Glass Pool Fencing: When Is It a Good Solution?

We Australians simply love to be around water. It’s in our identity; our way of living is intertwined with the wild nature of the ocean, and for many of our colleagues, friends or family members, the perfect holiday cannot be complete without a visit to one of Australia’s famous beaches.

However, there’s a problem. Even though approximately 87% of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast, our complicated lifestyle means that, for many, ocean visits are something akin to the punishment of Sisyphus, always within grasp, but always slipping away.

Swimming is your favourite activity, and you want nothing more in this world than to relax in the company of your friends and family, with the occasional water splash in between? Then, you could take the example of the 2.7 million Aussies who live in a house with a swimming pool and invest in one that can increase your property’s market valuation and make it easier to sell your dwelling, if you ever decide to take this action in the future.

Why Invest in a New Pool?

Well, let’s think both in terms of practicality and financial advantages. Even though only 15% of the house stock in Sydney features a pool, the real estate attention of dwellings that feature external/indoor pools is disproportionate to say the least. Houses with a pool are simply more popular, and the installation of one can, in some cases, lead to returns that will offset the homeowner’s initial financial investment.

Pools can transform your backyard into a lively space, perfect for parties or family gatherings, and they also make it less likely for your house to depreciate, regardless of the trajectory of the domestic housing market. But there’s a catch.

Even though they are fun investments and they can bring a plethora of benefits to homeowners, the installation of pools, in NSW at least, is also tightly regulated. Do you want to construct one on your property’s lot? Then, you will also need to invest in glass pool fencing, or other types of protective barriers designed to reduce child drownings.

Why Is Glass Fencing in Sydney Imperative?

The installation of pool fencing is both legally mandated by the framework laid out in the Swimming Pools Act of 1992, the Swimming Pools Regulations of 2018, and AS 1926, and is a moral duty in order to minimise the risks of unwanted accidents on your property.

Compliant child-resistant barriers are necessary, as they are the only way to minimise your liability as a pool owner, in case someone suffers an accident on your property. But it’s not only about the legal framework. Glass fencing, while modern-looking and practical, is also the best available choice to keep your children secure and your family pets away from the dangerous nature of deep, unsupervised water.

A Regulatory Framework with a Direct Purpose

We all know a story about a relative, friend, or acquaintance who had a close call in their youth after falling in their parent’s pool. Why risk it? Glass pool fencing is a legal requirement in NSW. Not the glass part, but the fencing.

Homeowners are legally obligated to invest in safety barriers with a minimum height of 1.2 meters, a non-climbable zone of 900mm, and a maximum gap underneath the barrier or between its vertical bars of 100mm.

Moreover, these barriers must be accompanied by self-latching gates that open away from the pool. Pool fencing can therefore transform into quite a substantial investment. So, if you are already spending the money, why not choose a premium option and go for glass fencing?

Were These Regulations Effective?

Yes, impressively so, in fact. Between 2002 and 2022, the number of drowning deaths in Australia, for children under four, fell by no less than 51%. A more direct correlation between the introduction of pool safety barriers and child drowning reduction has been observed in Queensland, where the number of children's pool drownings fell from around 12 deaths per year between 1982 and 1991 to only around two deaths per year between 1992 and 1994, after the introduction of pool-fencing legislation.

Moreover, a study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2000 found that fencing was associated with a 73% reduction (0.27 odds ratio) in drowning/near-drowning probability among children. The numbers speak for themselves. Since the first introduction of the Pool Safety Acts, Australia has seen a dramatic, long-term reduction in child drownings, particularly among children under five.

Of course, this dramatic decrease was not only made possible by tightened pool safety regulations. Water-safety education and supervision awareness also played a significant role. That said, it’s impossible to deny the overall impact of these legal frameworks and dismiss their role in reducing child drowning and improving general pool safety.

Why Go for Glass Pool Fencing Specifically?

Well, if you are going to spend your money on a new pool fence, you might as well go for the best option around and choose a barrier that can improve the safety of your pool while also having a positive impact on your backyard’s design cues. Glass fencing in Sydney:

• Can restrict access to your pool without impacting visibility to the rest of your land plot. Frameless glass pool fencing doesn’t create the visual bars you usually get with aluminium or steel fences, and it’s therefore a good way to make your backyard look larger than it is.

• Glass pool fencing is also exceptionally durable; it’s not susceptible to rust, it requires less maintenance than other fencing solutions, and it’s also a way to improve your property’s market appeal. Glass fences are associated with high-end properties, and they can transform your pool into a defining feature of your dwelling.

• Will a glass fence add significantly to your property’s market valuation? That’s a bold claim to make. However, what is sure is that a frameless glass fence will be a selling point that could, even in the worst-case scenario, at least make your property more marketable for Sydney-based buyers.