Pool deck, build or buy/move?

[aczlan]

There is one that is actually in your neck of the woods that I want to look at (if they will return my calls). The price is right (free) if its built right.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

My plan would be one piece (after removing the rails), put it at an angle on a 18' landscape trailer

Aaron Z

Wow. How heavy is it going to be and how are you going to tip it and brace it, etc...?

 

[txdon]

I would go for the Trex. That is what I have around my above ground pool. I don't have to worry about splinters or staining/painting.

 

[MossRoad]

There is one that is actually in your neck of the woods that I want to look at (if they will return my calls). The price is right (free) if its built right.

Aaron Z

We've got some squirrely neighbors that had a HUGE deck built around their 24' above ground. Its more SQ footage than their house. Anyhow, they used it about 3-4 years, and its sat for a good 5 years. This lady is nuts, and survives on alcohol and pain killers and is usually drunk by 10:00am. However, she did a really nice thing this year. She donated the deck to a veteran's group that goes around disassembling decks and using the wood to build handicap wheelchair ramps for veterans. How nice is that? :thumbsup:

 

[aczlan]

Back under, erect a triangle shaped support under one side at the "raised height", cut the posts out and let it drop to sit at an angle (one side up, one side down) and strap it in place.

When I get home, I can use the 3 point forks on the big tractor to lift one end at a time and set it on posts again.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

I would go for the Trex. That is what I have around my above ground pool. I don't have to worry about splinters or staining/painting.

We have pressure treated deck that I built about 18 years ago. It is starting to splinter and it does require staining and sealing every few years. So it is a maintenance item, for sure.

 

[MossRoad]

Back under, erect a triangle shaped support under one side at the "raised height", cut the posts out and let it drop to sit at an angle (one side up, one side down) and strap it in place.

When I get home, I can use the 3 point forks on the big tractor to lift one end at a time and set it on posts again.

Aaron Z

13' wide deck and there's room to back a trailer under it? I take it the posts are on the outer edges? What dimensions are the deck joists? 2x10? 2x12?

 

[aczlan]

13' wide deck and there's room to back a trailer under it? I take it the posts are on the outer edges? What dimensions are the deck joists? 2x10? 2x12?

I haven't looked at this one yet. The one I looked at the other day was a 13x17 deck and it had enough space to fit a trailer under.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

I can't remember the dimensions of ours. Its on a corner of a 24' above ground. As I recall, I built it with the intention of storing a couple rowboats under it. Anyhow, its overbuilt and not going anywhere should a bunch of people get up there for some reason. We've got a glass table that seats 6 and two side chairs. So the most that's ever on it is 8. It could probably hold several tons. I found some deck plans. Whatever size 2 X ? joists it called for, I added 2" to just to be sure. I used pressure treated lumber, carriage bolts, galvanized joist hangars and screws. No nails. The top boards around the railings cupped and started rotting after about 15 years. I replaced them with some resin-type boards last year. They look better and shouldn't cup or warp.

 

[CreekyB]

I would build the PT deck. Trex is ok but there is a lot of stuff that can be wrong with a Trex deck. You would be surprised at the number of Trex decks where people paid for the upgrade in material but used cheap fasteners or did not follow the joist spacing for it. Also Trex deck can be damaged fairly easy, and unlike an exotic hardwood deck, which actually costs less than Trex or even a pressure treated deck Trex cannot be sanded.

When we did decks for customers wanting composite we always tried to sell them on Ipe or Cumaru. Ipe and Cumaru pricing is,or was at the time often cheaper than composites. If you flash the deck structure properly you can have a substructure that will go the length of the life of the hardwood on top. 10 years down the road after some serious use you can sink the fasteners deeper on the hardwood and sand the deck to refinish. You cannot do that with Trex. A worthy consideration if there are dogs and kids, Trex gets soft in the sun and dog's nails can scratch it pretty bad.
You can also sink fasteners on a PT deck and refinish if needed. I would not recommend it on 5/4 decking but if you use 2x6 decking it can be done a few times. Provided the substructure was built to last.