Pool and spa and the deck

The pool had to be a maxi rib pool as they wanted the deck and pool level to be a similar height as their back room which was over one meter above the natural ground. They wanted a big deck area as they wanted somewhere for their grandkids to play when they were swimming and playing. They did not want to feel enclosed.

Quick pool heating

We installed the largest gas heater as they wanted a quick heat-up time for the spa so they could get it to temperature very quickly. With a sauna already part of their lifestyle the spa was added to the project so they could enjoy after the steam sessions.

A pool that cleans itself

They loved the concept of the self-cleaning and we had to reassure them that it would do what we said it would do. A year after the project was completed, they asked why couldn’t they do self-cleaning decks like our self-cleaning pool! He always had to sweep the deck but the pool was always clean.

Naturally-looking swimming pool colour

When the sun is out it is a light soft blue and when it is overcast it is a broody deep rock colour which is just beautiful. They had natural stone already chosen in their mind so choosing the pool colour felt really easy for them.

The No. 1 family pool for this family

The pool area was designed for family life and the X-trainer was always the pool they liked. The shape has the 4 corners with access points (either the 2 bench seats at the deep end or the step and bench in the shallow ends). No matter how many people are in the pool there are spaces for everyone.

Great looking water features

Sunpod is great for kids to play or just for anyone to sit, lay down and soak in the sun or just look at it. The water wall water feature has the same natural design with stones.

Building the infinity pool

Though the pool design and free standing Maxi rib with negative edge was the work of Compass Pools Melbourne – these clients artistic flare and finishing off, the pavers and rock was what made this area so spectacular. They managed, with the colour and paving to have it sit gently in its landscape and not be contrasting.

The Quartz pool colour

The colour of the water is affected by the colours of the sky so some days it is brighter and lighter and some days darker. They have their living area and pool area flow through, so it is all on one level.

The clients had a self-cleaning pool before and this was their second one.

Negative edge serving as a barrier

The Vogue was a Maxi Rib free-standing pool that had a purpose-built edge made during the manufacturing of the pool shell – a small drop which then allowed us to build an overflow edge into a catchment tank below. This edge was the required 1.2m in height which means the pool wall acted as the pool barrier or pool fence. By not having to see the fence this negative edge enhanced the view even more.

Choosing the right pool colour

They wanted the colour of the pool to be in complete contrast with the green view of the Gippsland hills and wanted the colour to make a splash. They loved that the pool was always blue and felt it was a very inviting colour to swim. ‘Pool water should be a definite blue’ and sapphire blue created different versions of blue water depending on the sun and clouds.

Designing the pool

We had a 1-meter fall from one end of the pool to the other. We designed this pool with an engineered retaining wall to build the pool against. By excavating down a bit further, the wall then was 1200mm and with no climbable areas it because the pool barrier. They did not need to put a traditional pool fence along the edge and as such the view from the house was unrestricted.

Large property

They liked the seat area of the Vogue to allow for kids to play and sit. Though this was a large property the actual location they wanted the pool had some size restrictions. They wanted the water line and overall walls around the pool to fit in with the footprint of their outdoor living space.

Extending the living space

They could have saved money by having more steps down and installing the pool further in the ground but that would take away from enhancing their living space and view. By investing in the walls to support the pool at house level it opened the space.

Fantastic family pool

This is a great family pool that extends their outdoor living space.

Pool waiting for the house to be finished

The pool and spa was installed after the house was knocked down & cleared allowing great access for the pool build. The pool needed a protection cover on the pool during the entire house build which was bolted onto the concrete beam so that a temporary fence was not needed and pool and spa was made safe.

Pool finalisation and landscaping

After the house was at lockup the house builder allowed us back on site to remove the protection cover and then hook up the pool equipment. This meant the client could continue on with the landscaping whilst the house was being completed.

Pool and spa combo with Sunpod

There is a Sunpod water feature between the pool and the spa so that the water runs off the pod into the pool and spa. It makes the pod glisten and provide a soft and subtle water feature. It also connects the pool and spa visually.

