Pool Landscaping Gold Coast
Everything around the pool, from the coping at the water's edge to the planting, lighting and entertaining areas beyond it, designed and built by one team.
Bella Terra Group is a pool landscaping company based in Nerang, working across the Gold Coast. We design and build everything from the water’s edge outward: pool coping, pool surrounds and pool pavers, steps and retaining walls, planting, turf, lighting and the entertaining areas beside the pool. Quotes are free and measured on site.
A pool project with us starts with a design and finishes with the planting, and the same team carries out every stage in between. You deal with one company, rather than coordinating a paver, a landscaper and a builder yourself.
That matters most at the water’s edge, where the coping, the surround, the drainage and the planting all meet. Planned together, the levels line up, water drains away from the pool and the planting frames it instead of dropping leaves into it. Our owner, Dion McGirr, manages each project personally from the first site meeting to handover.
The two halves
What Makes a Pool Area Work?
Every good pool area balances two things. The hard landscaping, meaning the coping, paving, walls and drainage, has to be level, safe and built to last. The soft landscaping, meaning the planting, turf and lighting, is what makes the space comfortable to spend time in.
Get one without the other and it shows. A well-laid surround with nothing growing around it feels bare, and a planted garden beside poorly prepared paving soon has cracked joints and lifting stone.
We plan both at the same time. The garden beds, light positions and drainage are drawn into the design before any paving is laid, so nothing has to be dug up later.
The work
Our Pool Landscaping Services
Our own team carries out the work below under our QBCC builder’s licence, with the lighting wired by a licensed electrician. You don’t need to know which parts your pool area needs. Tell us how you want to use it and we’ll work out the rest.
Coping, paving and the pool surround
The surround is the part of a pool area you walk on every day, often barefoot and wet, so it has to stay level, drain away from the water and remain safe underfoot. When the base beneath it is poorly prepared, pavers lift, joints crack and water collects where it shouldn't.
Here's what our pool surround work covers.
- Pool coping in travertine, natural stone and porcelain
- Pool pavers and tiling for the surround, laid to the coping's level
- Crazy paving, steps and stepping stones
- Levels and drainage that fall away from the pool and the house
- Retaining walls and raised terraces on sloping blocks
- Joint sealing on tiled surrounds, with our sealing partner Archiseal
Planting, lawn and lighting around the pool
The planting and lighting decide how a pool area feels once the construction is finished, by day and after dark. We plan them with the pool in mind, so leaf drop, root growth and the fence line are considered before anything goes in the ground.
Here's what our planting and lighting work covers.
- Palms and feature plants in pebble and garden beds
- Screening, hedges and garden beds along the boundary
- Natural turf, laid as part of the project
- Garden, step and pathway lighting, wired by a licensed electrician
- Decking, outdoor kitchens and entertaining areas beside the pool
A site visit is always the right place to start. It lets us see your pool area as it is and hear how you want to use it before anything is priced.
During the visit we walk the site with you and measure it. We talk through the options for coping, paving and planting, how each one wears, how much upkeep it needs and what it costs, so you can choose what suits your budget.
The process
Our Process
Every pool project starts with understanding how you want to use the space. From there, it runs in three stages.
- Consultation and site assessment. We check the levels, drainage, machinery access, existing coping and fence line, and ask how you want to use the space.
- An itemised quote. Every part of the job is priced separately, so you can see what each element costs and stage the work if that suits you better.
- The work itself. Our team builds it in the order below, and Dion hands the finished pool area back to you.
Why Does the Order of Works Matter?
The order matters because each stage depends on the one before it. Lay the surround before the drainage or the light cabling and it has to be lifted again, which costs time and stone.
- Design and set-out. The layout, levels and materials are agreed in the design first, then marked out on site, so every stage follows the same plan.
- Excavation, walls and drainage. The earthworks, retaining walls and drainage come first, while machinery can still reach the site and nothing finished is in the way.
