Pool resurfacing in Sawtell and Boambee

Owners asking about pool resurfacing in Sawtell usually want to know when it is worth doing and what to ask first. We pass your enquiry to a local contractor, who carries out the work. This page sets out the census facts for Sawtell and the wider Sawtell and Boambee area, what the place is like according to a secondary source, and the rules and questions that apply to any pool.

Pool resurfacing in Sawtell: who lives here

At the 2021 Census the ABS counted 3,788 people in Sawtell, with a median age of 47, the highest in the set of places we cover (ABS QuickStats for Sawtell). There were 1,960 private dwellings, of which 1,559 were occupied. Of homes, 68.6 per cent were separate houses, 42.1 per cent were owned outright and 32.5 per cent were rented. Hospitals led employment at 6.8 per cent, with cafes and restaurants at 2.3 per cent.

Median weekly household income in Sawtell was above the median for the Coffs Harbour council area. We give it only as a comparison: it is an ABS 2021 figure and an affordability signal, not a pool signal.

Pool resurfacing in Boambee: the wider Sawtell and Boambee area

The Sawtell and Boambee statistical area is much bigger than the suburb, with 20,066 people (ABS QuickStats for the area). Boambee East has its own figures and sits on the Toormina and Boambee East page, so we keep it there.

The suburb is older, more often owned outright and more often rented than the wider area, and the wider area has more separate houses. Sawtell's median household income was above the council area median, and the wider area's was just below it (ABS QuickStats for the council area).

Dunes, creeks and a settlement from 1863

Wikipedia, a secondary source, places Sawtell about 8 km south of Coffs Harbour at an elevation of 7 m, bordering Toormina to the west (Wikipedia entry for Sawtell). It says Sawtell Beach has "no true beachfront properties" because of dunes, names Bonville Creek and Boambee Creek nearby, and dates settlement from 1863.

That is the whole of what we can source about the setting. We make no claim about ground conditions, groundwater, flooding or salt on any block, and the settlement date says nothing about when any pool was built. ABS gives no pool counts or ages, so we do not say that Sawtell pools are older or newer than pools anywhere else.

What a settled owner profile suggests

A median age of 47 and a large owned-outright share suggest established owner-occupiers who may stay in the house for a long time. That is an inference from census figures, not a finding about pools. It makes one angle useful: when to resurface and what to ask, not just who to call. Signs such as rough patches, stains, cracks, hollow sounds or lifting tiles are on the signs guide.

Pebblecrete and other finishes for Sawtell pools

The first useful fact is what finish is on the pool now, because it changes how the old surface is removed. The pebblecrete and quartz page explains aggregate finishes and how a resurface is done. If tiles, coping or steps are part of the job, the renovation and retiling page sets out the line items to ask about.

Renting out a Sawtell house

About a third of Sawtell homes were rented. The NSW Swimming Pool Register page says a certificate of registration and a certificate of compliance, or an occupation certificate, are needed to lease (NSW Swimming Pool Register information). Coffs Harbour City Council says a pool must be registered and that a compliance certificate is valid for three years while the barrier is unchanged (council pool page). The council page does not address resurfacing an existing pool, so ask the council or a certifier when the barrier or access is touched.

Rules and next steps

NSW Government pages list pool surfacing and surface coatings inside the swimming pool repairs and servicing category and say a licence or certificate is needed for that category. The licence, contract and warranty page sets out what they say and where they stop. Ask how the pool will be emptied and where the water goes before work starts: the draining and dust page explains why. Ask also how groundwater pressure is managed when the pool is emptied. For the next suburb along, see Toormina and Boambee East, or go back to the home page.