New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass pool

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keithw

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Mar 30, 2007
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Virginia Beach
Hello all. It is pool project time for me again. I installed a fiberglass pool a few years ago and built a raised cement deck I around half of it and a wood deck around the other half.

keithw-s-pool-pics-t166.html?hilit=keithw

It has served me well over the past few years but I have been itching for a change. The white ring around the top has always been an eyesore to me and I wanted to find a way to hide it and make it less bath-tub-ish.. The pool in the link below inspired me with it's amazing flagstone deck and I decided to emulate the look with a cantilevered flagstone deck around my pool.

new-pool-project-round-rock-tx-t38458-40.html?hilit=round%20rock

I am a few weeks into it now and things are going pretty well. I have some pictures to post and maybe some brains to pick and am hopeful that it will be complete by swimming season. I am also planning an extension to my pond at the same time with a bridge over it so that may take a tad longer.
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

Here is how the pool looked when I first put it in. The wood deck looked great at first but has degraded over time. Also I am bored now and in need of a new project! :)


Phase one was busting up the concrete pads around the pool. I did it with a sledge. Not a fun job.




My cement garden. I plan to bury it at the bottom of the new deck



Next the deck came up. I did it on an a rainy day which made it easier to pry out the old screws and nails but created a huge muddy mess of the place.






I'll leave you with what I found in the pool Sunday morning. I have a pond right next to the pool and the weekend had been unseasonably warm so the frogs in the pond came out of hibernation and were jumping in and out of the pond all day. That night the temperature dropped pretty quick. This guy must have decided to go swimming in the pool that evening and the drop caught him off guard. He was back in hibernation floating with a pile of leaves the next morning. I must have looked at him three times before I even realized what I was seeing. But I put him back in his place and he is happily sleeping away the rest of the winter again.

 
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Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

I dumped all of the large chunks of cement onto the bottom of the area where I will be pouring the new deck. My plan is to build a cinder block frame around the pool, fill it full of compacted sand and pour cement pads over it. The outer rim where I am putting the cinder block wall in this area is a muddy mess and I was worried about the wall potentially sinking so I scraped back 6" of mud to expose a firmer layer of clay and pounded a bunch of chunks of cement and brick into the ground to act as pillars.



I originally had one drain under my old wooden deck that tied into a backwash pipe from the pump and ran all the way out the front yard to the road. My new plan calls for two additional drains to tie into it, one in the yard, one on the flagstone patio and one under the edge of the wooden deck to catch pool overwash and pond overfill.



This is the start of the cinderblock wall around the pool



And extending it along the pool down towards the pond on the right.



Here's a view across the pond towards the new brick wall.



I had a load of sand delivered and have started tamping down a layer all around the pool



Extending the deck on the other side of the pool



I busted this whole section of decking up with a ball peen hammer because I was worried about damaging the skimmer basket. I was able to save the skimmer basket and the extension collar.



More to come...
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

I don't anticipate any settling but I guess only time will tell! :) I dug down about 6" to a harden clay layer and pounded chunks of cement into the ground along the path of the cinder every few inches. I tamped the Crud out of the whole pathway and also pounded rebar through every other cinderblock about 1-2ft down and cemented them in. I laid them on a 3" base of cement that is also probably 2-3" wider than the block. I am hoping it is overkill. I didn't do this much prep on my last narrower brick wall for my first pool patio and didn't have any settling so I feel pretty good about it.
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

Finished the cinder block wall around the pool and filling it with compacted sand



My dedicated assistant



Here are the first pads that I put down. I am doing them in eight foot sections. I lifted almost 5000lbs of cement this weekend!



 

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Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

I am making slow but steady progress. I have poured six pads so far and I have three left to go. Here are some updated pictures.






I hope to have the last of the pads done this weekend and then I can get my flagstone delivered. Here is the type I am ordering, Tennessee Crab Orchard.




