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It’s all in the detail, they say and poorly installed pool fences could be losing the property thousands of dollars in value, a leading landscaping and pool expert has warned.
Matt Leacy, co-founder and creative director of Landart Landscapes, says a growing number of properties lose aesthetic value after installing pool fences without getting proper design advice first.
With more than 1.2 million Australians owning a pool and council laws requiring property owners to install pool fences, it is difficult to strike a balance between legal compliance and landscape design, Mr Leacy said.
“One of the key problems is that retroactive laws are requiring property owners to install pool fences into backyard spaces that weren’t initially designed to accommodate a pool fence in that way,” he said.
“The layout, gardens and the surrounds have often been designed to an old legislation. Because property owners are in a rush to comply and minimise installation costs, they bring a certifier in and get the job done quickly without properly considering how the fence is going to affect the look and landscape of their backyard, and the overall value of their property.
“If you get it wrong and the fence looks terrible, you’ve potentially taken thousands of dollars off the sale price. Australians love their backyards and a dodgy pool fence can look like an eyesore.”
Mr Leacy recommends getting a landscape designer involved at the start of the process.
“A good landscape designer should be up-to-date with the current legislation and is going to look at things from a different angle and can help you explore avenues that may not seem open to you,” he said.
“There’s more than one way to install a pool fence while still meeting legislative requirements, but if you don’t know what your options are, you’re likely going to just do the basics which can yield a result that may not look as easy on the eye as it could.”
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