My First "Level" Pool Install and Deck Build

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norwei said:
Love the deck. I just finished leveling today. My back is sore and my hands are numb from using the spade fork. I have clay to contend with so it was not easy. As for the deck, my wife doesn't want to do it because she is still thinking of getting an inground pool. So my goal for the upcoming months is to convince her to forget about the inground pool and save the money for kid's education.
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Thanks :)

We are going to do an in ground in 2-3 years. I will tell you that this pool is way more user friendly and useful with the deck. I build the deck mostly with screws...so I can take it apart and re-use the wood for other projects when the time comes to take it down. I am glad that I went ahead and added the larger deck.
 
Well I managed to pretty much finish up the "to do" list on the pool this past weekend.

- I installed edging and added landscape fabric and river rock
- I hard plumbed my pump and added the factory suction port back into the mix if needed
- I added a fountain to help keep the water temps down and add aeration when needed
- I finished up the small details on my little pump house (mainly to keep it out of the sun)

Here are some pics








I hinged the lid to my little pump house to make access easy. I can also remove 4 screws and take the whole house out of the way. Where the pump is it, it will get sun from about 8:00am till 6:30pm, I did not want it to sit out in the broiling hot sun all summer long. This little structure will keep the direct sun off of it and still allow for ample air flow.
 
I can sympathize with you on the digging. I had to dig down quite a bit for my 18' pool. After about 2 wheel barrel loads the thought hit me...I have a snow plow on the truck. (almost standard equipment on trucks in western NY) Took no time to grade out the area.


Nice looking deck and install too.:goodjob:
 
gotsno said:
Wow can I hire you to install mine.:D That is a super nice job and gives me ideas for my deck. Hope you do not mind folks stealing your deck design.:D
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Thanks...and nope, steal away. It's turned out good and works great with a AGP, makes it very nice to use. :)

I enjoyed building the deck...but I would not want to do it again. I am going to save my digging/design/hard work for the in ground that I will install in a few years.
 
Very nice and clean lines done on the plumbing. One of the nicest Intex build on this forum.
 
Casey said:
Very nice and clean lines done on the plumbing. One of the nicest Intex build on this forum.
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Thanks! :)

I worked very hard to get to this point and I plan to just keep the water balanced and enjoy it the rest of the summer. I have some great ideas on winter prep/covers....but have a few months before I have to worry about that.
 
Slammed01 said:
Very Clean! Looking at a 16x48, how do you like the river rock? I like that border, then add some plants. What is the thickness of 12x12 paver? Do you bury and make the sand even with paver?

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I like the river rock a lot. I had a source to go get them right on the river for free...but cheated and bought these from our local Wal-Mart. They had 2 kinds that they called "River Rock" one of them had what looked like some sharp rocks mixed in. These were all smooth edges, I think these were actually called "River Pebbles", or something like that.

The 12x12 pavers are a funny story. I had 8 that were left over from another project. My parents had a huge stack of 12x12 pavers that they took up at their new house that the previous owner had installed, so I went and got 10 from them. I just assumed that they were all the same, they were not. Mine were 1.25 thick and my parents were 1" thick. Since my circle that I excavated was pretty much spot on level....I had to dig down 1/4" for the 8 pavers that I had to make them level with the 10 that I got from my parents which pretty much just sat flat on the ground.

At any rate you can use any thickness paver you choose....1" is a popular thickness. I added sand and compacted it to the level of the pavers. I ended up setting an extra paver in the center of the circle that was level with the pavers around the perimeter of the circle and then used a 10' 2x4 to screed the sand off level working in a clockwise rotation. Then once done I took out the center paver and filled in the hole. You can also use a 4' straight board to level the sand between the perimeter pavers, this gives you a 12" ring on the outside that is level and helps when using the 10' 2x4.

Tamping the sand to compact it is a chore. I ended up spraying lots of water onto it to get it to set up. When I built my house, I used a gas powered plate compactor from a rental store when I compacted the sand under my concrete slab and boy was it easy to use....I would have rented it again for this, but our rental store closed and it's 35 miles to the closest one. A hand tamper works fine....just spray lots of water on it.

Also keep in mind that the sand does not have to be perfect. It needs to be level with the pavers and mostly smooth. Some high and low spots out in the middle will not matter other than you might feel them with your feet when in the pool.
 

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I too like the look of the pebbles. The wife prefers that as well. Not sure about the cost for myself though as I made my area slightly larger on one side of the pool to accomdate the grill and some lawn chairs. Been debating a deck as well so I hate to spend the cash on the rock until I'm sure. I need to check local aggregate yards, maybe a better deal for a truck load.

and by the way duckcmdr your deck is awesome! :)
 
Love the pump house, looks like my weekend project coming up. Been trying to figure out how to give my pump and filter cover from the sun all day and the afternoon showers here in Florida, that looks perfect.
 
