Hunter Pool Removals treats every pre-1990s pool surround (fibro pump sheds, ageing fences, certain paving underlays) as a candidate for asbestos until suspect material has actually been tested, because sight alone can’t confirm it. Confirmed asbestos is then removed only by a licensed asbestos removalist under SafeWork NSW rules and taken to a lawful disposal facility, quoted separately from the main demolition so the cost stays transparent.
This isn’t a scare story. It’s a routine, well-understood step in a lot of Hunter pool removals, and it only becomes a problem when it’s guessed at instead of checked. This guide sets out where asbestos actually turns up around older pools, how testing works, who’s allowed to remove it, and what it typically does to a quote.
Why Do So Many Older Pools Have Asbestos Nearby?
Fibro (asbestos-cement sheeting) was a mainstream, everyday building material in Australia from the post-war years until it was progressively phased out through the 1980s, with a full ban on asbestos manufacture and use in Australia only taking effect at the end of 2003. Newcastle and Lake Macquarie had a huge amount of backyard building activity through exactly that window: pools, pump sheds, garden fencing and paving all going in during the 1960s to 1980s, much of it owner-built or done by small local tradesmen using whatever cladding was cheap, light and weatherproof. Fibro ticked every box.
Two things are worth separating clearly. First, the pool shell itself: concrete, gunite, fibreglass or vinyl, is not asbestos, and removing it isn’t an asbestos job on its own. Second, the surrounds built around the pool at the same time: the pump shed, the boundary or pool fencing, sometimes the underlay beneath paving or coping, are where asbestos-containing material is actually found. That distinction is why a licensed contractor assesses the whole site, not just the pool, before any demolition starts.
Where Does Asbestos Actually Turn Up Around a Pool?
| Surround feature | Typical era | Why it gets tested |
|---|---|---|
| Pump shed walls or roof sheeting | Pre-1990s | Fibro cladding was standard, cheap and common for small outbuildings |
| Pool or boundary fencing panels | Pre-1990s | Flat or corrugated fibro sheets were a popular, affordable fencing material |
| Paving and coping underlays | Pre-1990s | Some older hardscaping was laid over asbestos-cement sheeting rather than compacted base |
None of these are automatic. Plenty of pre-1990s pools have timber pump sheds, metal fencing and ordinary sand-bedded paving with nothing of concern in sight. The point of testing isn’t to assume the worst, it’s to stop guessing either way.
How Is Suspect Material Actually Tested Before Demolition?
The process is straightforward and happens before machinery arrives, not during. A licensed contractor visually assesses the site as part of the pre-demolition inspection, identifying any material that’s the right era and appearance to be a candidate: fibro-style sheeting, older flat panels, unusual paving underlays. Anything suspect is sampled and laboratory-tested rather than assumed one way or the other. Only once results come back does the job plan lock in: ordinary demolition and disposal if the material is clear, or licensed asbestos removal first if it isn’t.
This sequencing matters. Testing before demolition means the crew never has to stop and guess mid-job whether they’ve just disturbed something they shouldn’t have. It also means your written quote can separate “standard demolition” from “asbestos removal, if required” honestly, instead of quietly folding a risk into a number that assumes the best case.
Who Is Licensed to Remove Confirmed Asbestos?
Confirmed asbestos around a pool is removed only by a licensed asbestos removalist, never as a side task by a general demolition or excavation crew. In NSW, SafeWork NSW licenses asbestos removal work under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017, broadly split into a Class A licence (removal of both friable and non-friable asbestos, without the same quantity limits) and a Class B licence (non-friable, bonded asbestos-cement material, such as most fibro sheeting, above the minor-works threshold). Which class applies depends on the material and quantity found, and that assessment sits with the licensed removalist, not with a homeowner or a website.
Once removed, asbestos-containing material is transported and disposed of at a facility licensed to accept it, with disposal records kept as part of the job’s paperwork trail. That trail matters again later if you sell or build, alongside the other documents covered in our council approval guide.
What Does Asbestos Removal Add to the Cost of a Pool Job?
