The Southern Highlands has one of the densest concentrations of B&Bs, boutique guesthouses and small-scale hospitality properties in regional NSW, many of them set in heritage homesteads, converted coaching inns or established country houses around Bowral, Berrima, Sutton Forest and Burradoo. A number of these properties came with a pool as part of the original residence, added decades ago for a private family rather than for paying guests, and a growing number of operators are now weighing whether that pool is actually earning its keep or simply adding cost, risk and upkeep to a business that runs on tight seasonal margins. This guide covers the specific considerations that come up when removing a pool at a B&B or boutique accommodation property, distinct from a standard private residential removal.
Why B&B Operators Reconsider the Pool
A pool at a private residence is used by a small, known group of people. A pool at a guest accommodation business is used, or at least accessible to, a rotating stream of strangers, some of whom are on holiday, some of whom may have been drinking, and some of whom bring children the operator has never met and can’t fully supervise. That changes the risk calculation considerably.
Several factors tend to drive the decision to remove rather than retain:
- Guest supervision is inherently limited. Unlike a private pool where the owner knows exactly who’s using it and when, a guesthouse pool is available to whoever is staying, at whatever hour, often unsupervised. This is a materially different liability position than a family pool.
- Public liability and insurance considerations. Commercial accommodation insurance for a property with guest pool access typically costs more than for an equivalent property without one, and some insurers ask pointed questions about fencing compliance, signage and supervision arrangements. Operators considering removal often start this conversation with their insurance broker.
- Fencing and compliance obligations don’t go away. A pool used by paying guests still needs to meet standard NSW pool safety barrier requirements under the Swimming Pools Act, and for a commercial accommodation property, the consequences of a non-compliant barrier are more serious than for a private home.
- Maintenance and staffing cost. Keeping a pool at guest-ready standard, clean, chemically balanced, safe, functioning heating if fitted, requires either staff time or a paid contractor, a recurring cost that a private homeowner might tolerate but that eats into a small hospitality business’s margins.
- Highlands pool season is short. At Highlands elevation, the practical unheated swimming season is often only a handful of weeks each summer. For a boutique property that operates and takes bookings year-round, a pool that’s genuinely usable for a small fraction of the calendar is a cost centre for most of the year.
Many operators find that removing the pool and repurposing the space, for a kitchen garden, an expanded outdoor entertaining or event area, or simply a more manicured lawn setting for wedding and function photography, gives a better return on the same footprint than the pool did. Our pool removal FAQ for the Southern Highlands covers the general questions that apply here too, on cost, process and approvals; this guide focuses on what’s specific to a guest accommodation property.
Heritage Buildings and Approval Considerations
A large proportion of Southern Highlands B&Bs and boutique accommodation properties occupy heritage-listed buildings or sit within a heritage conservation area, particularly in and around Berrima, Bowral and Sutton Forest. That doesn’t generally make the pool itself heritage-significant, most guesthouse pools are a later addition to the original building, but it does mean the removal needs to be checked against the property’s heritage status before work starts, since demolition works on a heritage-listed site can attract notification or assessment requirements that wouldn’t apply to a standard residential removal.
Where the pool sits close to heritage garden elements, sandstone walls, established formal plantings, period paving, that guests see and photograph as part of the property’s character, your contractor plans the demolition methodology to protect those elements specifically, treating them as part of the business’s presentation rather than incidental landscaping. This is the same care taken on any Southern Highlands estate or heritage property, covered in more detail in our country estate pool removal guide.
Commercial accommodation properties may also have specific conditions attached to their existing development consent or complying development approval that reference the pool, which is worth checking with your planning consultant or Wingecarribee Shire Council before committing to removal, particularly if the pool was a condition of an earlier consent for the accommodation use itself.
What’s Different About the Removal Process
The physical removal process at a B&B or guesthouse is fundamentally the same as any full pool removal, the pool is drained, the shell demolished (hydraulic breaking for concrete, extraction or break-up for fibreglass), rubble removed to a licensed facility, and the void backfilled and compacted to grade. What changes is the operational planning around it:
- Scheduling around bookings. Unlike a private home where the owner simply lives with a few days of disruption, a working accommodation business needs the job scheduled around guest bookings, function dates or peak season, which your contractor plans around in consultation with the operator.
- Site presentation during and after the work. Guests and prospective guests often see the property, in person or in marketing photography, so managing sightlines, noise and general presentation during the job matters more than at a typical residential property.
- Larger or more elaborate pools and surrounds. Many Highlands guesthouse pools sit within established, photogenic surrounds, tiled decking, pergolas, garden borders, similar in scale to the estate-style pools found on the region’s larger private properties. Where the property also has an unused tennis court alongside the pool, a common feature at some of the area’s larger converted homesteads, combining both into a single project can be more efficient than treating them separately; our tennis court and pool combo removal guide covers that approach.
Indicative Cost of Removing a Pool at a B&B or Boutique Property
Pricing follows the same drivers as any Southern Highlands pool removal, construction type, size, access and any heritage or rural-property factors, with B&B and guesthouse jobs typically sitting toward the estate end of the range given the scale and setting of many of these properties.
| Scope | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|
| Standard inground fibreglass pool, full removal | $9,000 – $15,000 |
| Standard inground concrete pool, full removal | $12,000 – $20,000 |
| Larger estate-style pool with elaborate surrounds or spa | $18,000 – $30,000+ |
| Heritage assessment or asbestos check (where required) | Add $800 – $2,500 |
All prices include GST and are indicative only. Every job is priced with a fixed quote after a free on-site inspection, since pool size, construction, heritage status and access can’t be assessed accurately without seeing the property. Our pool removal on acreage and rural properties guide is also worth reading if your accommodation business sits on a larger rural holding with its own septic, bore or access considerations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing the pool affect our accommodation licence or existing development consent? It can, depending on whether the pool was a specific condition of an earlier approval for the accommodation use. We recommend checking with your planning consultant or Wingecarribee Shire Council before committing; the pool removal component can then be scoped by the contractor alongside that advice.
Can the work be scheduled around our bookings? Yes. Your contractor plans removal jobs at commercial accommodation properties around booking calendars, function dates and peak season wherever possible, and discusses timing in detail before confirming a date.
Will removing the pool affect our public liability insurance? Removing a pool generally simplifies the risk profile insurers assess for a guest accommodation property, though the specific effect on your premium is a conversation for your insurance broker. Many operators raise pool removal specifically in that context.
Our pool sits near a heritage-listed building. Can it still be removed? In most cases yes, since the pool itself is rarely the heritage-significant element, but the property’s heritage status needs to be checked before work starts. This is assessed as part of every site inspection at heritage properties.
What happens to the space once the pool is removed? Common choices for Highlands guest accommodation properties include an expanded lawn or garden for functions and photography, a kitchen garden supplying the kitchen, or additional outdoor entertaining space. Finish and grading options that suit your intended use can be discussed during the site inspection.
If you’re considering removing a pool at a Southern Highlands B&B, guesthouse or boutique accommodation property, request a free on-site quote and the building, any heritage considerations and access will be assessed before the job is priced.