Anyone use floating deck for building pool deck???

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Just so you are aware, we are in NW Minnesota where winter is WINTER and used Dek Bloks to do our pool deck level with the top rail on our pool. Never had any issues with off level. We do get winter heave here but the trick is to be sure that you have excellent drainage under and around the area before building. As I said, the deck is even with the rail, not over or under. It may move a bit initially in the fall/spring, but always settles back where it was intended.
 
I hope I,m not late here.
I used deck*****s thinking it would be less work then setting post,its not I've had problems with heaving from freezeing and thawing {central Indiana} .If I were to do it over I would use the deck plan but set my post in concrete.
 
Hi, I just seen this thread.

I had built my 3 decks deck using the dek bloks and have had no problems at all I live in NE michigan by Lake Huron and we get a butload of snow and freezing temps for most of the winter, and I couldnt be happier with them.

I built my pool deck so it is under the rail and it didnt heave one bit maybe 1/4" if that even but I left about 1 1/2" for the heave. My other two decks the same for the front and back deck. My back deck is 14x24, it is attached to the pool deck and not the house it is a true floating deck and is only a foot or so off the ground. The pool deck is about 48-50inches high and is about 10x20 , I have a 52" side wall pool. The front porch of my house is also with dek blok and it is 8x16 and about 30" off the ground. I have never had any trouble with the decks heaving at all and just made adjustments so that if it did it wouldnt hurt anything at all. Give it 1 1/2-'2" clearance and you should be fine. If you make the deck higher than 30inches just put in bracing and its no problem at all. The thing is strong as a deck dug in and doesnt move and inch when walked on. I did use double beams on it too and did lag bolt them to the posts too to make it extra strong. My pool deck I built last year, the back deck has been up for about 5-6 years with no movement or problems at all too. Front deck up 2 years.

I swear by the dek blocks if you dont want to do the extra work to dig holes. Also you dont need to have a ton of deck bloks either as they tend to over do the deck block thing in their plans. But if you know basic deck building the dek bloks can be used almost like post holes filled with cement. I think my plans called for about 18 dek blocks to be used and I only had to use 12 or so for mine. But too, the plans I had were based on a rectangular deck and mine has the rounded area that took away from some of the rectangular decks plans for the dek bloks. Just do your reasearch online and you should be fine if you have basic deck building knowledge. Some for instances on my plan they called for an 8 ft section to have 3 posts and dek bloks on it, it only needed two for that span with a double beam to support the joists. Its little things like that where you can skip the dek blok in the middle of an 8 ft span, that isnt needed.

If anyone has any specific questions let me know I probably had dealt with it using deck blocks. Also going to HD is good to have them draw up plans , but I find that going to mom and pop lumber yards that have deck building software works a little better as they seem to be able to modify plans better than the HD software and they tend to know more about structural integrity of decks and the such and they can tell you where you can skimp and where you shouldnt.
Hope this helps
BRIAN
 
Very nice, PDS! I only wish I could use them here. Local codes prevents me from doing so. You wouldn't believe the size of the footers I had to dig for the entry deck I did build for my pool. I'm thinking they were 16" x 16" x 12" or possibly 16" x 16" x 16". There's no way I was going to build a wrap around deck with having to have footers like that.
 
ditto...we just dug our 12 footings... 12" wide sonotube and 42" deep (48" overall footing length as the concrete footing must be 6" above grade...grrr :hammer:) ...now we have to wait for the inspector to come out on thursday to measure and make sure the sonotubes are minimum 42" below grade or on solid rock (rock not applicable in my case) before we can procede with pouring the crete. The anticipation of being able to enjoy a nice swim with my four kids and wife on a hot summer day is the only thing left that keeps us going...thankfully the weather has been cool so we are not feeling like were missing out on swim time.
 
Wow, I'm glad we didn't have to pour footings here. I think the integrity of the dek blocks really does have a lot to do with the deck plan and the bracing space used but also the substrate they are placed on. We have just never had an issue and just to illustrate the issue with winter heave we have, an 8"x8" post that supported a martin house and broke off over a foot into the ground 25 years ago surfaced 10" above ground in the middle of our yard this spring. We had 15" of rain just before freeze last fall and then flooding in the Red River Valley this spring - wet wet wet - we have frost boils in our driveway you could lose an economy car in!

The deck and pool have not moved - we were worried but when checking its solid - YAY. All those truckloads/yards of class 5 fill and plate compactor work we did prior to pool install was worth every sweaty, back breaking minute and dollar of hard earned pay.
 
Hello everyone.. I just wanted to put my 2 cents about these decks.. Im on my 3rd season using the same designs.. I live in New Hampshire and let me tell you the Deck is holding up nicely.. Last winter i had over 4 feet of snow on my deck and it held up. We also have bad frost too, but no issue yet.. Knock on wood.. :)
 
I am well pleased with my dekblok deck at the pool. Going on 5 summers and still just as sturdy as when it was built. If you have the option of either dekblok or digging holes dekblok is the way to go. We have both types. The one off the kitchen is in concrete and the one that is my front porch is in concrete. The front part of the deck has sunk about 4 inches and needs to be replaced, but it has been there 20 years and is on the north side of the house and ground stays wet most of the time.

You just have to decide if your time is worth the extra cost for the dekblok which is faster or taking more of your time digging holes.

My sisters' mother in law built a deck 18 ft. off the ground using dekblok the year before hurricane Katrina. The tornados that came from that blew away her brick house but the deck was still standing even with the whole back wall of the main level of her house, brick and all laying on the deck. I'd say that was a pretty strong deck.

Susan
 

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Old thread I know..... but keep in mind the following (for anyone reading this). Dek Blocks (brand name) are typically for floating decks. NOT attached to a house. Anything attached is a different story and uses footings/piers (concrete). Also, GA is one thing, MI another due to frost heave. Lastly, make sure the area under your deck has good drainage.
 
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