Deck extension over pool rail

[jamin35008]

Hey Everyone,

My deck has been up for about two years now and I felt like something just wasn't right with it for the longest time. I wish I knew when it was being built what I know now! After seeing many other above ground pools and decks (since I have one now I look and compare what everyone else has ) it hit me at the end of last swim season and ever since I've been trying to figure out how to fix this problem. I want to extend the end of the deck over the ledge of the pool somehow. It just doesn't look complete right now and has been a safety issue before with a few kids slipping on the top of the pool railing and getting their leg wedged between the pool and the deck. I have a few ideas and here what they are:

1. Buying about 10-12 36" long angle irons spaced 12-15" apart. About 10" would hang over the pool railing and 26" would be anchored to the deck. This would include having to modify the under framing of the deck to allow me to anchor the angle iron deck. Then attach two more 5" deck boards to the top angle iron for the same look as the deck currently has. This would give me about 10" of cover over the pool railing and basically cover it all. My concern here is the strength of the 10" of angle iron that is over the pool railing and bending when someone is on those boards and possibly hitting the pool railing. I would have about 1/2"-3/4"' of space from the angle iron to the pool.

2. Reconfigure the deck boards to have them run perpendicular to the pool instead of parallel. My concern here is the strength of the boards that over hang the pool. Whats the thinkness of a deck board about 1/2" and hanging out almost a foot. Would it be strong enough over time?

3. Lay thicker boards (say 1' think) over my current deck boards but perpendicular to the pool and over hand the pool railing like in my 2nd example. I would have to make a small incline to these new boards so people wouldn't stub their toes.

Or its really a lost cause and I should learn to deal with it.

1st photo is an example of option #1 and #3 . I thought #2 was kinda self explanatory so its not included in the photo. The other photos are just different shots of the deck.



View attachment 63634



Please ANY suggestions, thoughts, comments! Good or bad!

Thanks so much!

 

[pigeon]

Photos won't work for me!

 

[CJadamec]

Without some pretty extensive framing you won't get 5/4 decking boards to hold the weight of people jumping into a pool cantilevered that much. In my pool build photos there are some shots of the framing for my pool deck.

I have an idea that might be a compromise. If you screw a cleat in-between the rail of the pool and the fascia board on the deck you can fill the gap. once you get your cleat in you can use the cleat and top rail to support a piece of decking to make a solid ledge. One word of warning though if your top rail is made of metal do not use allow pressure treated wood to be in direct contact with it.

 

[RoxxW]

Why no contact btwn the two materials?

Without some pretty extensive framing you won't get 5/4 decking boards to hold the weight of people jumping into a pool cantilevered that much. In my pool build photos there are some shots of the framing for my pool deck.

I have an idea that might be a compromise. If you screw a cleat in-between the rail of the pool and the fascia board on the deck you can fill the gap. once you get your cleat in you can use the cleat and top rail to support a piece of decking to make a solid ledge. One word of warning though if your top rail is made of metal do not use allow pressure treated wood to be in direct contact with it.

 

[jamin35008]

Without some pretty extensive framing you won't get 5/4 decking boards to hold the weight of people jumping into a pool cantilevered that much. In my pool build photos there are some shots of the framing for my pool deck.

I have an idea that might be a compromise. If you screw a cleat in-between the rail of the pool and the fascia board on the deck you can fill the gap. once you get your cleat in you can use the cleat and top rail to support a piece of decking to make a solid ledge. One word of warning though if your top rail is made of metal do not use allow pressure treated wood to be in direct contact with it.

What about the idea of using the angle iron or even a c channel to extend over the rail? I was thinking of using 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/8 angle iron 36" long and having about 10" cantilevered over the rail and the remainder secured to the deck. A 2" C-channel bar was another thought. I would mount the angle iron to sit on top of the deck joists and under the deck boards same would be true with the c-channel. I just don't know how much weight they are capable of holding. I went to home depot last night and got two angle irons and I'm going to put a mock up together soon to see how much weight these can support before there is movement/bending.

