Rebar from gunite to deck?

[austin.sailor]

Hi, I am getting bids on a new pool build in Austin, Texas and am curious about the practice of having rebar from the gunite shell extend into the deck. It appears to be done in most posts that I see in the forum, but it was not done on my previous pool build (2001). Is this a standard practice now and is it important?

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[JasonLion]

It is done both ways. Which way varies mostly by what region of the country you are in. Around where I am you never connect the deck to the pool, there is always an expansion joint, generally foam and caulk. But in some places, where there is a lot of ground movement, the deck would shift too much relative to the pool if they were separate, so they are connected together.

 

[austin.sailor]

Got it and thanks for the reply!

 

[CombatYoga]

Hi Sailor,

I live just outside of Austin. Our shifting ground around here dictates that you should extend rebar from gunite into your surrounding decking.
My next door neighbor is an architect and also recommended wrapping the rebar in felt. My research showed this was more important for heavier structures, but it was cheap to do.

SF

 

[carolina pool]

Attaching rebar from the pool shell to the patio is never a good idea, especially when the soils are unstable or expansive.

The pool shell is like a footing in that it doesn't move vertically or horizontally. A poured patio is subject to both horizontal and vertical movement from expansion/contraction and soil movement. When you tie the two together something will have to break.