Paver deck against the pool

[brianmcb]

I'm in NJ and just bought a house last fall with a gunite pool that needs a lot of work (replaster, tile & coping). Picture is below. I've been getting estimates from a few different pool builders.

Today I was told that because we have a paver deck right up to the edge of the pool, it is easy for water to collect behind the tile and under the coping, which could freeze and destroy both within just a couple years. He suggested we use concrete coping at least 2 feet wide around the entire pool.

Does this sound right to anyone? The previous two companies that saw the pool did not bring up this issue.

 

[bk406]

Honestly, he's kinda full of it. It looks like from the picture that the coping is some type of stone with pavers that butt up against it. The coping looks like a canteliver over the pool edge. The way this should be installed is to mortar the coping to the top of the pool, then put the pavers in behind it. If it's installed correcty, it will be fine.
I suspect the reason he is steering you to the concrete is because it is easier to install, and cheaper for him to make a bigger profit. Or, he doesnt know how to install it in the 1st place.

 

[brianmcb]

Thanks for the reply! You are right it is some sort of brownstone mortared to the top of the pool. He seemed pretty sure it would happen but I thought it was weird the other guys didn't bring it up. In this part of NJ we have very sandy soil so I would think water would tend to drain below the pool before it would collect around it.

 

[bk406]

Well, its not so much the soil you have around you. They probably backfilled around the pool with some better material, maybe. Also, those pavers are set on 4 inches of sand or stone dust. That is, or should be, on top of some decent proccesed gravel. Setting coping like that should have a pitch to it back away from the pool. That way, water that does collect on the coping and deck will fall away from the pool edge back on to the deck. At least thats the proper way to do it.

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Why do you feel it needs all three? Is the plaster rough? Is the coping loose or hollowed? Is the tile line falling off? Or do you just not like it?

Been a while since I last saw that style of ladder rail. Old school pool. Likely a replacement deck too.

The fellow suggesting the 2 foot wide coping is wrong. Coping should cover the bond beam and "maybe" a couple inches beyond. That looks like an older Anthony pool which would give it a 12" wide beam. The 2 foot wide coping would have required deck work, up charges...

Scott

 

[brianmcb]

Why do you feel it needs all three? Is the plaster rough? Is the coping loose or hollowed? Is the tile line falling off? Or do you just not like it?

Been a while since I last saw that style of ladder rail. Old school pool. Likely a replacement deck too.

The fellow suggesting the 2 foot wide coping is wrong. Coping should cover the bond beam and "maybe" a couple inches beyond. That looks like an older Anthony pool which would give it a 12" wide beam. The 2 foot wide coping would have required deck work, up charges...

Scott

The plaster is very rough. It is also pretty stained, and there is one spot where the rebar has caused a large rust spot in the plaster. Much of the coping is loose, it doesn't look it in the picture but I'd say at least half the stones could be completely picked up. Most of the rest are loose. The tile is actually in great shape but I've been told replacing the coping would probably destroy at least some of the tile, requiring a complete replacement.

It is a very old pool, at least 25 years old. Thanks for the info, and you're right - he was trying to suggest he could redo the part of the deck that borders the pool... for more money.

One of the guys I talked to suggested he could reset the existing coping and leave the existing tile, but it would cost as much as replacing the tile and adding new coping since it would be labor intensive.

 

[bk406]

What was the quote to reset the coping? Did he give you an estimate to put back the pavers once the coping was reset?

 

[brianmcb]

He said $1920 to reset the coping. I would have to verify if that includes putting back the pavers, but I assumed it did. He did warn that this type of coping is prone to becoming loose in NJ since we get below freezing occasionally.

His total price for white plaster on the whole pool (and fixing the rebar) + leave existing tile + reset existing coping was 8820.

 

[RinRMD]

We have the same pavers in our pool deck and I was told by a few contractors that there needs to be a space between the pavers and the coping so that when the pavers move in a freeze, they don't pop off the coping tiles. They have recommended replacing the pavers with concrete around the pool for this reason.

 

[bk406]

If done right, pavers wont move. The only space you need is basically the space you would normally have between the pavers themselves. As ive said before, stone or brick coping needs to be mortared to the beam.