Another idea I had....in the first picture, the example of the two larger boards that are perpendicular to the pool, getting several 2" X 6" 's and either lay them right on the existing deck or cut out the existing deck in an arch that matches the curvature of the pool and replace those boards with the 2x6's cantilevering over the rail. I would have to some how deal with the difference in board height.

 

[CJadamec]

The modern ACQ pressure treated wood is very corrosive and will quickly shorten the life of any metal pool components.

The problem you have with sticking anything out that far from the deck is supporting it. A 2x6 on the flat will not stand up that well with weight on an unsupported edge like that. That edge will see a lot of use and be subject to a lot of forces beyond just a static load.

I don't see any good way of supporting what amounts to a 12" shelf off the edge of you deck that will stand up to the loads its going to see.
I would use composite decking to bridge the gap between the deck and the pool. I would use the deck and the top rail of the pool to hold the shelf up. It would end up looking like a step.

 

[jamin35008]

The modern ACQ pressure treated wood is very corrosive and will quickly shorten the life of any metal pool components.

The problem you have with sticking anything out that far from the deck is supporting it. A 2x6 on the flat will not stand up that well with weight on an unsupported edge like that. That edge will see a lot of use and be subject to a lot of forces beyond just a static load.

I don't see any good way of supporting what amounts to a 12" shelf off the edge of you deck that will stand up to the loads its going to see.
I would use composite decking to bridge the gap between the deck and the pool. I would use the deck and the top rail of the pool to hold the shelf up. It would end up looking like a step.

Points all well taken. Thank you for your insights, however I really don't want to lay composite on the pool rail and would much rather go over. (I know I'm stubborn)

It was suggested a while ago to me by a friend who is a carpenter and I had forgotten about this idea until just a few minutes ago, but he suggested creating about a half step up and adding new joists under the step up and extending those joists over the pool rail thus giving much more "wood meat" to support the cantilever. It would look something similar to these examples but would have a small step-up and landing before the pool:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7a/c7/26/7ac726c8777a1e1e4d92e6b7d5d86245.jpg

http://showyourvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Best-Above-Ground-Pool-Decks-Ideas.jpg

 

[CJadamec]

The joist extension should work but it will be a lot of work. At the end of the day it's probably the strongest solution that has been discussed so far.

In order for the joists to be able to support any thing you will either need to notch or remove the fascia board and sister the new joists to the old ones. I would have an overlap on the joists of at least 24" and don't be shy with the nails/screws holding the boards together. Use the same size joist lumber as you have existing but notch the joist to overlap the top rail of the pool leaving a 3/8-1/2 gap between the wood and the toprail of the pool. Then you could use the same size decking with no elevation change.

 

[jamin35008]

I to think that would be the best bet. I know it would be a lot of work but in the end would be the strongest option. As far the same elevation goes......the guy who suggested this method thought that there would not be enough meat to the wood by doing that and suggested I raise up that portion a few inches or so to get a larger support. I know it tough to see and I didn't mention figures for this but, it I were to keep the joist at the same elevation I would only have about 1 1/2" of wood left over the 7" pool railing after it was notched out. Granted I would have about 11 joists extended over the pool rail but I'm not sure how strong that would be over time? What do you think? What's the minimum thickness to have over the pool rail? What do you think the thickness is in this photo?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7a/c7/26/7ac726c8777a1e1e4d92e6b7d5d86245.jpg

 

[CJadamec]

1.5" of joist or is it 1.5" of joist plus the decking?

You can also sister two joists, one on either side of the existing joist. To make it even strong yet you can fill the gap between the two sistered joists with more wood. That would give you a 1.5 x 4.5 portion over the rail. That would be a pretty strong setup.

 

[jamin35008]

It would be 1.5" of joist plus the decking on top of that. I could even make the notch rounded to match the contour of the pool. I think that would strengthen it some. As for the fascia board I was thinking of removing that completely. It was installed after the pool was up so it should be able to be removed. Maybe its worth a try without raising it? I like the idea of the duel sisters with something in the middle. Good call there!

I really appreciate all the insight and suggestions!