Managing / heating different parts of the pool

The spa can be managed either independently to the pool or with the pool. This means they can heat the spa on its own OR together OR just the pool on its own. You have all those options via valves that close off the different options. When they have finished with the spa they can go back to normal pool mode which means the water mixes with the pool making the spa clean so easy.

A project with difficult access

A family home that had tricky access through a well established garden. The dig was restricted with their existing brick fence so smaller machinery had to be brought in to do the excavation. The pool placement was easy as it was just over the top but digging the hole and removing the soil was the more challenging part of this project.

Positioning the spa

The spa was also installed 600mm higher than the pool for two reasons. Firstly, it created a seating area when in the pool zone and secondly, it was easier to step up and into the spa – rather than step down to the spa.

Pool heating

The gas booster heating allowed the spa quick heat up time and was a backup to the solar system for the pool. This was a family pool area and they could also heat the pool up for birthday parties all year round.

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.

Choosing between concrete and fibreglass

The pool itself was not fully confirmed when we met the client. They did not know if they wanted fibreglass or concrete. He had owned a concrete lap indoor pool at his previous house and wanted to create another indoor pool with his new build.

Importance of weight

Given the lightweight pool meant less in support for the pool (as it was not sitting on the natural ground) the 12.3 m Fastlane Maxi rib was the perfect solution. The timing of the pool build had to be co-ordinated with the house builder Grollo Homes over a 15-month house build project. We had to place the pool and then return once some walls were constructed to run the pool pipes.

Automated pool cover

The client invested in an automated Remco cover. The pool was indoor so managing the water condensation is something that an automated cover can assist with.

26 degrees year-round

This client keeps the pool at 26 degrees all year round and swims nearly every day.

Joining two standards 12.3m Fastlane lap pools

He had a very technical background and was very thorough in his understanding of the different layers of the fibreglass ceramic pool and also how the joins work with the 24 meter lap pool. The pool was designed in 3 pieces with the unique Compass Manufacturing link joining technique which allowed the pool to be built to his desired length.

Central solar heating for house and pool

Interestingly with this project, our client had a German solar heating unit that heated his house and he build his own heat exchanger to tap into this system. This was something we had not seen before.

Designing elements for the pool

He didn’t want a dark blue colour so the more softer blue water from the Quartz was the look he liked. The spa has a Nexus link between the pool and spa and allows for a water bridge between the two.

Gas and solar pool heating

She had solar heating as the base heat with a large gas heater for purpose of heating the spa. In the warmer months, it took less than half an hour to get it the desired temperature.

Self-cleaning lap pool

It was very important that it was self-cleaning as she needed a clean pool that did not need physically work. She had to swim to improve her health and the lap pool suited this as well.

Maxi Rib above ground pool installation

It was also a maxi rib pool at house level with the pool sitting out of the ground by 1.2m. The long side of the pool had the maxi rib side clad to the fencing regulations to act as the fence barrier. It wasn’t unusual to be swimming and then look over the edge to see a cow eating the grass 1m away.

The water wall water feature

The water wall was designed with the developer and we ran the pipe work to the location. They chose bright tiles to give it a modern look.

Choosing the pool colour

The colour needed to compliment a natural colour palate so a blue pool would have been too contrasting. By choosing the Quartz colour it tied in with his natural timbers and also the natural stone around the pool and in the penthouse.

Getting the pool to the top

We used the tower crane to place the pool into location and had to manage city traffic and trams for delivery.

Our build team really enjoyed working on the project as the views from the top across the city and also across the bay were so spectacular and different depending on the weather.

The client had to get permission from the neighbouring Body Corp of units next door to allow access for the dig and pool placement.

Lap pools were always considered just for water-view houses in Sydney previously however lap pools were not just about swimming laps. The simple clean design gives a beautiful look and in the ever-narrowing backyards – the Lap pool is very practical and beautiful.