Asbestos removal is quoted separately from the core demolition, because the scope only becomes known once test results are back. It sits alongside a couple of other genuine site-specific add-ons that can move a pool removal quote:
| Add-on | Indicative cost impact | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed asbestos removal (surrounds, sheds, fences) | Quoted separately, after testing | Confirmed asbestos in surrounds around a pre-1990s pool |
| Tight access / hand demolition | +$2,000-$8,000+ | Standard excavator can’t get through the available gap |
| Crane lift (fibreglass shell lifted out) | +$1,500-$5,000 | Shell craned out over the house rather than cut up on site |
These figures come from our pool removal cost guide, which sets out the full range of factors that move a quote up or down. Asbestos removal doesn’t have a fixed indicative range the way access or crane work does, because the cost depends entirely on how much material is confirmed and where it is, which is exactly why it’s assessed and quoted on its own rather than bundled into a headline number.
Does Asbestos Interact With Council Approval or Mine Subsidence Checks?
Not directly, but they’re often relevant to the same older Hunter properties. Planning approval (exempt development, a complying development certificate or a development application) is a separate question from asbestos handling, covered in full in our council approval guide; exemption from planning approval never exempts a job from proper asbestos handling. Similarly, some older Newcastle and Lake Macquarie properties that are old enough to carry fibro surrounds also sit within a declared mine subsidence district, which is its own separate check explained in our mine subsidence and pool removal guide. A well-run job checks all three (approval pathway, asbestos, subsidence) at the inspection stage, not as surprises later.
Concrete pools from the 1970s-90s building boom are the ones most often paired with fibro-era surrounds in this region, simply because they went in during the same window. Our concrete pool removal page covers how those shells are handled once any surrounding asbestos question is settled.
What Happens If Asbestos Is Found Mid-Job?
On a properly run job, it shouldn’t be a mid-job discovery at all, because testing happens first. But if something suspect turns up once work is underway (a buried section of sheeting under paving, for instance), work in that area stops, the material is assessed and tested, and a licensed asbestos removalist is engaged to deal with it before demolition continues at that spot. It adds time and a separately quoted cost, but it’s a managed process with an established procedure, not a reason to panic or to have work continue over it.
Older Pool, Newer Suburb: Does It Still Apply?
Asbestos risk tracks the age of the surrounds, not the address. A 1980s pool in an outer Lake Macquarie suburb and one in an inner-city Newcastle street carry the same consideration if the pump shed or fencing dates from the same era. What varies by location is more often access and slope than asbestos likelihood; a pre-1990s structure is a pre-1990s structure wherever it sits.
Asbestos & Old Pool Removal FAQs
Does every old pool have asbestos?
No. Asbestos risk relates to the pump shed, fencing and certain paving underlays around pre-1990s pools, not to the pool shell itself, and plenty of older pools have none of the suspect materials at all. The only way to know is to have suspect-looking material assessed and tested rather than assumed either way.
How is asbestos tested before a pool is removed?
A licensed contractor visually assesses the site during the pre-demolition inspection, identifies any material of the right era and appearance to be a candidate, and has it sampled and laboratory-tested. Demolition proceeds on the basis of the result: standard methods if clear, licensed asbestos removal first if confirmed.
Who is legally allowed to remove asbestos from around a pool?
Only a licensed asbestos removalist, operating under a SafeWork NSW Class A or Class B licence depending on the material and quantity involved. General demolition and excavation contractors handle the pool shell and surrounds that test clear, but confirmed asbestos is a separate, specialised scope by law.
Does finding asbestos delay the whole pool removal?
It can add time to the affected area while licensed removal is arranged, but it doesn’t have to stop the whole job, and testing before demolition begins is designed to avoid mid-job surprises in the first place. Most of the site can often still proceed on its original schedule.
Is asbestos removal included in a pool removal quote?
It’s quoted separately, because the scope depends on test results that aren’t known until the site has been assessed. A proper quote states this clearly rather than assuming a best case; see our pool removal cost guide for how it sits alongside other cost factors.
Can I test for asbestos myself before getting a quote?
You can flag anything you suspect (an old fibro-look pump shed or fence panel, for example) when you enquire, which helps with early planning, but formal testing and any removal is handled by licensed professionals as part of the job, not by a homeowner beforehand.
Get Your Pool’s Surrounds Properly Assessed
Suspect fibro around an old pool isn’t a reason to put the job off, it’s a reason to get it looked at by people who deal with it properly. Get a free quote through the form, tell us the pool’s rough age and send a few photos of the pump shed, fencing and surrounds, and we’ll factor a proper assessment into your inspection from the start.