 

[CJadamec]

Unless you want the look of the raised edge I think that much joist with decking on top will be strong enough. If you radius the corners around the pool that will only help make it stronger. Even better still is to make sure the new pieces of decking are long enough to cover 3 or 4 joists back into the existing deck that will also help resist the torque when there's a 300lbs in-law doing cannonballs into the pool.

It'll look great when you are done and make jumping much safer. Gonna be a project tho. Took me almost the entire summer from early May to the end of August to do my decks and pool last year.

 

[jamin35008]

I completed a template of the joist and I think it turned out better and thicker than I thought. I did run into a problem because when I tried to fit it on the other side of the deck it didn't fit, so either the deck is slightly uneven or the pool is. I don't think it will be a significant difference though cause this template was just barely to big to fit on the other side. If I had to guess the thickness of the joist cantilever would be about 1 3/4 - 2".

I think I'm going to make several of these and make a small mock up the the edge of the deck and see how the strength is. I'm going to make them all 1 3/4" and if they hold I know I will be fine with the larger ones. I have several small pieces of joists left over from the deck build.

I could even shorten the length if needed. I would still be pleased if it doesn't cover the whole rail.

 

[Teald024]

Late to the party. Looks like a lot of ideas tossed around.
You may end up having to make adjustments on the fly in case all the supports aren't the same. As you noted there will be slight differences between the pool and the deck at each joist.
One item to keep in the back of your mind: leave enough space to slide your pool cover between the joists and the pool. Don't need much room though.

 

[jamin35008]

I'm ready for that. It always seems like things never go the way you plan. I will keep the winter cover space in mind to thanks.

I may lay a frame down so you guys can see my other thought. Granted the cantilever is my#1 choice cause it won't involve raising the deck but I still want to see what the step up would look like. I think I would try it with 2x4 pressure treated for the under framing and I would remove some of the Deck boards and re use them. Will post a pic when I get that done. Thanks again!

 

[danpik]

This was my solution.





Dan

 

[jamin35008]

Hi Dan! Thanks for posting. I have seen your photo when searching for "above ground pool decks" and its what originally gave the thought to do that to my deck. I have used it as an example earlier in this thread. Its awesome that your on here and if you don't mind could I ask you some things about yours?

1. Do you know what the specs are for the cantilever portion? Like how I measured my template in a previous post. I think I may shorten mine a bit like yours to leave room for the small fascia board and over hang the last board a bit as well. I think this would give more strength to the joist in the end.

2. Has the deck been up for as long as the pool? I'm worried that over time I'm going to see cracking and breaks.

3. How is it with the winter cover?

Thanks again for posting here!

Ben

 

[danpik]

Hi Dan! Thanks for posting. I have seen your photo when searching for "above ground pool decks" and its what originally gave the thought to do that to my deck. I have used it as an example earlier in this thread. Its awesome that your on here and if you don't mind could I ask you some things about yours?

1. Do you know what the specs are for the cantilever portion? Like how I measured my template in a previous post. I think I may shorten mine a bit like yours to leave room for the small fascia board and over hang the last board a bit as well. I think this would give more strength to the joist in the end.

The overhang is roughly 5-6" long and the finger that sticks out is about 1.5" thick. It is hard to see in the picture, but the deck is two sections bolted together. Each one is a pie shaped piece that the point of would intersect in the middle of the pool. There are, counting the outside frame, 4 joists per section extending over the pool edge

2. Has the deck been up for as long as the pool? I'm worried that over time I'm going to see cracking and breaks.

The deck was built about a month after the pool went in

3. How is it with the winter cover?

winter cover has been no problem. The deck is not mounted to the beams and can be moved easily if need be.
As you can see in this picture, it is moved slightly back compared to the other pictures.

Thanks again for posting here!

Ben

 

[jamin35008]

So this is what I was thinking for the step up. You will have to imagine that these are all pressure treated 2x4's and the deck boards that are there will be removed and placed on top of that framing. I want to use 2x4's to keep the rise as small as possible but still have a good deal of strength over the cantilever. I'm really torn between the two ideas and now starting to think that the step up would be less work. I did make another template for the joist extension idea on the side that will be smaller and the thickness over there was 1 3/4" to clear the pool rail.

 

[jamin35008]

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