Pool Fencing Considerations
When selecting the best pool fence for your property, always consider the following 6 important factors:
- Cost – The size of your pool area and type of pool fence can significantly impact your overall costs
- Safety – Your pool fence must comply with Pool Fencing Laws and Regulations
- Design – Will your pool fence complement and enhance the overall look of your property?
- Privacy - Will your pool fence provide your family with sufficient privacy?
- Durability – Will your pool fence withstand your local environment and stand the test time?
- Maintenance – Will your pool fence require regular cleaning, painting or staining?
Design tip: Selecting the best pool fence for your personal needs doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for functionality by building a fortress around your stunning new pool. For example, selecting glass pool fencing or painting your pool fence in shades of green or neutral tones such as beige can help it blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Building your pool fence in natural stone or planting lush foliage in front of a pool fence painted in darker colours such as black or brown are other effective ways to enhance your pool zone by taking the focus off the actual pool fence.
Tempered Glass or Plexiglass Pool Fencing
Frameless or semi-frameless tempered glass pool fencing is the most popular choice in Australia and often the most expensive too, however due to its transparency, it offers the best supervision capabilities and typically complements every pool area. Alternatively, plexiglass pool fencing can be a more affordable option as it looks basically identical to tempered glass pool fencing yet can be almost half the price depending on various factors such as location and specific requirements.
Glass pool fencing comprises of glass panels that are either held in place between posts, imbedded directly into the ground inside a steel channel to create a completely seamless look, or anchored to spigots which have been core-drilled or bolted into concrete.
Aluminium Pool Fencing
The most popular aluminium pool fencing is typically delivered in pre-made, standard-sized panels featuring various designs that encapsulate upright bars joined to an upper and lower rail. Aluminium pool fencing is powder coated in a wide range of colours and is non-corrosive making it a popular choice in coastal locations and for saltwater pools and, compared to glass, aluminium pool fencing is also a very cost-effective solution as it is lightweight, easy to install and requires very little maintenance. A simple wash a couple of times of year (a few times more if you live very close to the ocean) with mild detergent and warm water is generally enough to keep your aluminium pool fence looking great for many years.
Wire-based Aluminium Pool Fencing:
Available in a galvanised or powder-coated finish, wire-based aluminium pool fencing is typically more expensive than flat and loop-top aluminium pool fencing as it features thick vertical wires or rods instead of tubular rods to create a sleeker and more modern look.
Perforated aluminium and decorative aluminium pool fencing are also popular choices. Custom-made decorative aluminium pool fencing allows you to create a truly unique design for your pool area while perforated aluminium pool fencing provides great access to breeze and transparency without the same hassle as cleaning glass pool fencing.
PVC or Vinyl Pool Fencing
PVC pool fencing is also known as vinyl pool fencing because PVC is the only form of vinyl used in vinyl pool fencing. Therefore, both fence types technically fall within the same material class, however PVC pool fencing is the most popular.
PVC pool fencing is a low-maintenance and durable option available in a selection of stylish shapes, colours, sizes and finishes that include wood-grain textures to resemble painted wood. Offering a high strength-to-weight ratio, low production cost, and a long lifespan, PVC pool fencing is an affordable, easy to clean option that won’t warp, decompose, or discolour and does not require the same regular staining, painting, or maintenance as wooden pool fencing.
Furthermore, PVC pool fencing is typically reinforced with rust-resistant steel inserts to maximise strength and stability and is often supported by a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty.
Colorbond Pool Fencing
Colorbond pool fencing is made from high-quality steel panels that are engineered to resist rust, corrosion, and fading providing minimal maintenance requirements and peace of mind for years to come. With a huge range of attractive colours available from earthy tones to vibrant shades, Colorbond pool fencing can be customised to complement your pool area and integrate seamlessly with your landscape and design preferences.
With a low cost and strong life expectancy, Colorbond pool fencing can also help you create a tranquil backyard oasis by providing a neighbour friendly solution that delivers great privacy, noise suppression, and security.
Wood or Composite Wood Pool Fencing
From traditional wooden pickets and timber boards to tightly bound brush and reed panels placed over an existing fence for greater privacy, wood pool fencing is a versatile, cost-effective option that can be painted or left natural to suit your personal taste and surrounding landscape.
To protect it from the elements and minimise costly repairs, wood pool fencing generally requires more regular maintenance than most other types of pool fences as it is more susceptible to rotting and insect damage.
Wood composite pool fencing provides a more durable alternative as it is manufactured by combining scraps of recycled timber with plastic to create an environmentally friendly, low maintenance solution that does not require sealing, staining, or painting and will not fade, rot, or warp over time.
Hybrid Bamboo Pool Fencing
Hybrid bamboo pool fencing is another natural option designed to seamlessly blend in with your landscaping. Hybrid bamboo pool fencing is made using UV stabilised, laminated natural bamboo slats with aluminium rails that can be powder coated to match any Colorbond colour.
Concrete or Pre-cast Concrete Pool Fencing
Concrete pool fencing is an extremely durable and noise suppressing option that offers maximum privacy. This type of pool fencing can be painted in any colour and finished in a variety of textures such as smooth, rendered, or stamped to complement your unique style and dream backyard, however it is typically more expensive than many other types of pool fences as the installation process is so labour intensive.
Alternatively, pre-cast concrete pool fencing comprises of concrete panels manufactured offsite to your measurements, so the concrete curing process is not impacted by bad weather which makes installation faster and generally more affordable than stone, brick, or concrete pool fencing. Pre-cast fencing can also be painted in any colour and is available in the same finishing textures as concrete pool fencing.
Brick, Breeze Block or Stone Pool Fencing
Brick, breeze block or stone pool fencing is also more expensive than other pool fencing options however brick and stone pool fencing offers the same durability, noise suppression and privacy as concrete pool fencing. Planting hedges or shrubs in front of the bricks helps soften the brick aesthetic and blend the wall more seamlessly into the surrounding landscaping.
Illegal Pool Fencing
Creating a natural living barricade (sometimes referred to as a green fence), by growing and trimming a row of tight hedges or bushes around your pool can be an effective way to enhance the privacy and overall look of your pool area, however it will not comply with the necessary Pool Fencing Laws and Regulations.
Additionally, pool covers and any type of temporary, portable, or removable fencing also does not comply with Australian Pool Fencing Laws and Regulations.
The Poolz Fence Matrix
The below matrix summarises and compares the most popular pool fence types in Australia.
Conclusion
Our mission at Poolz is simple. We exist to help make your pool building experience as simple and seamless as possible from start to finish by ensuring you are fully prepared and well-informed every step of the way.
If you need any more information on pool fencing, be sure to check out The Poolz Guide to Pool Fencing Costs and our article about Pool Fencing Laws and Regulations in Australia, or the overview of all the factors you need to consider when fencing your new pool, or if you’d rather cut straight to the chase and have all your swimming pool questions answered in the fastest way possible, simply ask The Poolz Guru.
Go on, fire any question at him and be blown away by his wisdom on everything from different pool types, shapes, and sizes through to pool fencing laws, regulations, and much, much more!
