Pool Landscaping in Narre Warren North, Berwick & the South-East

A new pool is only half the job. The paving, drainage, gardens and entertaining areas around it decide how the whole backyard looks and works.

Creative Image Landscapes has been building pool surrounds across Melbourne's south-east for over 20 years. We're based in Narre Warren North and work across Berwick, Harkaway, Beaconsfield, Officer, Clyde North and surrounding suburbs.

Our team handles the construction in-house, from excavation and retaining walls to paving, planting and turf. You deal with one company from the first site visit to handover, and we coordinate the timing with your pool builder and other trades.

We build every project properly, with no shortcuts, as if it were our own backyard. We're respectful of your home and family while we're on site, and we leave it clean at the end of each day.

Pool drainage done properly

Drainage is the most important part of any pool surround, and the part most often done poorly.

With fibreglass pools especially, drainage needs to go below the surface, not just on top. On a sloping block, water doesn't only run across the paving. It soaks through the ground underneath the paving slab and drops into the pool hole. That means more maintenance, with the pool's drainage pipe needing to be pumped out again and again. Water always finds the lowest point, so it has to be caught before it reaches the pool. We install agricultural (ag) drains around the pool and beneath the paving slab to intercept it.

We often see paving laid so it falls into the pool. Every time it rains, dirt and debris from the paving wash straight into the water, keeping the pool dirty and throwing off its chemical balance. All our paving falls away from the pool into proper surface drainage, such as strip drains, connected to stormwater.

We take pride in our drainage, so it's included in every pool landscaping quote we give. It's never an optional extra. Each year we're called out to fix other landscaping jobs where the drainage wasn't done properly. Often the only fix is to pull everything up and start again, which costs far more than doing it right the first time.

What's included in every CIL pool job

When you compare pool landscaping quotes, check what's actually included. Ours always covers:

• Quality stone and pavers from trusted Melbourne suppliers we've used for over 20 years. We choose products that suit pool areas and stand the test of time.

• Underground ag drains to stop water running under the paving into the pool hole.

• Paving that falls away from the pool into strip drains, connected to stormwater.

• Consolidating and sealing travertine and limestone, to protect them from pool water, chlorine and staining.

• Caulking under the pool coping, to seal the joint between the pool shell and the paving.

• Expansion joints caulked through the paving, so it can move with temperature changes without cracking.

Our quotes can look higher at first because everything is included from the start. Other quotes often leave these steps out, which is where problems and extra costs show up later. We'd rather do it once and do it properly.

Working with your pool builder

We've worked alongside many of Melbourne's pool builders, including our good friends at Master Pools for over 20 years. Many pool builders recommend us as their trusted landscaper because they know the job will be done right the first time.

That experience means we plan the landscaping around the pool build, not after it. We can work through levels, access and drainage with your pool builder before the pool goes in, and be ready to start the coping and paving soon after installation. We also work with homeowners who want to upgrade the surrounds of an existing pool.

Our process

1. Site visit: we measure up and talk through how you want to use the space, your budget and timing.

2. Design and 3D render: for larger projects, we show you a 3D render of the finished pool area before work starts.

3. Detailed quote: a clear, itemised quote listing materials, scope and drainage, so you can see exactly what's included.

4. Build: our own team does the construction, coordinating with your pool builder and other trades.

5. Handover: a final walk-through together, plus care advice for your paving, plants and turf.

Paving and coping options

We've used the same trusted Melbourne stone supplier for over 20 years, so we know which products last around pools. Popular choices include:

• Travertine: stays cooler underfoot.

• Granite: hard-wearing and low maintenance.

• Limestone: a soft, natural look that suits coastal and contemporary homes.

• Bluestone: a classic Melbourne stone.

Seamless concrete pool surrounds

For a clean, modern look, we can pour a concrete slab that runs right out to the pool edge with no joins. We then grind the top to expose the stone through the concrete, giving a seamless finish. Before we pour, we always check your pool's engineering is designed to take seamless edge concrete sitting on top of the shell. If it isn't, it can damage the shell and void your pool warranty. It's a step many landscapers miss.

Pool pavilions and outdoor living

As Registered Building Practitioners, we can design and build pool pavilions, cabanas and decking as part of your pool area, creating a shaded space to relax, entertain and watch the kids swim. We handle all the permits involved, so everything is approved, compliant and built right.

Planning them together with the paving and landscaping means everything is built to match, with one team managing it from start to finish. It also means we can plan the pool fence around your structures from the start, so the fence lines flow and stay compliant with everything built around the pool.

Areas we service

We build pool landscaping across Narre Warren North, Narre Warren, Narre Warren South, Berwick, Harkaway, Beaconsfield, Upper Beaconsfield, Officer, Clyde North, Pakenham, Lysterfield, Endeavour Hills, Rowville, Botanic Ridge and surrounding suburbs.

Planning a pool, or want to upgrade the area around an existing one? Book a site visit and we'll talk through your ideas, measure up and give you a clear, itemised quote.