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.

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.