Any good books etc.on concrete slab work for a pool deck????

Question

I'm putting in a concrete deck around my pool, about 1200 square feet (including the pool of 500 sq. feet), and I'm not finding many books on making forms, installing drains, spacers to be used between the slab and the house, expansion joints, etc. I'm not sure if Ortho or Sunset makes one that goes beyond the basics or not. Anybody know of any books or websites that cover this topic?? It seems that most cover small jobs like a pathway or small area. Contractors charge a lot of money, and although I know I will need help floating it out, I know enuf about carpentry and landscaping to do the forms and downspout drains as well as surface drains. Not sure if there are any books or info specifically on pool decks??? Any help is most-appreciated!!!! Thank you!!!! Am I underestimating the difficulty of this job, and should I be looking for a good concrete contractor??? Seems they all want like 12-18 bucks a square foot and I know that material costs are only about $3 per foot.

Answer 1

Im going to give you a crash couse in laying concrete, what you are doing shouldnt be that bad, as long as you have to do it right. You may have to email me to get clarification on some things.

I have a couple questions for you before we get started.

What kind of soil do you have around the pool now? example sand, black soil, gravel?

How much higher is the pool than the surrounding grade?

Will the concrete extend from pool to home foundation?

Do you live in an area that has extended freezing weather?


send the answers back to [e-mail]\

if possible draw, scan and send a sketch with measurement and surrounding areas out 10 ft on all sides.

Answer 2

Rawstuff 007 has it right. The contractor is probably trying to save on the amount of concrete he is pouring by leaving chunks of existing concrete in the form. If the new concrete is going to be slurried around the existing chunks, such that the old concrete is part of the new decking, this creates weak points in the decking (where old, cured concrete contacts new, wet concrete) that will be susceptible to cracking. When pouring a slab of concrete like that, all of the existing material should be removed down to a depth of at least 4 inches. Then concrete reinforcing mesh (that Rawstuff described) should be placed across the entire area where the concrete is going to be poured. If not, the decking may not be to code when it's complete.

Answer 3

if you're up to the job, do a section at a time... they sell mixers at sams & home depot w/ electric motors ($ 300.00 ) that will do just fine...
the bag stuff is ok if you add a bou 1 shovel of portland per bag to increase the psi strength.
if you want ready mix, it's tough for 1 guy to pour out 10 cy & impossible to wheel barrow it too! ( you'll need a crew)
pools should be higher than the surrounding ground, so run off will not enter. concrete s/b 4" thick ... any thicker is a wast of money, expansion joint no bigger than 10 x10 concrete cracks naturally at abot 10 to 15 feet ( go look at a highway ), re bar on 16" or 24" centers or none ( check city code ) at all if you place your expansionjoints / control joints properly ( if you put no steel, dowell your expansin joint & put in steel pieces to attach it all together so one section can't sink, or heave)

good luck

Answer 4

The size of the slab is irrelevant. A 10 x 10 patio is the same procedure as a 1200 sq. ft. pool deck. I do 30,000 - 100,000 sq.ft. slabs in factories, with machine bases, trenches, loading docks, etc. It's the same basic principle as a 200 sq. ft. pad for a break area or heat and air pad, just bigger.

Answer 5

go to the city planners office, the place you should have gone to get a permit for construction. i don't mean to sound condescending, but if they find out you are doing this without a permit, they will make you rip it all out and start again with a fine to boot! permits are not expensive. they will give you all the specs to do the job correctly. they are really very helpful and have many good ideas you may not have considered. good luck