Sanctuary Series · Ferntree Gully · City of Knox
Sanctuary 9.4m Self-cleaning Pool with Glass Window, Ferntree Gully VIC
A 1.5m drop between shed and alfresco solved with glass — not retaining walls. The owners chose to invest in a glass window so they could enjoy the pool 24/7, even at dinner with the lights on.
Pool
Sanctuary 9.4
Colour
Quartz
Install
Maxi Rib + Glass window
Cleaning
Self-cleaning
The Build
Inside the install
Five angles of a Maxi Rib pool built tight against the alfresco — with a glass window framing the water from inside the house.
The Project
Glass instead of retaining walls — and a pool you can watch from the dinner table
This Ferntree Gully site had a 1.5m drop between the back shed and the finished floor of the house and alfresco. The owners wanted their indoor living to flow outside, but didn’t want to look at a 1.5m wall. We solved it with Maxi Rib structural ribbing and a glass window panel — trading expensive retaining work for a feature that opens the house to the water 24/7.
The site
A 1.5m drop between shed and alfresco — bring the pool close, or lose the indoor-outdoor flow.
The owners wanted their living area to extend outside, but a 1.5m wall would have killed the connection. Standard inground would have meant major retaining walls just to get the pool level with the alfresco. Maxi Rib gave us another option.
Glass over retaining
Rather than invest in major retaining walls, they invested in glass.
A Maxi Rib pool let us position the pool close to the alfresco without dropping the deck level. The glass window means the outdoor space doesn’t feel enclosed or crowded — and the family can enjoy the pool not just by swimming, but at night with the pool lights on. A swimming pool that earns its keep 24/7.
The Sanctuary bench seat
A full-length bench down one side — the perfect spot to lounge looking back at the alfresco.
The Sanctuary 9.4’s signature feature is its full-length bench seat. On this site that translated to a long zone to sit at water level facing the house — the inverse of looking at the pool from inside. A view that runs both directions.
Quartz Bi-luminite
Soft blue, not punchy — matched to the granite paving and the pool-house colours.
Quartz delivers a softer blue than Sapphire or Atlantic — not too bright, sitting comfortably against the muted natural tones of the landscaping and pool house. It blends rather than competes. The owners’ verdict after their first autumn: “The in-floor was fabulous and cleaned them all up. The self-cleaning coped with the leaves no problem at all.”
At a Glance
Project specifications
Pool & design
- Shape
- Sanctuary 9.4
- Dimensions
- 9.4m with full-length bench seat
- Colour
- Bi-luminite Quartz
- Install type
- Maxi Rib partially above ground
- Location
- Ferntree Gully VIC (City of Knox)
Features & equipment
- Custom feature
- Glass window panel into the pool wall
- Bench
- Full-length lounging bench (Sanctuary signature)
- Cleaning
- Vantage in-floor self-cleaning
- Site challenge
- 1.5m drop between shed and house level
- Use
- Daily view from dining room + swimming + lounging
Why Compass For Stepped Sites
Four reasons this Ferntree Gully install worked
Stepped sites usually mean big retaining costs. Maxi Rib plus glass changed the maths on this one.
Maxi Rib above-ground tech
Our co-developed structural ribbing lets the Sanctuary sit at alfresco level even when the site has a 1.5m drop — no need to dig the whole footprint or pour major retaining walls.
Engineered glass windows
Cutting a viewing window into a fibreglass shell is structural surgery — the frame transfers load, the seal is rated for the pool’s 30-year life. Done in the factory, sealed on site.
Vantage tackles autumn leaves
Ferntree Gully has serious tree cover. The owners’ first autumn was the test — Vantage swept every leaf to the main drain without anyone lifting a skim net. The pool stays photo-ready year-round.
Quartz against natural tones
Soft, settled blue that doesn’t fight muted landscape colours. Pairs particularly well with granite paving and dark-stained timber — both used heavily on this build.
Got a stepped or split-level site?
Ferntree Gully, Wantirna, Boronia, Rowville — the eastern foothill suburbs are full of stepped sites where Maxi Rib changes the conversation. Free site inspection.
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