Poolside cabanas, grottos and see-through walls bring resorts to the suburbs

The self-contained pool house for guests at 58 Hanby Street in Brighton, which was sold under the hammer by Nick Johnston Real Estate for $3.99 million Photo: Supplied

The great Australian dream of a house with a backyard swimming pool has reached glamorous new levels.

A basic rectangular or kidney-shaped concrete pool at the rear of the garden is a thing of the past, as landscape architects and home owners take the plunge with imaginative designs.

At the posh end of the market, a shimmering showpiece pool is now de rigueur.

Fancy cabanas, grottos, waterfall features and pools that sit flush against the back of the house and adjoin an outdoor kitchen are bringing 'resort style' to the suburbs in a bid to seduce buyers in an increasingly competitive market.

Real estate agents say an impeccably landscaped pool is in high demand and can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the price of a home.

Landscape architect James Lascelles, whose company Out From The Blue creates high-end pools and gardens, said pools that abut living areas, some with see-through acrylic panels to create a shimmering window, are in vogue.

A Middle Park home with an acrylic window from the pool in to the living area, which was designed by Melbourne landscape architects Out From The Blue. Photo: Dean Bradley Photography

"It's definitely about the view from inside the house because the climate here is so cold that most of the time you are inside the house," he said.

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Poolside cabanas, grottos and see-through walls bring resorts to the suburbs