Two years ago I installed a semi-in ground Radiant Freeform pool with the paver/cantilever coping. As a result of unfortunate expenses (like needing to put in a costly drywell... underneath where my driveway used to be) and the town having me move a brand new cedar fence....3 times. Ugh! My budget was shot and now times have changed and I just can't see spending the money. I had "faux finished" the pool with landscaping to hide the exterior wall the past two summers (while waiting for a financial window to open in hopes of finishing) and was quite happy with it. At this point the prices I'm getting to finish the job with stone veneer and paver coping ($30k) I just can't make happen. Thankfully I kind of like my faux finished look, and I'd rather continue to improve the landscaping than go into debt over this. But how on earth do I resolve the "wrong" coping issue? What can I do about the fact that I have the paver coping installed and the pool has had water in it and been in use for two years? I'm afraid to mess with something that isn't broken, but my installer said changing it wasn't an option anyway. Does anyone know if there is something that can be put over this? some kind of cap, or is there any way to change the coping? Seems I can't be the first person to have run out of money (and if I am... I doubt I'll be the first and last!) Thanks for any advice on how to move forward with this conundrum.
Installed Paver Coping but can't afford to finish with stone... help!
- Thread starter Tess6
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,480
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Welcome to TFP.
Your pool looks great. Why can't you leave it the way it is?
What coping are you talking about?
Your pool looks great. Why can't you leave it the way it is?
What coping are you talking about?
Thank you Allen. I can't leave it as it is, because essentially there is no coping! (hence your question, what coping...) The way the pool is designed you have to select how you will finish it and then either a standard coping is installed (in which it would be finished, with everything secured and covered etc.). Since I chose the cantilever/paver coping as my intended finished design, there isn't really a "cap" so to speak on the top.. it is more of a connector piece, intended to attach to the pavers. However the liner goes on before this piece. So now I'm kind of stuck having made a costly choice in the finished design.
Attachments
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,480
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
So the entire area around your pool was planned to be built up level with the top of your pool using pavers and coping on top of the pool?
Post some close up pics of what the track on the top of your pool looks like.
Post some close up pics of what the track on the top of your pool looks like.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
I think that looks pretty nice as it is.. you have done a nice job covering it up. Are you handy? Have you every thought of finishing it yourself? OR how about hiring someone to put in the the coping row of pavers and you can finish the rest of the deck.. Its really not that difficult.. Just trying to throw some ideas out there.
Have you priced stamped/stained concrete. Makes a good coping edge too, y'know? Do the Goog for "Decorator Cement".
Maddie
Maddie
How about a cantilevered concrete, they do a stamped version that looks like a paver and then do regular brushed concrete decking. Concrete install is way cheaper than pavers. Anywhere from $5-$8 a square foot for decking and more of course for stamped. It would be nowhere near $30k that they quoted for pavers. On the spec sheet you attached it shows that under the same detail for your current edge piece that went with the paver.
Another option is just to do the paver coping (they have a lot of affordable 5” wide options) then pour the rest of the decking in brushed concrete. The $30k is for everything paver it doesn’t mean your stuck and have no other options now. Come up with a budget and do it in sections if you have to. You can even start with just the coping and a 3 foot walkway of concrete around the pool with stepping stones from the house.
For the raised wall of the pool you can parge it with concrete like people do to their foundation of their house. You don’t have to do an expensive veneer stone.
I had planned to have 1-2’ exposed but we couldn’t dig as far as we planned bc of the huge rocks they were hitting. Attached is a picture of what I had hoped to do, and what I have now.....
Attachments
Do you mean just make it a more narrow coping so that I at least have some of the aesthetics? I hadn’t really thought of that. Could definitely be an option. I believe a good bit of the price is coming from the cost of building up a “wall” to support the paver coping on the top. Even with using concrete block, and just covering it with cement on the backside and only doing stone around 1/3 of the pool was going to run me about $20k.
I’m under the impression that even just doing concrete block for now in order to hold the coping up will be costly. But also... I get different information about what is required to prep for it etc. we did backfill with sand and gravel and I believe stone dust somewhere along the way... knowing what would go on top.. I guess depending on what is really needed I’d be able to come up with a better game plan.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,480
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You sort of painted yourself into a corner with the raised wall design. Hard to put any stone on top of the narrow wall.
I would look for some u shaped plastic striping edging that you can put over the edge to protect it until some future time you can finish the stone the way you had planned.
I would look for some u shaped plastic striping edging that you can put over the edge to protect it until some future time you can finish the stone the way you had planned.
I think the problem there is that I’m not fully inground. I have to build a wall up. However, if I could build a wall up with concrete block and if someone could somehow pour concrete for the actual coping... maybe, but idk how they’d do that. But open to ideas if that’s a possibility!!
Hmmm, I didn’t realize the raised part was vinyl pool wall support. Did your pool installer just disappear? He should have provided some economical options.
Maybe contact a concrete guy and a landscaper. How far is the raised wall from the property line. You can possibly put in your pool coping, raise the grade up to it and slope it to the property line or do a coping then a raised plant bed then slope to property line. It’s also amazing what they can do with concrete. Find a solid company you can trust and see what suggestions they have.
Maybe contact a concrete guy and a landscaper. How far is the raised wall from the property line. You can possibly put in your pool coping, raise the grade up to it and slope it to the property line or do a coping then a raised plant bed then slope to property line. It’s also amazing what they can do with concrete. Find a solid company you can trust and see what suggestions they have.
You summed it up perfectly lol! I’m considering just doing something like in the attached photo, along with some plants etc, around the rest of the pool where I don’t have the rocks already placed. My boyfriend just built himself a timber frame so I’ve got access to some free materials to do that for now. So at least I’m not spending money on something temporary.
Attachments
He didn’t disappear... just not seeming to get any less expensive options unless I’m willing to have the outside of my pool look like a highway retaining wall/sound barrier (which is not really the look I was going for. Haha!)
And the property line... well let’s just say outing this pool in was like putting an elephant in a hamster cage! We had hoped to go a little deeper with the pool and building it up was the plan on the backside of the pool, but for various reasons that wasn’t going to work.
Thank you! And yes... I’ve thought if finishing it myself and while I’m somewhat handy... my boyfriend is a contractor - but it’s the fact that it will have a wall around it that holds the coping that seems to be the source of the expense.
Now it’s all making sense, I didn’t realize the entire pool is raised out of the ground. That’s not a back idea for the “retaining wall”, I’d put coming on first then that behind it if sticking up higher possible. Then you can do a landing and a step up to the raised pad. Maybe also look up affordable retaining walls.
What about vertical concrete.
www.concretedecor.net
You have to find someone who knows how to do it but they pretty much use a mixture that can be carved into to look like stone. Probably cheaper than a veneer stone product but google vertical concrete. Then they stain it however you want.
Or not sure if this can be used near a pool but they have boards like this or vinyl siding that looks like stacked stone.
Use of Vertical Concrete is on the Rise - Concrete Decor
Carved vertical concrete is popping up more and more in residential and commercial projects inside and outside.
www.concretedecor.net
Or not sure if this can be used near a pool but they have boards like this or vinyl siding that looks like stacked stone.
TRITAN BP Canyon's Edge Faux Stack Stone 48-3/4 in. x 24-3/4 in. Gray Fox Class A Fire Rated Urethane Siding Panel CE-4824-GFX - The Home Depot
Tritan BP Canyon's Edge Faux Stone Siding Panel. Let's make a statement, Canyon's Edge faux stack stone will do just that. This panel features the largest faux stones currently offered. The Canyon's Edge
www.homedepot.com
