New Poster, New Pool

[manomelissa]

Hi, just wanted to introduce ourselves. Our family had a 27' above ground pool installed today and we're very excited to do everything yesterday! Of course, 4 kids and finances mean we have to take it a little at a time. For now, we're having to prioritize a retaining wall where the installers had to build up the yard several feet to make it level for the pool. We have a lot of things to figure out, but my biggest question right now is this. In the pictures you will see where there's a big, probably 2+ foot drop where the ground was dug out to make room for the pool. We HAVE to do something here due to having young children. I know that we can put some limestone or pea gravel in there, not all the way to the top, but a few inches at least. Anyway, we're going to be building a deck as soon as we get the retaining wall handled and I was wondering how do you support the boards that go under the edge of the pool if you have that much spacing between the edge of the ground and the pool itself? Is it okay to bury a post in that space between the ground wall and the pool wall? Do you guys have any better recommendations? We're going to be coming off an existing deck with the new, ground level deck (well ground level except over the great divide there.)

Here's the wall they built up where we have to put the retaining wall.

This is the gap we're wanting to fill in to some extent and are wondering if we can put a supporting post down in there that close to the pool.

Here's another picture of the big gap showing how close they had to get to the existing deck to fit the pool in the area of the backyard that was cleared of trees.

And just a few other random installation shots.

You can see our movie screen in the background of this one. It's obviously going to have to be repositioned so we can see the movies from the pool now.

 

[kilika2003]

Nice pool....It's huge. And that movie screen....I can just imagine floating in the pool watching a flick!

This is what we ended doing in our ditch (didn't want to backfill...) We ended going all the way around the pool with the pressure treated wood, weed barrier fabric, and 3/4 round stone. I like the finished look. I'll take more pictures on the weekend. The wall on the house side of the pool is 3 4x4 stacked, even though it doesn't seem like it in the pictures.

 

[manomelissa]

Thanks so much! That helps a lot to see the pictures. We've never built anything. Okay, a dog house that fell apart rather quickly, but we're going to attempt to build this deck and possibly retaining wall on our own. Seeing how you've done the deck, and handled the ditch around, that really helps a lot. We don't want to fully back fill either, I would rather just build a deck over it like you're doing. The ditch is just on the top end of the pool or what we call the top end since that's the top of the hill that was dug out to set it on. It's level on the other sides. I would love to see more pictures when you do get the chance.

Melissa & Mano
New Pool owners trying to learn to DIY

 

[kilika2003]

You can look at our whole deck saga in pictures on this thread:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/new-deck-coming-soon-t12916.html

Welcome to TFP!

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi manomelissa!
The movie screen is that only yours or do you share it with other family's? I have never seen anyone having something like that at home before. what an awesome thing to own

You're absoloutley taking the right desicion to try to build your own deck around the pool. That is a fun job to undertake. What you need is a good saw that can angle in all directions, with a saw like that can you make whatever you like to do. Something like this one http://www.bosch-do-it.se/boptocs2-se/P ... ct_id=9841
after that purchase half of the job is done

First thing is to dig down plinths in the wood or pour concrete 500mm down where you can mount the bracket that gonna hold the carrying boards of the deck. On those boards are you then placing the beams that will hold the topsurface plank. Depending on the space between the plinths/carrying boards and the beams do you have to dimensions each of them after charts that you can find on the net in order to get is stable.
So the deck is actually four differents components that you nail and screw together!

Good luck!
//Mats

 

[manomelissa]

Thanks Henry. I'm the Melissa half of ManoMelissa, Mano's my husband and he'll actually be doing the building part. I will make sure he reads your posts, it will make much more sense than if I try and explain to him how he needs to bury the thingy and then stack the other's long boards across, lol.

As for the screen, yes, that's ours. We don't have any neighbors close enough to share it, but they are welcome to come over and watch with us if they want to, anytime. Next summer we plan to have a movie "season" where we show a different movie every weekend for family and friends to come hang out and watch with us.

Here's a picture of the screen in relation to the house, it's pretty big. It's super fun to do "drive-in" movies at home.

This is a closer view of it from when we had my son's 1st birthday party on the 4th of July. We had a showing of Cars, it was great for the kids. The pool is up in the backyard to the right of the screen, so that's tomorrow and Sunday's project, relocating the screen.

Thanks for the advice again. I really think if we keep thinking of it as a big puzzle and just do it a piece at a time, we'll be able to handle it.

Melissa

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi Melissa thanks for the pictures!

I copied a few pictures on a ag pool that have a deck around it the way you plan. I can search for more pics if you want to that shows the process more precise. Just let me know!

Regards Mats

[attachment=2:5swtck1t]Manolissa.jpg[/attachment:5swtck1t]
[attachment=1:5swtck1t]Manolissa 2.jpg[/attachment:5swtck1t][attachment=0:5swtck1t]manolissa3.jpg[/attachment:5swtck1t]

 

[manomelissa]

Oh wow! Those pictures are great. So it looks like it is okay to put some posts down in the "ditch" beside the pool. We're in Georgia, so freezing is rarely a problem here, but we are going to make sure that we don't have standing water in the area and that it stays dry if for no other reason than foilage growth and mosquito's. Seeing the process really helps me think we can do this ourselves. Thank you! If you find any other pictures that show the construction that would be great, but don't go out of the way looking for them. These really help clear up a lot of questions for us.

Thank you.

 

[kilika2003]

Here is the picture of under the deck as promised