Most people start shopping for a pool by deciding which pool they like.
We think there’s a better place to start: your backyard.
Access, slope, soil, crane reach, budget and how you want the finished pool to sit within your outdoor area can have just as much influence on the right pool as the pool itself.
And these days, above-ground doesn’t necessarily mean the cheaper-looking option.
A well-designed above-ground or semi-inground pool can look every bit as considered and luxury as a traditional in-ground pool. The difference is how you get there, how much work happens on site and what you’re prepared to spend.
At RIPPA, we work with three very different types of prefabricated plunge pool: OUTBACK steel plunge pools, Little Pools self-supporting fibreglass pools and precast concrete pools such as REDI Pool at the premium end.
All three can be installed above ground. All three can work semi-inground. OUTBACK Classic and REDI can also be installed fully in-ground.
So the question isn’t simply, “Which pool should I buy?”
Start with how you want the pool to sit in your backyard.
Above-ground
Above-ground is worth considering if you want to reduce excavation, have a difficult block or want to build the pool into a deck or landscaped outdoor area.
And you aren’t limited to one type of pool.
OUTBACK
OUTBACK plunge pools are made from 316 marine-grade stainless steel or COLORBOND steel with a commercial-grade vinyl liner.
Above-ground is where the OUTBACK really comes into its own. It can substantially reduce excavation and, depending on the site, avoid some of the heavy cranage associated with concrete pools.
It’s also relocatable, which is worth considering if you don’t necessarily plan on staying in the same house forever.
Little Pools
Little Pools are self-supporting fibreglass pools with an engineered composite structure.
Unlike a conventional fibreglass shell that relies on the surrounding ground for support, a Little Pool is designed to stand on its own structure. That makes above-ground installation possible and gives you plenty of options for building decks and landscaping around it.
Self-supporting doesn’t mean you can simply put it on the lawn, though. It still needs the correct prepared base for the installation.
REDI Pool
Even concrete doesn’t have to be buried.
A REDI precast concrete pool can be installed above ground and incorporated into a deck, patio or landscaping.
It’s a completely different proposition to OUTBACK or Little Pools. You’re dealing with a heavy precast concrete structure and the cranage and engineering that comes with it, but you get the solid concrete construction and high-end tiled finish without having to build the actual pool shell on site.
Above-ground can therefore range from a relatively simple OUTBACK installation right through to a fully tiled architectural concrete pool.
It’s an installation style, not a quality level.
Semi-inground
For a lot of North Queensland blocks, semi-inground can be the sweet spot.
This works particularly well on sloping sites or where your house, patio or deck already sits above natural ground level.
Rather than excavating the entire pool into the block, you can use the change in levels as part of the design.
Again, you have several construction options.
Little Pools can be installed semi-inground within the manufacturer’s installation requirements. This makes them particularly useful where you want the pool partially recessed and then finished with decking or landscaping.
Selected OUTBACK models can also be partially buried. The installation needs the correct base, drainage and retaining solution. You don’t simply dig a hole and push soil against the side of the pool.
REDI precast concrete can also be installed partially in-ground. On a sloping site, that can create a high-end built-in appearance without necessarily excavating the entire pool depth across the block.
Semi-inground doesn’t automatically mean cheap or simple. Engineering, retaining, drainage, fencing and landscaping still matter.
But on the right block, working with the existing levels rather than fighting them can save a considerable amount of site work.
Fully in-ground
If you want the traditional flush pool look, fully in-ground is still hard to beat.
Within the RIPPA range, there are two very different ways of achieving it.
OUTBACK Classic
Selected OUTBACK pools, including the Classic, can be installed fully in-ground.
That doesn’t mean the steel pool is simply buried in soil. A proper in-ground installation requires the correct excavation, engineered base, drainage and retaining so that surrounding soil doesn’t bear directly against the pool structure.
Once finished with coping, decking or landscaping, however, you can create a very different look from the traditional above-ground OUTBACK.
REDI precast concrete
At the other end is precast concrete.
This is for the person who says:
“I want concrete. I want it fully tiled. I want it to look like a proper high-end built-in pool. But I don’t want someone building a concrete pool in my backyard for three months.”
That’s where REDI makes sense.
The concrete shell is manufactured and finished off-site. Your excavation and site preparation happen first, then the completed pool is transported to the property and craned into its prepared position.
You still have excavation, engineering, base preparation, drainage, crane access, plumbing, electrical, fencing and landscaping to deal with.
What you don’t have is the actual concrete pool being constructed from scratch in your backyard.
With a traditional concrete pool, excavation is followed by the various stages of steel, formwork, plumbing, concrete, waterproofing and finishing. Different trades and stages have to happen in sequence.
That can mean your backyard remains a construction site for weeks or months.
And in North Queensland, weather matters. A decent run of rain can quickly push a construction programme out.
Precast doesn’t eliminate site work. It changes how much of the pool itself needs to be built at your home.
For someone who wants that permanent, architectural concrete finish, that’s a big difference.
What about installation time?
This is where we’d be careful with claims such as “pool installed in a day”.
The pool might be.
The entire project probably isn’t.
Approvals, engineering, excavation and base preparation may all need to happen before the pool arrives. Fencing, electrical, decking, landscaping and finishing may continue afterwards.
Where prefabricated plunge pools save time is in the construction of the pool itself.
An OUTBACK arrives largely prepared rather than being constructed from raw materials on site.
A Little Pool arrives as a completed self-supporting fibreglass structure.
A REDI arrives as a precast concrete shell rather than requiring that concrete shell to be constructed in your backyard.
Once the site is ready, placement can happen quickly.
That’s very different from constructing a traditional concrete pool from the ground up at the property.
Does above-ground cost less?
Often, but not always.
The pool itself is only one part of the budget.
You also need to consider excavation, base preparation, engineering, retaining, drainage, crane access, freight, plumbing, electrical, equipment, fencing, decking and landscaping.
A simple above-ground OUTBACK on an accessible, level site can require far less site work than a fully in-ground concrete pool.
But build an elaborate deck around an above-ground pool, add retaining and difficult access, and that saving can disappear quickly.
Likewise, REDI sits at the premium end. You’re paying for precast concrete construction and a high-end finish, regardless of whether you put it above ground, partially in-ground or fully in-ground.
That’s why comparing pool prices without comparing the complete installation can be misleading.
So which installation is right for your backyard?
Think about the finished result first.
If you want to minimise excavation, have difficult access or want the pool incorporated into a deck, look at above-ground.
If you’re working with a slope, raised house, existing deck or changing ground levels, semi-inground may make far more sense than excavating everything down to one level.
If you want the traditional flush pool finish, look at fully in-ground and then decide whether OUTBACK or precast concrete gives you the result you’re after.
After that, choose the construction method.
OUTBACK gives you a lighter steel pool with plenty of installation flexibility.
Little Pools give you a self-supporting fibreglass option that works particularly well above ground and semi-inground.
REDI gives you precast concrete and a high-end tiled finish, without constructing the concrete shell from scratch in your backyard.
They’re not really three versions of the same pool.
They solve different problems.
Start with the block, not the pool
Before choosing your pool, look at where it actually has to go.
How does the truck get in?
Where can a crane set up?
Is the block flat or sloping?
Where does the finished pool need to meet the house or deck?
How much excavation will be required?
Will you need retaining?
And how much construction do you actually want happening at your home?
Those answers usually narrow the choices down pretty quickly.
RIPPA Pools supplies plunge pools across North Queensland, with steel, self-supporting fibreglass and precast concrete options.
We’re not tied to telling you one construction method is right for every backyard.
Show us the block first.
Then we’ll work out which one makes sense.