Choosing the pool colour

The owners wanted a dark blue colour giving the courtyard space a sophisticated look. We provided the provisional pipework for the water feature and they created the water wall that also enhanced the space.

Gas pool heater

It was heated with a gas heater for the times when their family visited, and they could heat up the pool anytime of the year.

Installing the pool during the house build

The pool had to go in halfway through the house build as we were not able to get access once the front part of the house was built. We fully installed the pool and ran the pipe work and capped them off at the final equipment location. They put a protection cover over the pool during the remainder of the house build.

Pool landscaping

When the house was nearly at completion, we returned to remove the protection cover and install the pool filtration equipment. Most of the installation had been done at stage one so this stage was only the equipment. We connected everything up and then they brought in the landscapers to do the paving and finish of the waterwall they had built.

Lap pool for family entertainment

Though it is a lap pool for swimming it really got much more use as a family entertaining pool. They had a spot at the rear of the property they could have positioned the pool but they wanted the pool to be part of their everyday living hence why it almost became like a courtyard pool / alfresco zone.

Why choose a lap pool

The space in this property was not strictly limited but it was quite narrow. The owners could have put in a wider pool, but they wanted the lines to work with their wall and house. They also wanted the spa to look like it was part of the pool and not ‘just added to the end.

Heating the pool

They had a big gas heater for the spa for quick heat up on demand which also allowed them to heat the pool when they wanted. The pool is visible from many areas of the house hence they needed it to be self cleaning so it was always clean.

Choosing a Vivid pool colour

They chose royal blue as they wanted a deeper looking blue colour. They have the pool lights on at night regularly which means it doesn’t matter what colour pool at night it was given the multi colour lights gives them green, magenta, red and several different shades of blue. However, during the day the sun gives the pool different shades of the royal blue, when overcast it is quite a dark blue and then the water colour becomes very radiant when the sun shines. They love the colour. 50 shades of blue they call it.

Lifting the swimming pool to the house level

The pool had to be at the house living level. The deck and pool sit at the kitchen level as the pool is part of their everyday living. It was not just about ease of use but about being able to see the water day and night. The pool lights are on at night and the pool water reflects colour and movement inside and out. Though it cost this client more to have the pool and spa at this height (it is a Maxi rib pool sitting over a meter out of the ground) it was an investment they felt important. They could have reduced their extra build cost (maxi rib pools add $15 – $20,000) by having 7 steps down to the lawn area however it would have affected their view and single living level. It brings the pool zone into the house zone.

Cost-effective gas pool heating

They have an LPG gas heater which they use as secondary heat for the spa (and sometimes a sneaky pool party on a long weekend). Even the LPG gas does not cost a great deal more. ‘Sometimes we find the food costs greater than any gas costs when we have family come over and heat up the pool for a weekend party’

The owners had had a big old concrete pool in their family home which was great when the kids were young but the maintenance of it became harder as the years went by. They installed an 8.3m Contemporary Compass pool with the Logic circulation system to allow their new home and new life easier maintenance.

They experienced a beautifully clean and modern pool with a coastal theme. Though only a 5-minute drive to the beach they love their courtyard oasis all year round.

This 7m Sanctuary in Bi-Luminite pearl has been installed in Port Macquarie NSW using Maxi-Rib technology with one side of the pool completely out of the ground and the other side installed in ground due to the sloping block, allowing the pool area to now be level with the rest of the yard.

The pool is equipped with Vantage infloor cleaning system, natural stone paving, hardwood timber deck and hidden pool blanket.

Fill was removed using wheel barrows due to poor access. Pool is finished with glass mosaic waterline tiles, natural stone paving and a hardwood timber deck.

The Vogue swimming pool has been installed to take advantage of the design of the home allowing for the indoor-outdoor feel and flow from living to entertaining. The pool is finished with a silver travertine natural stone paver both on the waterline and around the pool surround.

The hardwood timber deck features LED lights installed flush for an added wow factor.

This swimming pool has the Vantage self-cleaning system and is finished with a silver travertine paver 1.2m on 3 sides and 2m on the other side with black flat top pool fencing.

