Lap pools are becoming a popular addition to Mackay homes. Designed for swimming laps, the long narrow shape suits smaller blocks and sloping ground — and gives your whole family a genuinely convenient way to exercise, relax and cool off at home.
A tastefully designed home lap pool transforms your back or side yard into a stunning space, letting you entertain with confidence and swim, play or unwind in private. In this article we’ll cover:
What a lap pool is
A lap pool is similar to a traditional swimming pool except it’s narrower, which makes it ideal for smaller spaces and long, narrow blocks.
Lap pools were pioneered in California in the 1970s and quickly spread worldwide for the convenience and elegance they add to any home.
Where a plunge pool is designed for a quick cool-off, a backyard lap pool is designed for swimming laps and doing water exercise. Lap pools are also great for elderly or less mobile family members because they’re shallow enough to stand in and the bottom stays at a uniform depth, without the sudden slope of a traditional pool.
Sizes of pre-made fibreglass lap pools range from 10 to 30 metres. If you need something shorter, plunge pools come in sizes from 3.8 to 6 metres.
Pool builders can install lap pools in-ground, above-ground or partially in-ground, which makes them easy to adapt to any space or terrain — unlike traditional swimming pools that need a large, flat area.
You can build any landscaping ideas around a lap pool to create a highly personalised space. Features and accessories quickly turn a pre-made fibreglass shell into a unique installation specific to your block.
Keeping fit becomes easy and enjoyable when you have a private space for your morning laps or evening stress-busting swim.
Lap pools versus traditional swimming pools
The main difference between a lap pool and a traditional swimming pool is size. A regular swimming pool needs a large area; a lap pool fits into a long narrow space, which makes it ideal for shallow backyards and narrow side yards — a common shape in Mackay’s newer estates like Ooralea and Rural View.
In-ground lap pools are slightly cheaper to install than larger traditional pools. Above-ground lap pools can cost significantly less than conventional pools, depending on the type of deck you choose around the pool.
Lap pool owners also enjoy real long-term savings on running costs, because there’s less water to treat and heat.
Lap pools have a uniform depth of about 1.5m for their whole length, so there’s no mid-pool slope. That makes it easier and safer for elderly or less mobile family members to do low-impact water exercise to maintain their health.
Why choose a fibreglass lap pool
Fibreglass pools are slightly cheaper than concrete pools to install and they’re much faster to build. A fibreglass pool can be installed in around ten days. A concrete pool usually takes months of construction work.
Fibreglass pools also need a lot less maintenance. Concrete pools need acid washing and refinishing over time and use more energy. You can expect to spend around $20,000 more in maintenance on a concrete pool than a fibreglass one over a ten-year period.
Fibreglass pools built on Ceramic Core technology can also be self-cleaning — bacteria and algae don’t stick to the surface. Concrete pools need regular cleaning service because concrete is porous and gives microorganisms places to hide. Fewer chemicals, less maintenance time, less running cost.
Lap pool designs
The only real design advantage concrete pools have over fibreglass is that concrete can be almost any shape, while fibreglass pools come in pre-made shells.
Everything else about a fibreglass pool is customisable. You choose the pool colour, the surrounding tile colours, water features, pool height, landscaping and accessories. You end up with a look that’s totally unlike any other pool.
Your lap pool can have a bridge, a fountain or a waterfall. A stone wall or boulders add a natural look, or you can go for a sleek modern look. Water curtains and waterfalls give life to the space and add a nice ambient sound. One intriguing design option is to have part of the lap pool indoors and part outdoors, so you can swim in and out of your home — not common but doable on the right site.
The Compass fibreglass shells come in a wide variety of widths and lengths, and many lap pool sizes are available to fit any space.
The Fastlane Custom Pools are 10.34m long by 2.78m wide and can be extended up to 30m long. The Vogue and X-Trainer models are wider (4.2m) and include integrated steps and bench seats, but they come in lengths above 10m so they still work well for lap swimming if you have more space in your backyard.
See all of our lap pool designs here.
Pool colours
You can choose between Compass Pools’ premium Bi-Luminite colour range, which gives your pool a stunning sparkle, or the Vivid range, which offers a wide selection of popular and vibrant colours at a lower price point.
Bi-Luminite colours not only give your pool an incredible glow, they add a layer of high-quality vinyl ester resin. That double-layer finish keeps the colour looking new for many years and gives the underlying fibreglass shell extra protection.
Lap pool installation
Once you’ve chosen a design, planned the landscaping and lined up the necessary approvals, installing a lap pool typically takes about ten days on site. Fibreglass installation is straightforward if you have a flat backyard and enough access space to get the pre-built shell into the yard.
You may choose an above-ground installation or a partially in-ground installation to work with landscaping ideas or rugged terrain — a sloping backyard, for example. Compass offers a unique, well-tested Maxi Rib solution that’s often less expensive than the earthworks, retaining walls or concrete you’d otherwise need on a difficult block.
Maxi Rib pools let you install a fibreglass shell above ground almost anywhere. Ribs added to the outside of the shell give it the structural strength to sit above the ground line without the surrounding soil doing the work, which means you can express your design ideas freely without fighting the site.
Lap pool accessories
A swim in your lap pool becomes even more enjoyable with the right accessories — designed to add to the pool’s beauty and to make daily use nicer. Your pool builder installs them at build time.
Underwater lighting makes swimming at night safer, and the light shimmering underwater makes your backyard feel striking and bigger.
Disappearing edges (infinity pools) create a stunning, romantic effect for lap pools installed on sloping ground or a rooftop. Your lap pool becomes part of the landscape and you feel like you’re floating in space.
A pool spa is lovely for relaxing after a hard day or watching the kids play. The combination of hot water and hydrotherapy waterjets releases stress and helps sleep. A pool-and-spa combination is the ideal backyard for both exercise and relaxation.
Water jets in your lap pool can be used for resistance to swim against or for hydrotherapy. They also help circulate the water, which keeps the pool clean and the temperature even.
The Vantage in-floor self-cleaning system continuously circulates the pool’s water in the most efficient way. Water jets on the pool floor channel debris to a drain, where a pool pump moves it into an accessible filter for you to empty periodically. Constant circulation eliminates cold spots and dead zones where algae and bacteria can grow. Self-cleaning pools are easier to maintain and you don’t pay as much for ongoing cleaning services.
A wader pool installed next to your lap pool gives the kids a place to play and splash about.
Sunpods are a great way to join a wader or spa to your lap pool for an impressive visual effect — and they’re a favourite with kids, who love playing in the bubbling water jets. Sunpods can be any size and located on any side of your lap pool. They can even wrap around corners.
Even though Mackay and the Isaac Region sit in Australia’s tropical zone, mornings can be chilly during winter, which makes a lap pool heater a nice comfort addition.
If you’re wondering about the cost of a specific accessory, give us a call for a free, no-obligation chat and we’ll answer your questions — 0401 871 192.
Lap pool prices
The price of lap pools varies enormously depending on size, design, accessories, terrain and ease of access. The best approach is to call an expert at Smart Self Cleaning Pools for a free quote. A lap pool may cost less than you think.
Luke will happily visit any location in Mackay, Moranbah or the Isaac Region for a free site inspection and walk you through everything you need to know. You’ll get to the right pool solution for your family and your backyard.
For questions or help, please call 0401 871 192.
