raising deck level around IG pool - building up bond beam?

[Mobius5]

Hello,

I'm currently looking at a complete pool renovation project and the landscape designer would like to raise the existing deck level around the pool to the house finished floor level. Obviously there's things to take care of like damp proof where it meets the house, but with respect to the pool, could the existing bond beam be built up to the new level and how would this be achieved?

All the old coping is going anyway, as are all the skimmers/returns, so presumably we'd need to strip back to the existing bond beam then use blockwork to increase the height and then backfill? Would we need to mechanically fasten the new blockwork to the bond beam (e.g. epoxy & rebar) or would a bonding agent on the blockwork be good enough?

Thanks

 

[Neto]

my pool is currently being built and the coping crew elevated the coping with 3/4" to 1" mortar. I am not sure how high do you want to go but i would definitely talk to a professional about this.

 

[Mobius5]

Sorry, forgot to add that - it's probably around 8-9 inches it needs to be raised. Too much for mortar alone.

 

[Mobius5]

BUMP - Any ideas on this..? Specifically would we need to mechanically fasten the new blockwork to the bond beam (e.g. epoxy & rebar) or would a bonding agent on the blockwork/cement be good enough to secure the new course of blocks, given the area will be backfilled with crushed limestone and compressed with a whacker plate?

 

[Pv2]

do you have some photos or drawings to help illustrate what you are wanting to do? I am not even qualified to ask, give advice, or anything, but I am curious. someone might be along to advise soon.

 

[sktn77a]

I thought the point of a bond beam was to have a structurally continuous beam around the pool (ie poured/rebarred concrete). Not sure I would want blocks for this purpose but I'll defer to the pool builders on this site (@ajw22, @jimmythegreek, @PoolguyinCT, etc).

 

[ajw22]

So you want to raise the water level of the pool using blocks on the bond beam?

We have heard of pools being built with a block shell and then plastered or vinyl liner installed. I think the devil is in the details of type of blocks and how it is all structurally tied together.

@bdavis466 @MinerJason thoughts?

 

[bdavis466]

Block would be a poor choice in that application. Since this is a structural change to the pool an engineer should be consulted to advise on concrete mix and rebar size/placement.

Plan on installing several rebar dowels epoxied in place and reconstructing the bond beam. You'll also want to be sure the new rebar is connected to the existing rebar somehow to maintain proper electrical bonding.

 

[jimmythegreek]

You would have to chip back the shell somewhere to join the bonding grid then epoxy rebar dowels and form a new bond beam with a continuous pour of high psi concrete. 12" on center is the usual with some horizontal bar wired up. You have to plan to prep for skimmer and plumb that and any fittings to be raised that need to be up high

My advice would be to not raise the pool deck up that high. I dont get along well with designers only because I have countless architects and designers draw and vision things that are either too expensive to build, make no sense, or can't be built. You should always have at least a 4" drop in front of any exterior door for water and snow etc

 

[MinerJason]

I'm going to echo what Brian and Jimmy have already said. You'd want to chip out existing bond beam to expose rebar to tie into the bonding grid (preferably in a few places), lots of rebar dowels epoxied into the existing bond beam, and a high strength concrete pour to raise it. And as Jimmy mentioned, having the pool deck at the same height as your finished house floor level is generally a bad idea for drainage reasons. Pretty sure that's not even something that's allowed by code in most places here in the US. Not sure about the UK though.