Updated October 2026
Margate is two suburbs sharing one postcode. Walk any street back from the beach and you pass a post-war cottage that has never been touched, then a knockdown rebuild with a rendered box and a lap pool, then another cottage. The pool work splits the same way. Behind the original homes sit some of the most tired pools in 4019, pebblecrete that has been underfoot since the eighties and barriers that were compliant when they went in. Behind the rebuilds sit pools barely five years old where the only question is whether the pump is costing more to run than it should. The ground under both is flat and sandy, which makes access easy and drainage a thing to plan for.
We connect you with experienced local renovators who work Margate and quote both ends of that range honestly.
The old pools: resurface or paint
An interior that is rough on the feet, stains no matter how clean the water is, and sheds pebbles into the skimmer has reached the end of its service life. That is a resurfacing job, not a chemistry problem. Where the shell is sound and the budget is not ready, pool painting is a legitimate halfway step that buys several presentable years, and it is a far better outcome than another summer of apologising for the pool. Either way, waterline tiles and coping get done in the same drain-down, because the pool is already empty and the access is already set up. See tiling and coping.
The new pools: equipment, not surfaces
On the rebuild side the interior has plenty of life left and the money is better spent on what runs it. A single speed pump left over from the build is usually the biggest line on the power bill in the house, and swapping it for a variable speed unit with a modern chlorinator and a timer pays itself back in a way a new surface never does. Heating, lighting and automation are worth pricing at the same visit so the pad only gets opened once. See equipment upgrades.
Sand, salt and where the water goes
Flat sandy ground is kind to a renovation crew but it does mean groundwater is close, so a drain-down gets the same care here as it does on the canal estates. Pool water has to be discharged in line with Unitywater requirements rather than tipped into the street stormwater, and a renovator who works the peninsula will have that sorted before the hose comes out. Salt in the air does the rest of the damage, quietly, to hinges, latches and the equipment pad.
Frequently asked questions
Is painting a pool a waste of money?
Not on a sound shell. It is a different product with a shorter life than a full resurface, and it is honest value when the structure is fine and the finish is not. The cost guide sets out the difference.
My pool is five years old. Why would I renovate anything?
You probably would not touch the surface. The common Margate job on newer pools is equipment efficiency and a tile or coping repair, not a renovation.
Can you do the work while we live in the house?
Yes. Most jobs run with the family at home. Expect noise and restricted backyard access for the working days, and a fenced off site when the pool is empty.
Beach end or back streets, the quote is free. Get a fast quote
We also cover nearby Redcliffe and Woody Point.