Here is a new toy that I bought the other day to work with the flagstone. I got it for $325.00 and it has a decent diamond blade on it already.



More to come!
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

head gamez said:
I can't comment on what you are doing, but I can say that I really liked the "before" look.

Good luck with the work, as I am sure it will turn out great!
Click to expand...
X 2 on this, however I can't wait to see the finished project. Don't forget to put in expansion joints. :cheers: :cheers:
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

"Don't forget to put in expansion joints."

I guess that bring up a question that I have been pondering. I am pouring the pads independently in approx 8ft sections. I am putting metal screening in each section as well. So basically I have a natural fracture line every 8ft. In looking at a few other builds with flagstone deck, it didn't appear that there were any expansion joints. For example this entire flagstone deck looks to have been done as one area over compacted road base.

new-pool-project-round-rock-tx-t38458-20.html?hilit=round%20rock

So I have two different options as I see it.

A. Just do the flagstone as one contiguous puzzle, grout it all in, etc. If I do ever get flags popping up, chances are they will happen over one of the fracture lines. If it ever does, pull up those flags, reset that area, and cut an expansion joint through the stone, over the fracture line that exists between the underlying slabs.

B. Take my cement saw and cut out the fracture lines between the slabs so there is a distinct gap. Fill it with some caulk? Do the flagstone deck. Cut expansion joints through the flagstone directly over the underlying joints. Caulk it in?

Thoughts?
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

I got to tell you I followed your thread and thought you were just going to have concrete deck and though - EW.... Now I'm excited to see the flagstone deck. It will look great. I would think it wouldn't hurt to cut some expansion joints. In VA beach, your winters aren't too harsh, so being that you had a good compacted area prior to running concrete, I would guess you'll be OK either way.
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

I finally finished pouring all of the pads. 101 80lb bags of cement and I lifted every one at least twice. I got my workout this month! Here are some updated pictures:






This photo show the Koi pond. I am going to extend it as a 3ft wide river towards the far fence-line and will have a bridge that goes over it onto the deck.




Here is where the bridge is going to go over the pond extension

 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

Your partner sure does look dedicated! I had a dedicated partner too when I did my pool in June of 07. I lost her in October this past year.

I really like what you've done thus far. :goodjob: Your previous pool build looked great but this will look amazing! I can already see the bath-tub affect washed away! :mrgreen: I will be following this one til the end.
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

Just a quick update on my project. I have been in somewhat of a holding pattern waiting for my flagstone to arrive. It is working out well though since I have lots of spring cleaning that I have been neglecting like mulching, cleaning out the pond and getting the garden up an going. I did do my final measurements and I am ordering 4.5 tons of rock. Here are some updated pics of the work area. I scraped all of the pads smooth and will pressure wash before I start laying the flagstone. I also received 5lbs of brown cement coloring for the grout and bought adapters so that I can hook a garden hose up to the cement saw so I am ready to rock!








I also wanted to share with you my homemade light fixtures. I wanted to do recessed perimeter lights in the side of the pool foundation every six feet which comes out to ten fixtures. All of the outdoor light companies charge an arm an a leg for recessed lighting. Malibu wants $18.00 per fixture for a basic box and simple cover. I built these out of standard "off the shelf" items and each fixture ended up costing less than $5.00. The covers are standard large square light switch covers. I cut pieces of scrap plexi and sanded both sides and glued them into the openings. They make a nice smoked cover for the light to filter thorough. I did indulge in LED lights though. They are somewhat pricey ($3.00 per light) but use almost no power and allow me to stack up a bunch of lights onto my 300 watt transformer.



More updates once I get my delivery......:)
 
Re: New pool proj.Flagstoning around (and on) my fiberglass

As for the lighting, code calls for it to be at least 10 ft from the pool edge. Any concerns with this? I am running a 600 watt transformer but don't know if I want or can have lights that close to the pool. I have Only 5 feet of room behInd the pool where I would like some extra lights.

Looks great, can't wait to see the final pictures
 

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