designing Your Dream Kiwi Swimming Pool
Create a pool that enhances your lifestyle and adds value to your home.
Marine Parade
In the realm of pool design, achieving perfection often lies in the details, and the challenge set by the owners of this pool was nothing short of ambitious: to have the water level seamlessly aligned with the edge around the entirety of the pool.
Monument Road
The curve of the pool echoes the topography in this Clevedon project that is both sculpture and water feature within the landscape.
Mahoenui Valley Road
This eight-hectare property in Coatesville, with a house that stretches long across the land, called for a pool that married with the building and the backdrop – and held its own.
Beyond the Swim: Designing Your Backyard for Family, Friends, and Resale Value
Episode Overview
Episode Overview
In this episode of the Trends Property Insight Series, we sit down with Damian Francis from Frontier Pools to unpack the full journey from first idea to first swim. With a background in landscaping and concrete, he explains why the best pools begin with a solid design, clear goals, and a site plan that considers access, fencing, and the entire backyard — not just the water.
Damian walks through the early steps: engaging a landscape architect, shaping a concept that reflects how you actually want to live, and navigating consent with pool fencing in mind. He demystifies common decisions — pool size, shape, filtration, heating, and finishes — and shares when features like infinity edges or integrated spas make sense.
We dig into the build realities many homeowners miss: tight Auckland sites, rock excavation, machinery access, and sequencing the dig so landscaping benefits from the same window of work. Damian outlines typical timelines from construction to handover and explains why planning for a concealed cover early can save money and improve the look while reducing evaporation and running costs.
Finally, Damian breaks down water care options (salt-to-chlorine, mineral systems, automation), the basics of maintenance and valet services, and the simple habits that keep water clear with minimal effort. Throughout, Damian returns to the real payoff — time together. A well-planned pool becomes a daily ritual for kids, teens, and parents alike, turning the backyard into a place to connect, unplug, and make memories for decades.