Pool Renovation on the Sunshine Coast

What pool renovation on the Sunshine Coast actually involves

The pool is drained first, and where the water goes is regulated (see below). The pump, its wiring and any drain connections come off next: pool wiring, lights and pumps need a licensed electrician, and plumbing, drainage and gas fitting need a QBCC licence whatever the job is worth. QBCC's pool licence has three classes. Construction covers concrete pools, installation covers fibreglass and prefabricated pools, and maintenance and accessories is limited to non-structural maintenance and general repair of any pool.

The approval question

Repairs, maintenance or alterations to an existing structure are generally self-assessable under the Building Regulation 2021. That stops applying where the work changes the structure's floor area or height, affects a structural component or affects its fire safety system, and alterations to the fencing of a regulated pool are carved out of it. No government page read for this site says which pool renovation jobs affect a structural component, so that is a question for a building certifier before work starts. We cannot answer it either way.

Home warranty and your pool

QBCC's home warranty scheme covers structural defects in the erection, construction or installation of a swimming pool, and for a pool a structural defect is one that allows water to escape through the shell, or one that adversely affects the health or safety of the people who use the pool. Set against that, QBCC says there is no cover for non-structural defects, for surfacing outside the coping of the pool, or for all work associated with the pool, paving and slides among it. Where cover does apply it runs for 6 years 6 months for policies taken out since 28 October 2016, and a claim must be lodged with QBCC within 3 months of noticing the defect. Ask your provider in writing which part of a resurfacing or retiling job they treat as structural before you sign. The concrete resurfacing page covers the licence class that applies.

Draining is the Sunshine Coast step that surprises owners. Backwash from swimming pools is a prescribed water contaminant, and depositing it in waters, in a roadside gutter or stormwater drainage is an offence with a maximum penalty of 1,665 penalty units where it is wilful. Where Unitywater is the sewer provider it accepts backwash and maintenance water to its sewerage network at 0.5 litres per second or less, and says maintenance water can also be used to irrigate a lawn or garden. Ask the provider where the water will go before the pool is emptied.

Pool Renovation on the Sunshine Coast — common questions

Does resurfacing or retiling my pool need council approval?

Repairs and alterations to an existing structure are usually self-assessable, but not if the work changes its floor area or height or affects a structural component. No source read for this site says which resurfacing or retiling jobs cross that line, so ask a building certifier before work starts.

Will a renovation trigger a new pool safety certificate?

Not by itself. A certificate is required when you sell or lease the property, and only a pool safety inspector licensed by the QBCC can issue one. If the renovation touches the fence, ask an inspector whether it still meets the standard.

Is there one licence for pool work?

QBCC has a pool licence with three classes: construction, installation, and maintenance and accessories. Work valued at A$3,300 or less is outside building-work licensing unless it is plumbing, drainage or gas fitting, which need a licence at any value.