- Cabling and irrigation. Conduit for the lighting and pipes for the irrigation run beneath the surround before it is laid, so nothing has to be lifted later.
- Pool coping. The coping sets the finished height at the water's edge, so everything around it is laid to suit.
- Paving and tiling. The surround goes down on a compacted base, falling away from the pool, and the joints are sealed.
- Planting, turf and lighting, last. Plants, turf and light fittings go in once the heavy work is finished, so nothing is damaged by machinery or foot traffic.
Recent work
Recent Pool Landscaping Jobs Around the Gold Coast
Recent pool projects include a pool garden in Casuarina, a paved pool surround in Hope Island, and a travertine surround on a waterfront block. We keep our customers’ details private, so the photos do the talking.
Casuarina: a travertine pool surround with palms in pebble beds and clipped hedges.
Hope Island: a rectangular pool with a pale paved surround and a hedged boundary.
A waterfront pool with travertine coping and a pale stone surround.
Why Bella Terra Group
Choosing Bella Terra Group for Your Pool Area
Our owner, Dion McGirr, has been in the trade for over 14 years, and our pool projects range from new coping and surrounds to complete pool and backyard renovations. You can see more of them in our project gallery.
Each project is designed and built by the same company, under QBCC licence 15452813, with Dion managing the work on site. One client wrote that Dion “really understood the vision I had for our pool area and made it become a reality.” Another client, who hired us for pool landscaping, wrote of “great workmanship & great value.”
Quotes are free, measured on site and itemised, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does pool landscaping cost on the Gold Coast?
The cost depends on the size of the area, the materials chosen, the levels and drainage the site needs, and how easily machinery can reach it. Those vary too much between properties for a set price to be accurate, so we visit, measure the area and provide a detailed, itemised quote at no charge.
What is the best material for pool coping and pool surrounds on the Gold Coast?
Travertine, natural stone and porcelain are the most common choices for pool coping and pool surrounds here. Lighter stone such as travertine stays cooler underfoot in summer, and every option needs a slip-resistant finish because it is walked on wet. We talk through each one on site, including how it wears and how much upkeep it needs.
Can you landscape around an existing pool?
Yes. We work from the water's edge outward around existing pools, replacing the coping and surround and redoing the planting, lighting and entertaining areas. Resurfacing the pool interior, and the pumps and filters, are left to pool specialists.
How do I choose a pool landscaper on the Gold Coast?
Ask whether the same company designs and builds the work, check its licence on the QBCC register, and look at pool areas it has finished. A good answer names the materials, explains the order of works and says who manages the project day to day.
Are there rules about landscaping near a pool fence in Queensland?
Yes. Queensland's pool safety standard requires a 900mm non-climbable zone around the outside of a pool fence, and raised garden beds, retaining walls, planters and plants inside it can make the fence climbable. We plan walls, beds and planting around the fence line from the start, so the design keeps those zones clear.
Source: the QBCC.
Areas We Serve Across the Gold Coast
We’re based in Nerang, and we work right across the Gold Coast. There’s no showroom to visit, so we come to you.
If you’re planning new pool surrounds or pool coping anywhere on the Gold Coast, there’s a good chance we’ve already worked nearby. Our recent projects include Burleigh Heads, Burleigh Waters, Palm Beach, Currumbin, Currumbin Valley, Casuarina, Benowa, Hope Island, Oxenford, Robina, Carrara, Parkwood, Bundall.
Not on that list? Get in touch. We cover most of the Gold Coast, and you’ll get a straight answer either way.
Written by Dion McGirr, who runs Bella Terra Group and has been in the trade for over 14 years. You can talk to Dion directly about your project.
Get a free quote
Share a few details about your pool area and Dion will be in touch to arrange an on-site consultation. The quote is free, itemised and carries no obligation. Fields marked with an asterisk are required.
Let’s discuss your pool area
Get a free, no-obligation quote from our team.
Get a free quoteEvery quote is free, prepared on site and carries no obligation. Or call 0423 188 691.