New pool going in!

Sealing the bluestone is something I wouldn't bother with - something else to keep up with. Yes, it could make things slippery (though it may not - and probably wouldn't given your thermal finish variety), but I would just embrace the look. It doesn't look like concrete, it looks like bluestone which is awesome au naturale. And bluestone certainly doesn't need any protection. Your pool will look like the Hamptons with grass up to the bluestone, assuming that's your plan.
 
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It does look like your lot is custom made for an autocover pool. It was sunny but raining oak tassels up the road a bit yesterday. I suspect you are aware of using hair nets on your skimmers. They catch an untold volume of pollen and detritus from reaching your filter. But may need to be emptied daily (or more) during peak season, to keep the water flowing. You just toss the hairnets.

On the cover, if you are going to get your one side deck this season, then yes, wait until it's in for the cover install. If not until next year, just have them install the pipes at close this fall. The future deck side will have the same 24" pipes for the attachment points, which will get removed when the decking gets installed. I've never been confident that the pipes will hold strong/straight enough with the pull of the weight but I suppose they work well enough, just depends on solid your soil is. The real weight comes when it snows and the springs get fully compressed and the cover drops a foot down to the water level with a foot of snow on it. I would absolutely recommend getting a mesh cover to reduce the weight from rain/snow, and therefore pressure, put on the pipes. Keeping the cover taut is important so the cover doesn't rest on the pool water in the spring. If it does, the top level water warms quickly from the sun contact with the cover/water and you get green water.

Personally, I'd get concrete around the pool on all sides for access, cover reasons and keeping grass trimmings out.
 
It does look like your lot is custom made for an autocover pool. It was sunny but raining oak tassels up the road a bit yesterday. I suspect you are aware of using hair nets on your skimmers. They catch an untold volume of pollen and detritus from reaching your filter. But may need to be emptied daily (or more) during peak season, to keep the water flowing. You just toss the hairnets.

On the cover, if you are going to get your one side deck this season, then yes, wait until it's in for the cover install. If not until next year, just have them install the pipes at close this fall. The future deck side will have the same 24" pipes for the attachment points, which will get removed when the decking gets installed. I've never been confident that the pipes will hold strong/straight enough with the pull of the weight but I suppose they work well enough, just depends on solid your soil is. The real weight comes when it snows and the springs get fully compressed and the cover drops a foot down to the water level with a foot of snow on it. I would absolutely recommend getting a mesh cover to reduce the weight from rain/snow, and therefore pressure, put on the pipes. Keeping the cover taut is important so the cover doesn't rest on the pool water in the spring. If it does, the top level water warms quickly from the sun contact with the cover/water and you get green water.

Personally, I'd get concrete around the pool on all sides for access, cover reasons and keeping grass trimmings out.
Thanks, I declined the auto cover option as part of my build, pricing was stupid. Appreciate the hair net advise, I'll give that a try, the pollen balls have been brutal, the skimmer needs emptying 2x times a day, but the good news in the end is in site.

My pool guy and PB both strongly recommended a solid cover, I was originally down for a mesh so getting pricing on both. The case my pool guy made w/30 yrs of servicing pools in our area, that with our tree cover and the amount of stuff that falls out of our trees the water will get dirty from stuff washing through the mesh and the sunlight will contribute to organic growth/green water over the winter making start up more of a hassle. Conversely, he said in his experience, the water will be relatively clean in the spring at start up, with very little growth after removing a solid cover. Pool guy said the solid cover makes his life so much easier at start up. My pool guy also said if needed, he would put a pump on the cover if water collection became a hassle. Living near the bay our air temps seem to stay warmer and generally speaking and notwithstanding the freak every 10 yr storm, we do not contend with a lot of snow YoY or snow that seems to stick around for longer than a couple of days.
 
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I agree with your pool guys advice. I always get a clean opening with a solid cover.

A pool cover pump needs to be put on a solid cover to drain off storm water.
 
As reference I’m 14/14 opening clear with a mesh cover. Could be user error he’s seeing. Open early/close late. But I also don’t have heavy tree debris in the fall and don’t close until after it all falls.
 
+1. I had 80+ oaks on an acre and the mesh cover had crud on it nearly every day. Some years the silt on the bottom was worse than others, but nothing that 2 or 3 passes of the vac didn't fix.

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When the cover is billowing in the wind, yard debris will blow under either cover. IMO, doing a thorough fall yard cleaning is the most important thing.
 
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