MARAYLYA POOL PROJECT
9M CONTEMPORARY WITH GRAND ENTRY BEACH
A family-focused pool designed for entertaining, play and the architecture of this acreage home.
9m Contemporary • Grand Entry Beach • Veridian
DESIGNED FOR FAMILY LIFE
A pool that feels like part of the home.
The owners wanted a modern pool with clean, straight lines that would complement the architecture of their home and become a natural extension of their outdoor entertaining area.
With three young boys, the pool also needed to be somewhere the whole family could genuinely enjoy. The 9m Contemporary was chosen for its unusual swimming layout, with shallow areas at both ends and deeper water through the centre.
The Grand Entry Beach adds another dimension — a generous shallow zone approximately 300mm deep, creating a space where younger children can play and the family can relax beside the main swimming area.
With an existing covered entertaining area, BBQ, pizza oven and TV nearby, the pool was designed to complete an outdoor space already made for spending time together.
Modern lines. Family-friendly design. Built for the way this family actually lives.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
| POOL | COLOUR | FEATURE | CLEANING |
| 9m Contemporary | Veridian | Grand Entry Beach | Vantage In-Floor |
| HEATING | FILTRATION | AUTOMATION | SURROUNDS |
| 24.5kW Electric | Hayward 2-Pump | Automated Control | Limestone |
THE SITE LOOKED EASY. THE GROUND WASN’T. 😏
GROUND CONDITIONS / EXCAVATION
Easy access didn’t mean an easy site.
Being an acreage property, access to the pool area was relatively straightforward. The 9m Contemporary was delivered using a 20-tonne Franna crane, making the pool lift itself one of the simpler parts of the build.
The challenge was what sat beneath the finished surrounds. The area around the pool had been built up with fill, meaning the new concrete surrounds couldn’t simply rely on the existing ground for long-term support.
That changed the engineering approach from the very beginning.
ENGINEERING / PIERS
Building the surrounds back to solid ground.
To minimise the risk of future movement, the concrete pool surrounds were supported by more than 30 piers extending through the fill to bear on rock below.
The Grand Entry Beach required additional consideration, with APS constructing a piered base slab beneath the beach zone to provide the structural support it needed.
It’s work that disappears completely once the project is finished — but it’s an important part of making sure everything above it has been built on the right foundation.
The beautiful part is what you see. The engineering underneath is what helps keep it that way.
DRAINAGE
On the low side of the block, managing water was critical.
The underlying rock naturally carries groundwater through its veins, moving water through and around the pool area during wet conditions.
Rather than waiting for that water to become a problem, extensive drainage was incorporated into the construction. Ag lines were installed throughout the pool surrounds to collect and redirect groundwater safely towards the creek.
Good drainage isn’t the exciting part of a pool project — until you don’t have enough of it.
THE RAIN 🌧️
This one I want to write differently because it’s our chance to show a bit of APS personality.
And then it rained. And rained. And rained.
The biggest day-to-day challenge on this project wasn’t access, the crane lift or even the engineering — it was the weather.
Rain followed the build for much of the four-month construction period, turning an already challenging site into a very muddy workplace.
It wasn’t particularly glamorous, but pool construction rarely is. The team kept the project moving wherever conditions allowed, working through the mud until the Maraylya backyard started looking considerably more like the finished space you see today.
Building a pool can make a mess of your backyard. Thankfully, we’re much better at the finished product. 😉
AND THEN IT ALL CAME TOGETHER.
A luxury addition made for family living
One of our favourite family additions, when space and budget allow, is a dedicated beach area — and on this Maraylya project, it fits the lifestyle perfectly.
The generous shallow platform creates a beautiful transition into the pool while giving younger children their own space to splash, play and build confidence in the water. For the adults, it becomes the perfect place to sit back, cool off and stay close to the kids without leaving the pool.
Beyond its practicality, a beach area adds another dimension to the overall pool design. It creates that relaxed, resort-style feel while making the pool more versatile for every stage of family life.
It’s a little extra space dedicated to slowing down, playing together and enjoying the pool — and when the backyard allows for it, it’s one of those additions we absolutely love incorporating into a family pool.
Designed as part of the home
One of the things we love most about this Maraylya project is that the pool doesn’t feel like something that was simply added to the backyard — it feels as though the home was designed around it.That’s something Troy puts a lot of thought into when planning our pools. The position, proportions and surrounding spaces are considered in relation to the home, the entertaining areas and the way the family will actually use the property.
Here, the 9-metre Contemporary sits naturally within the architecture of the home, creating a seamless connection between indoor living, outdoor entertaining and the pool area. From inside the house, the pool becomes part of the outlook; step outside, and the entire space flows together.
The result is a pool that doesn’t compete with the home — it completes it. For us, that’s what great pool design should do. It should look like it was always meant to be there.
Premium finishes, designed to belong
The finishes on this project were carefully selected to make the pool feel like a natural extension of the home rather than a separate addition to the backyard.
Limestone paving brings a beautiful, timeless finish to the pool surrounds, with a drop-edge detail creating a clean, substantial edge around the pool. For us, limestone is one of those materials that can instantly create that relaxed, outdoor resort feel. Its natural variation, earthy tones and slightly rougher texture give it a warmth and character that’s very different to the refined perfection of porcelain tiles.
Neither is necessarily better — they simply create a different feel. For this property, limestone was the perfect choice.
Frameless glass fencing keeps the space open and uninterrupted, allowing the pool to remain a feature from both inside and outside the home. Mosaic tiles add another layer of detail and luxury, while the natural tones and textures of the limestone work beautifully alongside the sandstone and concrete elements already featured throughout the property.
It’s the combination of these materials that really brings the design together. Nothing feels out of place or added as an afterthought — the pool, landscaping and home all speak the same architectural language.
The end result is exactly what we aim for with a project like this: a premium pool area that looks and feels as though it has always been part of the property.
The Grand Finale … what a beauty
