Pool Landscaping Pokolbin: A Vineyard Retreat Built Around the Pool

Vineyard Retreat Pokolbin: A Poolside Escape Designed to Blend with the Vines

This pool landscaping Pokolbin project started with a new pool going into an unfinished backyard. Compass Pools was installing a plunge pool for our clients, and they wanted their landscaping locked in at the same time. They wanted one considered space, not a pool dropped into a yard that didn’t yet match it.

Our clients knew they wanted a pool, and they knew exactly where it would go. Beyond that, the brief was more feeling than spec. They wanted some kind of feature wall, one that could also screen off the pool pump and the rest of the property. They wanted a fire pit. And they wanted it all to feel connected, so the whole backyard sat naturally within its vineyard setting.

They had a rough budget in mind but weren’t sure what it would take to get there. That’s exactly the kind of conversation our in-house landscape design and landscape construction team has every day, carrying a project from a loose idea through to a finished result.

Client Goals for This Pool Landscaping Pokolbin Project

Underneath the open brief, a clear set of goals took shape as the design came together:

• A pool surround finished in natural stone that could handle the vineyard backdrop rather than compete with it
• A feature wall that gave the space privacy and structure, while screening the pool pump and the rest of the property from view
• Pool fencing that protected the view rather than blocking it, especially looking out toward the vines
• A fire pit area connected back to the pool and deck, so the whole backyard worked as one space
• Screening under the house to tidy up an awkward, exposed area
• Planting that felt native and low-key rather than manicured, so the finished garden sat naturally within its vineyard surrounds

The Challenge

Building Through a Hunter Valley Vineyard Summer

Every project has its own conditions to work around. This one had weather at both extremes.

The project started at the beginning of summer in the vineyards. That brought heavy rain one week and dry heat the next, with little middle ground in between.

Through the wet periods, we weatherproofed the site wherever possible and rescheduled trades when needed. We kept our clients in the loop on any delays, rather than letting timelines slip quietly.

Through the heat, the crew started earlier and finished earlier on the worst days. Regular breaks kept everyone working safely without losing momentum on site.

None of this is unusual for landscaping work in this part of the Hunter Valley. But it does mean a build like this needs a team used to adjusting on the fly. We never lost sight of the finished brief.

Our Pool Landscaping Pokolbin Solutions

Once our clients locked in the pool position, our landscape design and construction team built the rest of the backyard around it. The completed works included:

• A dry stack stone feature wall using natural stone from Artisan Exterior, built on reinforced block retaining to screen the pool pump and the rear of the property while anchoring the whole pool area
• A grade silver travertine pavers laid to the pool surrounds and used as pool coping, with a concrete drop edge beam and medium texture coating finished in an impregnated colour
• Frameless glass pool fencing along the vineyard-facing side of the pool, keeping the view completely open, with a matching glass gate
• Merbau posts and aluminium pool fencing along the remaining sides, balancing the open glass with a warmer, more grounded material
• Concrete sleeper stepping stones connecting the pool area and back deck through to a new fire pit zone
• A fire pit area edged in Corten steel, with recycled hardwood railway sleepers set vertically into concrete acting as a wind barrier and privacy screen that still reads as part of the vineyard setting
• Salt and pepper gravel finishing the fire pit zone
• A merbau gate leading into slatted screening that closes off the underhouse area, tidying up what had been an exposed, awkward space
• Corten steel edging throughout, shaping garden beds and pathways while keeping garden beds tidy and weed-free
• A native planting palette, including a pepper corn tree, lomandra, and mixed native planting supplied by Glendale Select Plants
• Finished with premium couch turf sourced from Agturf, and Forest Fine mulch

That’s the full scope of this pool landscaping Pokolbin build, all delivered by the same team, start to finish.

Because the same team designed and built this project, small in-progress decisions got sorted directly with our clients on site. Nothing needed a handover between separate design and construction businesses to get lost in.

Pool Landscaping Pokolbin: Project Impact

An Award-Winning Result Our Clients Actually Live In

This project went on to win a Bronze Award in the residential construction category at the 2024 Landscape Association Excellence Awards, recognising the standard of construction across the pool surrounds, feature wall, and fire pit build.

More importantly, it turned an awkward, exposed corner of the property into the part of the backyard our clients now use the most.

“We really felt very comfortable when we engaged with JRL. That whole process, right from making first contact, and that initial consultation, gave us a lot of confidence that you really knew what you were doing and could bring some great ideas to the table.”

“This was a bit of a funny spot in the backyard, it was sort of tucked around the corner and it does get hot with the western sun, and we really weren’t sure what we were going to do with it. Now it just ties it all together, and it feels like a continuous yard, not just that bit around the side.”

“We sit on the deck and just listen to the bubbling pool and look out over it. We’ve already fired up the fire pit a few times, we’ve got a pizza oven going down there next, and some chairs, it’s just going to be lovely.”

— David & Rebecca, Pokolbin

Ready to Create Your Own Outdoor Retreat?

Every project like this starts the same way; a rough idea, a budget in mind, and a backyard that isn’t quite working yet.

Because our team designs and builds every project in-house, you’re never stuck managing the gap between a pool builder, a designer, and a separate construction crew. We carry every project from that first conversation through to the final plant going into the ground.

If you’re picturing something similar for your own outdoor space, we’d love to hear about it.