Renovating a dog training centre

The Seeing Eye Dog Association SEDA was doing a renovation of their premises in Kensington. This is the centre that they train & house dogs for the visually impaired. They were expanding the number of dogs that could be housed and trained. They were upgrading the kennels (and increasing the number of kennels), building a wash bay and swimming pool.

Automatic cleaning system

We were lucky enough to work with the design team from the start to build a self-cleaning pool with a slight alteration….we had to build a ramp for the dogs to walk in and out of the pool. The Nexus technology with Compass Pools Australia was allowing us to customise these standard shape shells (we had them build the shell with a ‘cut out’ following a 1-100 slope or fall with a flat area). SEDA were able to get the huge benefit of an easy to maintain fibreglass swimming pool but with the benefit of customising to suit their unique needs – a feature that was traditionally only available in concrete pool design.

The dogs shed a lot of hair so even our Vantage self-cleaning system was able to cope with this heavy load. It was built with a salt chlorinator and the heating was a combination of solar heating with a heat pump. They needed to maintain 26 degrees all year round.

Working with the commercial contractor

During the build, we had to work with the commercial contractor who was building the kennels/wash bay and new training grounds and the swimming pool was only one part of the large project. The trickier part of the build was during the design phase – the ramp design (the fall and length) was based on the trainers practical understanding of how they work with the dogs and what they felt was needed – there was no ‘rule book’ to follow. They knew the dogs the best so we wanted to deliver the ramp suitable and easy for them to use whilst training.

We also had the pool raised higher and had to build up around the pool as they wanted to be able to have the pool sitting higher.

A pool for (also) grandkids

Our client had semi-retired and moved from Traralgon to a smaller seaside community. They have young grandchildren and wanted their house to accommodate the next chapter in their lives.

Indoor and outdoor lifestyle

They wanted the pool at their living area to bring their indoor and outdoor lifestyle together. They wanted to match it.

The pool shape and colour

7.2m x 3.7m X-Trainer swimming pool in the Bi-luminite Quartz pool colour. The pool features a Lincoln Salt chlorinator and Spa Electric pool lights. A gas heater is used for boost heat and Sunbather solar heating is heating the pool from Spring to Autumn.

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.

Lap pool

They never knew how many people could be swimming at one time – hence they needed a long pool for lap swimming – but it had to be versatile for ‘classic catches’ and ‘Marco Polo’ games as well. A lap pool for all ages – teenagers to adults. The family lap pool.

Colour

The colours of the house contributed to the colour scheme of the pool and the paving to keep the simple clean looks of natural tones of the pool. The Quartz colour pool and spa gives a soft blue so that it doesn’t sit too harshly against the view. The softer blue sits gently with the view.

Infinity edge pool

To maximise the use of the sloping site, we went for an infinity edge style swimming pool where one of the edges merges with the environment. We used a Maxi Rib X-Trainer swimming pool and also an X-Trainer spa (not visible on the images).

Degree of difficulty

To keep the pool and spa at house level – our client wanted to enjoy the view with the pool and hence we had to build a suspended slab. The slab had custom positioned holes for the infloor cleaning heads.

The negative edge required the manufacture of the swimming pool shell to have a ‘drop edge’ custom built into the pool along 2 sides. The overflow of water disappeared into a stainless trough that was caught in 2 x large tanks under the suspended slab.

Pool look & design

The client wanted the pool and spa to look minimalist and anted clean lines. To have 3 separate functioning features of the water – the spa / the pool / the wader but to make sure the water zone did not look ‘too busy’.  They had owned an old concrete swimming pool previously and had struggled to manage the scum line so that was an important issue for them with the negative edge.

They loved the look of fully tiled pools but didn’t want to have to manage that surface so they chose the Pearl to give the similar look. The build cost was also much less given the slab was designed for a lighter pool structure than concrete.

Pool and spa combo with a wader

The client had small grandchildren and wanted the spa and the wader for them.

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.