Sunshine Coast pool builders in high demand as summer looms

A surge in arrivals, skills shortages and lack of building supplies are just some of the hurdles local pool builders have overcome to service the thriving industry on the Sunshine Coast.

Increased interstate migration to the region has seen the median value of homes soar, with home owners on the Sunshine Coast adding about $16,000 of equity last month alone — according to Corelogic figures.

While some are selling for a profit, many are using the equity to undertake home improvements.

In what is usually considered a frantic period heading into summer, pool builders say they have been busy since the pandemic started.

Serenity Pools Owner and Director Sam Fitzgerald said in an average year business tends to slow down heading into winter.

“We have been flat out; it hasn’t really changed since the start of COVID,” he said.

“Normally, we’d be catching up on our workload during winter and then get booked out ahead of summer, whereas coming into this winter, we were already booked out until Christmas.

“We were taking November and December bookings in March this year, so we’ve constantly been six months ahead.”

Interstate arrivals and site-unseen renovations

Serenity Pools owner Sam Fitzgerald said he has built pools for many families who have moved from southern states.

“It definitely helps because they come up and drive the prices of housing here up and it gives locals more confidence to put money into their own house,” he said.

Marvel Pools Owner John Forrest said his business has been inundated with enquiries since the start of 2020.

“We’ve had a few calls from people buying homes without seeing them, wanting to know whether they can get pools in,” he said.

“In the pool industry, no-one really expected this outcome from the pandemic; we were set up to be moderately busy — but not eight months of flat-stick busy.

“Some of our trades have had to quadruple in size — our concrete sprayers and our excavator guys had to buy more trucks and machines to try and keep up with the workload.”

Building supply shortage impacting the industry

Marvel Pools Owner John Forrest said a shortage of glass has made finishing pools on schedule difficult at times.

“I think that will be OK in the next couple of weeks but unfortunately if we can’t get glass now, we can’t finish their pools and people won’t have them for Christmas and that would be a disaster.

“You can’t put your water or pebbles in until you have your glasses all in and certified.

“I sign up eight pools ahead, and when we get to about four pools we go out and sign a few more, I’m not interested in signing up pools for the middle of next year.

“If you’ve already got contracts for 20 pools in front of you, you’re in trouble, you can’t really recoup that.”

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