Decisions regarding the difficult site

This site was a difficult site for our client as there was only 7m between the neighbours’ garage and their new house. Normally this is plenty of space however there was a fall of 1.5m. A retaining wall was going to be needed. Given the neighbours’ garage was on the boundary, to build the wall on the boundary it would have been a very expensive wall. They would also have had to cut the entire area so that the pool was level with the finished floor level of their house – this would have also cost more.

A pool with a glass window/wall

Instead, they invested this money into the window of their pool. They installed the pool almost like the retaining wall. Rather than looking at the 1m wall we built a special concrete retaining beam and customised a window in that structure. The cost of the window (noting windows do add between $12,000 and $20,000) meant that they could view the water every day from inside the house. They look at the water 24/7. They needed retaining walls anyway so they invested more in the pool so the overall end solution meant they could enjoy the water view all the time.
It’s a clever way to use the aesthetic of the water with the structural problem of a sloping site when you don’t have much room.

A pool that cleans itself

They also decided the pool had to be self-cleaning as every night when the lights come on they didn’t want to see water that needed cleaning.

A Difficult Site

This site was quite a tricky site with a 1.5m drop between the back shed and the Finished floor of the house and alfresco. The clients wanted to bring their living outside but didn’t want to be looking at a 1.5m wall.

A Maxi Rib Pool

We built a Maxi rib pool which allowed us to position the pool quite close to the alfresco but with adding the glass window meant the outdoor space did not feel enclosed or crowded.

Amazing Glass Wall (Windows)

Rather than investing in mayor retaining walls to have the pool at floor level, they invested in the glass. Glass windows allow you to enjoy your pool 24/7 – not just by swimming but at night you have the pool lights on and you can see the beautiful water.

Choosing the Sanctuary Pool

The 9.4m Sanctuary has the bench seat the full length of the pool providing the place to lounge looking at the house and alfresco.

The Quartz Pool Colour

The Bi-luminite Quartz colour allowed the blue to be soft and not too bright so the contrast matched the colours of the landscaping and the pool house/shed. It also blends really nicely with the granite paving.

Degree of difficulty

There was a restriction on height for this 6 story apartment block and the client who was developing the entire site and had the penthouse at the top. To comply with boundary fencing regulations and height restrictions our standard range of swimming pool was 300mm too high. The pool was free standing.  The pool shell had to be customised in the factory and adjusted on all 4 sides so that the pool mould (when sprayed in the factory) was 300mm lower.  Visually this caused a design concern that because the pool could not sit down lower in the subfloor (due to the lift system in the high-rise) the customer was going to then be looking at the wall of the pool.

We designed a window into the pool so that when they were in their living area of the penthouse the pool water could be viewed. They were not looking at a box but at water. It brings the life of the pool into their living space – even at night when the pool lights are on they can view and use their pool visually.  The idea would be to sit and look out over the city view and have the pool light on and see the water.

Site difficulty

Inner-city had many issues with permits / trams / local council permit requirements. The site was ‘fairly easy with area to allow us to have cranes set up for the main lift (after the base preparation was done) – though the times were restricted so we needed to have the pool truck sit several suburbs away and wait for the allotted time to lift the pool. This is something the commercial construction builders are used to however when you specialise in the backyard domestic market like most of the industry it was quite new to many of our operators.

Unique pool design

When designing this pool with the client we had to work out where the glass port holes could be positioned so they were ‘balanced’ with the courtyard yet had to be built between the fibreglass structural support ribs. These engineered free standing support were non-negotiable as to their position.  We had to work with a prefabricated product and manoeuvre it in an existing space and we needed to make it look ‘balanced’ and not have the windows ‘off centre’.

Degree of difficulty

This site proved to be somewhat difficult for many reasons. Inner city Melbourne (Richmond) meant that the fibreglass pool delivery had to consider trams / clearways and working in a small space. The house was existing and with the tight space in Richmond we couldn’t have our normal small crane options to lift the pool into space. We had to use two small gantry cranes and a custom built trolley to end up wheeling it through the kitchen area into position.

Port holes

The fibreglass shell was manufactured with recesses built into it. These recesses were trimmed out on site. Glass was measured up and glued into position and sealed watertight.

The landscaper installed a second piece of glass flush against the tiling so they could comply with fencing regulations of non climbable zones in the 1200mm high pool barrier (which is the wall of the pool).

Plunge pool innovation

This client wanted the colour of the water visual from the house. This plunge pool was only able to be positioned free standing (due to site conditions) and they did not want to look at ‘a box or wall’. The port holes bring the pool and the life of the pool into the house. Glass allows them to use their pool all year round (visually they look at the water every day & night) as pools are not just for when they are swimming. At family meal times, the pool lights are on, the pool has in-floor cleaning so it always looks crisp and clean.

It had to have infloor cleaning given it was on show every time anyone was in the kitchen. The beautiful colour had to be sparkling all the time. The clients say ‘they wish their kitchen bench was self cleaning like their pool’.

Pool colour

The client wanted the benefits of fibreglass pool with the smooth surface and ease of maintenance and they loved the Quartz colour that made the pool blend in with their modern colour scheme.

The ultimate country retreat

Paradise in the country. Living out of town, these pool owners wanted to have their view enhanced with the swimming pool gently blending in with the environment. They didn’t want blue water to contradict the landscape. The aim of this swimming pool was to enhance not contrast. 

Glass edge as an infinity pool alternative

The customer did not want a negative edge (infinity pool) due to the evaporation rate of the water running over the edge but did want the look of extended water view or disappearing edge. This was the reason the glass edge was added to the project.

X-Trainer pool shape or a lap pool?

Originally looking at a long lap pool they decided that they needed more lap swimming but in proportion to the large deck space. A skinny pool would look wrong in size. Hence, they made it two lanes instead of one! This is the 10.2m X-Trainer.

Complex site with easy access

This site was very easy due to wide access however the height difference did cause some complexity. The pool was engineered by the manufacture with the Maxi rib technology to allow the pool to be ‘free-standing’. This allowed the pool to sit at house level. The pool owners could have had 5 steps down to the pool area and installed the pool in ground however they wanted the pool up a living area of the house and existing deck. The property had an erosion zone overlay so there was a town planning process we had to go through with the client which did add an additional 8 weeks to the planning stage. The council were good to work with as they just needed the correct reports & engineering to show this overlay was considered in the build and they approved the town planning permit.

Unbelievable transformation

Thanks to thoughtful landscaping, choice of materials and, of course, the best pool & spa combination, this backyard was completely transformed. The 10.3 Fastlane fibreglass pool is long enough to swim laps. It features amazing views of the surroundings thanks to the innovative acrylic wall that has been built, replacing the standard fibreglass wall on the long side of the pool.

Spa, beach and beyond

This is ana amazing place for the whole family. The kids can play in the beach area, attached to the pool. You can also move to the spa and watch others playing in the pool. The pool is built on the sloping site, utilising proprietary Compass Pools Maxi Rib technology, enabling building pools partially or completely above the ground.

3 Gold Spasa Awards

This pool has won multiple 2019 SPASA pool awards of excellence: Best Residential Fibreglass Pool Over – $60,000, Best Residential Fibreglass, Acrylic or Vinyl-Lined Pool and Best Residential Fibreglass, Acrylic, or Vinyl-Lined Pool and Spa Combination.

Turn your backyard into an oasis

If you are thinking of a swimming pool and would like to have a similar one built in your backyard, please fill out the free pool quote request and an authorised Compass Pools dealer nearest to you will provide you with a customised non-obligatory pool quote.