An old pool footprint is very often the sunniest, flattest, most usable part of a Hunter backyard, which is exactly why a fire pit, pergola or full entertaining area is one of the most common things people want to build there once the pool is gone. Our backyard design ideas after pool removal guide covers this alongside seven other options in brief; this guide goes deeper into the entertaining-area option specifically, what the base actually needs, how a pergola’s footings differ from a firepit’s paving, and how the fill method chosen at removal time shapes what you can build later.
Why an Entertaining Area Suits an Old Pool Footprint
Pools are usually positioned to catch the afternoon sun and to be visible from the main living areas, which happens to be exactly the brief for an outdoor entertaining space. Reusing that footprint for a paved area, a pergola-covered deck, or a fire pit and seating zone means you’re not fighting the yard’s existing sun and sightlines the way you might if you carved a new entertaining zone out of a shadier corner. It’s also often the one part of the yard already roughly level, since a rough-levelled, backfilled pool void is the standard finish handed over after any full pool removal or partial fill-in, covered in detail on our pool excavation and backfill page.
Fire Pit and Paved Seating Area: What the Base Needs
A fire pit and surrounding paved or gravel seating area is one of the lighter-weight options for a former pool footprint, and generally one of the more forgiving to get right.
Gravel or compacted road-base seating area. For a simple gravel entertaining zone, a compacted road-base sub-layer over the settled backfill, edged with sleepers or steel edging, is usually enough. Because there’s no rigid slab to crack, minor settlement in the fill underneath is far less of a problem here than it would be under paving or concrete.
Paved or concrete seating area. A rigid paved surface behaves more like a light slab and wants consistent support underneath, so it benefits from the same “confirm the fill was compacted in layers” conversation as any other structure over a filled void. The spot most likely to show uneven settlement first is the transition between the old pool footprint and undisturbed ground, worth flagging if you’re paving rather than laying gravel.
The fire pit itself. A permanent, fixed fire pit (brick, stone or steel ring set into a paved or gravel base) is a low-load structure, nothing like a garage slab, but still benefits from sitting on ground that has had a season to settle rather than freshly placed fill. Check council rules on open fires before a wood-burning design; many Newcastle and Lake Macquarie properties face total fire bans during high-risk periods, and a gas-fuelled fire pit avoids that restriction entirely.
Pergola: A Genuinely Different Footing Question
A pergola sits in a different category to a fire pit or paving, because its posts concentrate load into a handful of specific footing points rather than spreading it across a whole slab or gravel bed.
- Footing depth and bearing. Pergola posts are typically set in concrete footings sunk below the fill layer to bear on more consistent ground, rather than resting on the compacted fill alone. Where a post footing sits directly over the deepest part of the old pool, that’s worth flagging to whoever is installing it, since fill depth (and therefore the footing design) varies across the old footprint, deeper toward the old deep end, shallower near the shallow end and steps.
- Attached versus freestanding. A pergola attached to the house at one end and posted into the old footprint at the other is more sensitive to differential movement between the house’s footings and the filled ground; a gap opening at the join is the first visible sign of trouble. A fully freestanding pergola doesn’t have that failure mode, though its posts still need proper footings.
- Roofed versus open lattice. An open lattice pergola carries far less load than a roofed or polycarbonate-covered structure, which is one reason lattice is a more forgiving first step if you’re not certain about the fill quality underneath.
Anything heavier than a pergola, an outdoor kitchen, an enclosed alfresco room with a solid roof, or anything approaching habitable space, moves toward the footing and engineering questions covered in our garage and carport slab guide, which, though written for vehicle structures, covers the same logic about compaction evidence and footing design over filled ground.
Does Full Removal or Partial Fill-In Change What You Can Build?
Yes, and this is the single most important decision to get right before landscaping starts, not after.
| What you want to add | Over a partial fill-in (shell buried) | Over full removal with certified engineered fill |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel seating area, fire pit on a paved base | Generally fine | Yes |
| Freestanding pergola on standard footings | Often fine, subject to advice | Yes, subject to design |
| Roofed alfresco or attached entertaining structure | Generally not without further investigation | Commonly achievable, subject to design |
A partial pool removal fill-in leaves the lower shell in the ground, which is genuinely fine for lawn, gravel, garden beds and a light fire pit area. Where it gets more complicated is a pergola or any structure with real footings straddling old shell and surrounding fill, since the shell itself isn’t designed to act as a footing and a post landing partly on old concrete and partly on fill is the kind of mixed support that produces movement. A full pool removal with the entire shell out and clean, engineered fill placed and compacted in layers gives an installer a known, consistent base to design footings against, which is why it’s worth mentioning an entertaining area with a pergola as your eventual plan when you first request a pool removal quote, not after the backfill is already down.
Sequencing the Project Properly
The cheapest way to end up with a good entertaining area is to plan it before the pool comes out, not after the lawn is established:
- Decide roughly what you want. A gravel fire pit zone has a different fill requirement to a roofed, posted pergola, so knowing which one you’re aiming for changes the removal method worth discussing.
- Choose full removal or partial fill-in accordingly. Lean toward full removal with certified fill if a pergola or anything with real footings is on the list; a partial fill-in is usually adequate for gravel, paving and a simple fire pit.
- Let the fill settle before building. Even properly compacted fill benefits from a season to settle before paving or footings go on top; rushing this is where most cracked-paving questions come from later.
- Use a landscaper or builder who asks about the fill. Anyone installing paving, a pergola or a fire pit over a filled pool void should ask what went into the ground and how it was compacted, not just measure up and quote blind.
For the broader landscaping picture beyond just the entertaining zone, our pool removal and landscaping after guide covers topsoil, turf, drainage and how the fill decision shapes every other choice for the yard.
FAQs
Can I build a fire pit straight over a filled-in pool?
Generally yes, for a gravel or paved base with a fixed fire pit, whether the pool was fully removed or partially filled in, provided the ground has been properly compacted and given some time to settle. This is one of the more forgiving uses of a former pool footprint precisely because there’s no rigid slab or deep footing involved.
Does a pergola need engineered fill, or is standard backfill enough?
A freestanding pergola on standard post footings is often fine over properly compacted standard fill, but confirming compaction records and, where the pergola is attached to the house or carries a solid roof, getting a builder or engineer to check the footing design is the safer approach. A full removal with certified, engineered fill removes most of the uncertainty.
What’s the cheapest way to turn an old pool area into an entertaining zone?
A gravel base, sleeper or steel edging and a simple fire pit is the lowest-cost option, comparable to the level lawn option in our backyard design ideas guide. Paving costs more, and a roofed pergola or alfresco structure costs more again, roughly in that order.
Do I need council approval for a pergola over an old pool site?
It depends on size, height and whether it’s attached to the house, the same rules that apply to a pergola anywhere else on the property. Ground conditions from a filled pool don’t change the approval pathway itself, but your certifier will likely want to see fill and compaction documentation from the original removal as part of assessing the footings.
Should I mention my entertaining area plans when I get my pool removal quote?
Yes, ideally before the job is booked. Telling your contractor you’re planning a fire pit, pergola or paved entertaining zone lets the fill and compaction be scoped for it from the start, which is considerably cheaper than retrofitting engineered fill under an already-landscaped entertaining area later.
Planning a fire pit, pergola or entertaining area over your old pool site? Get a free quote and tell us the end goal so the removal, fill and compaction are scoped to suit it from day one.