A pool cabana is a roof that belongs to the pool rather than the house. It gives you shade at the water, a place to put the drinks and towels, and somewhere for the adults to sit while the kids swim. Done well, it becomes the part of the backyard everyone heads for.
Freestanding flat roof
The simplest cabana is a freestanding skillion roof on four or six posts. It can go anywhere, be sized exactly for a table or a lounge, and be built in single skin or insulated. A white or Surfmist roof and frame keeps it light against the water and the garden.
Gable pavilion
A gable roof turns the cabana into a pavilion. The pitched ceiling gives height and lets hot air rise away from you, and the gable end can be left open, screened with slats or filled with clear sheeting for light. It suits a house with a pitched roof and looks good from the house.
Louvred cabana
A louvred roof lets you choose: blades open for sun on a winter afternoon, closed for shade or rain. Aluminium does not rust, which suits a pool area, and lighting can be built into the frame for evenings.
Gazebos and clear roofs
A hexagonal gazebo makes a feature at the end of the pool, and a clear-roofed pergola keeps the rain off while letting the light through. Both suit a garden setting where a solid roof would feel heavy.
Sizes that work
- Four sun lounges side by side: about 4 × 3 m.
- A six-seat outdoor table with room to walk around it: about 4 × 4 m.
- A lounge setting plus a barbecue bench: about 6 × 4 m.
- A full outdoor kitchen with dining: 6 × 5 m or more.
Add at least 600 mm each side beyond the furniture so the roof shades it in the morning and afternoon, not just at noon.
What goes under it
- An outdoor kitchen or barbecue bench. Leave clearance above the barbecue and plan the gas and power before the build.
- Day beds or sun lounges, with a ceiling fan for still days.
- A towel rail, an outdoor shower nearby and storage for pool toys.
- Downlights or strip lighting, all wired by a licensed electrician during the build.
Where to put it
Watch where the shade falls. A cabana on the western side of the pool shades the deck in the afternoon, when the sun is hottest. Keep it far enough back that splashes and wet feet stay on the pool surround, and check where the sewer, pool plumbing and any easement run before you pick the spot.
The pool fence
A cabana inside the pool area keeps the barrier simple. One outside the fence must not give a child a way over it: posts, beams and screens stay clear of the 900 mm non-climbable zone on the outside of the fence. We plan the posts around the barrier from the start.
Approval for a detached roof
- Most cabanas over 10 m² need a building approval, with engineering for wind. A freestanding roof is designed for the uplift under it.
- Gold Coast: detached outbuildings, including a freestanding cabana, count towards an allowance that starts at 36 m² on lots under 800 m². Past that, council does an amenity assessment.
- Scenic Rim: all domestic outbuildings together are capped at 55, 110 or 200 m² depending on lot size in residential zones.
- Everywhere: the cabana counts towards site cover and must meet the boundary setbacks.
Materials by the water
Colorbond steel and aluminium both handle chlorine and salt water well. Rinse the posts and the sheltered parts of the roof now and then, especially with a salt-water pool or near the coast.
Getting a quote
Send us a photo of the pool area and the furniture you want under the roof. We measure up, check the pool barrier, pipes and setbacks, and price the cabana with the approval included.
Single skin or insulated
Over sun lounges where people come and go, single skin is often enough, especially with a light roof colour. Over a dining table or an outdoor kitchen, where people sit for hours, an insulated roof is cooler, quieter in rain and gives a ceiling for lights and a fan. We price both at the quote so you can compare.