Recent content by ConcreteJack

Usually coping bricks are thick enough to allow the concrete to be thick enough if goes over the bond beam. If they do pour over the top of the skinny slab that was poured around the top edge of the pool, there will definitely be cracking at the change in thickness of the deck, and the thin...

You always need an expansion joint between the coping and the concrete deck. No questions asked. It's OK for part of the deck to rest on the bond beam that sticks out behind the coping, though.

re:would compact it and wait a year compact it again and then pour concrete. Let it settle naturally. It takes an average of 10 years for soil to settle naturally re: Clay requires mechanical compaction in order to correctly pack it down, and because it is a plastic soil, much of the tamping...

Unless they're doing structural compaction, "it shouldn't settle" really means "i know it will settle, but hopefully after any warranty has expired"

One of the most frequent requests we get regarding pool deck surfaces (we're a concrete repair company) is "what can you do to make it smoother", referring to exposed aggregate concrete. If you're a barefoot runner, it's fine, but if the only barefoot walking you do is inside and on your pool...

DO NOT CUT 'ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE DIRT'!!!! The deck likely rests on top of the bond beam, so I'd you cut to the dirt, you'll be hacking away at the top of your pool. A concrete chainsaw like the ones ICS makes are an excellent tool, but only in the hands of an experienced operator; they are...

3/4" stone is an excellent backfill material; may pool decks are not designed to stay in position as the backfill material consolidates over time. Crushed, washed stone doesn't appreciably consolidate over time, so as long as it's installed all the way down to virgin soil, and has geotextile...

re: installing deck before draining for fiberglass repairs; the weight of a concrete deck barely overlapping the edge of the pool won't keep it from popping (what he's referring to in 'locking it in') when you drain it

They poured the deck up against the coping; the two aren't supposed to touch, because when the ground shifts, the deck moves, and if it's poured up to the coping, it will cause the coping mortar to crack. Caulking the cracks in the mortar between the coping bricks won't address the problem, and...

Polyurethane foam is frequently used for filling voids underneath and lifting roadways, interior floors, bridge abutments and all kinds of other heavy structures. We use it pretty frequently to void fill under and lift pool decks and have even used it to raise a concrete pool (the pool itself)...

The longer you let it sit before concrete the better, as it gives the backfill material time to settle without affecting the concrete. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.539230,-77.481659

Bond breaker is anything meant to keep two pieces of concrete independent from each other. Expansion joints have the added value of allowing expansion and contraction of pieces while minimizing their effects on the adjacent pieces. --- I am here...

Never, ever tie your deck to the pool wall with rebar; when the ground freezes, the deck will attempt to move but the the rebar will keep it on place. While cracks will likely be small, there's likely to be deterioration of the concrete at some level. All you have to do is put a bond breaker...

A geotechnical or structural engineer should be able to do an investigation, likely for a couple hundred bucks. Pools to break and sink, just as houses do; repairs can be quite costly, depending on the degree of movement and instability of the soil under it. Additionally, a foundation repair...

Replacement in Virginia usually runs about $12 per sqft for demo and repour with decent access, but I have seen it as high as $78 even for large areas with poor access. The health of the new construction market drives most pricing here. You get what you pay for in most cases, it is very...