Waldog said:
I too like the look of the pebbles. The wife prefers that as well. Not sure about the cost for myself though as I made my area slightly larger on one side of the pool to accomdate the grill and some lawn chairs. Been debating a deck as well so I hate to spend the cash on the rock until I'm sure. I need to check local aggregate yards, maybe a better deal for a truck load.

and by the way duckcmdr your deck is awesome! :)
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Thanks....it turned out just as I had it pictured in my mind.

The bags I bought were 1/2 cubic foot bags.



They were $3.76 per bag here. I only needed 7 bags to do what I did, so it was less than $30 which I did not think was all that bad. I was going to use rubber mulch till I priced it. Honestly I think I like the look of the river rock better anyway.
 
limeysgrl said:
Love the pump house, looks like my weekend project coming up. Been trying to figure out how to give my pump and filter cover from the sun all day and the afternoon showers here in Florida, that looks perfect.
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I just hated for it to sit out in the 100 degree sun that we get here at the end of the summer and where the pump is located in my yard there is about as much shade as at pyramid at noon.

I used the scraps of wood and lattice that I had left over from the deck, that's why the lattice is only around the top.
 
Slammed01 said:
Awesome, thank you so much! I'll prob go pick up 16 12x12x1" or 1025" pavers this weekend when I go get the pool! Just wasn't sure if the weight would snap 1"! Great to know =). I love this forum already

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Just make sure when you set them your ground is flat underneath the pavers. If there are low spots in the middle, the weight WILL break the 1" ones.
 
mac.dblues said:
Just make sure when you set them your ground is flat underneath the pavers. If there are low spots in the middle, the weight WILL break the 1" ones.
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Yours were not 12x12x1 were they? I thought yours were like 8x12x1...if so the 8" one will break easier than a square 12" one will. But yes, you are correct in that the ground under the paver needs to be flat. I took a brick and pounded the ground where the pavers are at to compact and make a good flat spot.
 
duckcmmndr said:
Yours were not 12x12x1 were they? I thought yours were like 8x12x1...if so the 8" one will break easier than a square 12" one will. But yes, you are correct in that the ground under the paver needs to be flat. I took a brick and pounded the ground where the pavers are at to compact and make a good flat spot.
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Yeah, I used the 8X12x1's. And so far they are holding the weight of my 20' X 52" just fine. I already had them when I realized most people were using the 12 x 12 x 2's. I broke one with a rubber mallet trying to flatten the sand under it to get another 1/8" lower. For those who don't know, I built a frame and leveled it up with sand. I sunk the pavers into the sand to find level. Some are on dirt, some have sand below them. So far I can't tell that any of them have sunk or shifted in the sand.

I just hated to see someone have a slight dip under a paver and it break on them when the downward force of the leg forced it down. Or even worse if it broke a couple weeks or months after set up. I know it would freak me out if I were in the pool and it suddenly snapped and that leg dropped 1/4"!
 
Looks fantastic. I love the deck. Mine will probably be that size. What was an appx lumber cost if you don't mind? Man, I wish I could use them concrete footer things you used. Not gonna cut it in PA, but they look so nice and easy. lol kudos to you.

The little pump house looks great too. Is your electric post in there too?
 
MermaidMama said:
Looks fantastic. I love the deck. Mine will probably be that size. What was an appx lumber cost if you don't mind? Man, I wish I could use them concrete footer things you used. Not gonna cut it in PA, but they look so nice and easy. lol kudos to you.

The little pump house looks great too. Is your electric post in there too?
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Thanks :)

The lumber cost was roughly $1,850. That is everything including screws and hinges and nails. I did not think it was too bad for a deck that size with that look to it. I could have changed the railing to something more simple and saved money as well as omitting the lattice work around the bottom (that was $250 just for skirting). It's in my back yard and I have to look at it...so I wanted it to look a certain way and that's what I built.

My electric post is under the deck. The cord that came with the pump was plenty long enough to run around the edge of the pool to plug in under the deck. I hid the extension cord in my landscaping river pebbles and you can't even see it. The end of the deck that has the power connection also has a 3' wide door made from lattice that I can open to access the power connection as well as get up under the deck if needed. I could have routed the power all the way to the pump, but I did it the way I did for a few reasons.

1. It was a shorter run of underground cable.
2. Being under the deck does provide some level of weather/splash protection.
3. I plan to add a pool light and maybe some low voltage deck lighting and it will be real handy if the plug is close by.

I live out in the country so I don't have to follow any building codes...even though the deck/railing/stairs are all up to code.
 

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