7.5m Majestic Swimming Pool
From Bayswater To Bali Paradise
When Andrea and Mark Middleton (mostly Andrea) decided to take the plunge, the first thing they did was take the plunge.
They removed their small plunge pool and gave it to a relative. Then they went to work on renovating their back garden.
With Austin Developments and With Austin Developments and Revell Landscaping, they transformed their old, tired yard into a home from second home — Bayswater to Bali. The pair love “our” holiday island so much that they used the feel of the Balinese paradise to create what they wanted at home.
The makeover included the removal of the pool, plus landscaping and renovation works.
Austin Pearce, of Austin Developments, had installed the Middleton’s alfresco area a few years ago. When Jenny Revell came in to do the redesign, she and Mr Pearce got together. Ms Revell planned the pool area, with an 8.5m Barrier Reef pool as the feature, and Austin Developments renewed the alfresco area and installed a Balinese-style gazebo at the top of the pool.
The result is a tranquil, welcoming area with an imaginative slate pavers-and-stones theme where the plunge pool was and the new pool where there was an expanse of grass.
At the top of the old plunge pool area is a barbecue under a thatched roof and the alfresco area now has a gazebo-style roof and jarrah decking, replacing the shingle roof and paving.
The pool surrounds are granite and glass fencing sets off the area.
“The whole area feels bigger now,” Mrs Middleton said. “And it certainly is more useable.” The alfresco area is very well used, with couches and a dining table and chairs to hand. From there, through wood poles, the three-blade water wall is seen at its best.
The things that the Middleton’s lost — the old pool, the big grassed area, an old shed and a “messy” fiddlewood — do not fill them with grief.
Now they have jasmine, frangipanis along the boundary, several cottonwood hibiscus and golden cane giving the real Bali feel.
Mrs Middleton said: “It was a crazy idea that came to me one day. But the whole process went very smoothly and because we love Bali, we love this.”