Pool Construction Time Lapse

[Bosch232]

We hired out the pool construction, but we built the deck ourselves.


https://vimeo.com/50960786

[JimK]

We hired out the pool construction, but we built the deck ourselves.


https://vimeo.com/50960786

Great video! :cool:

[BigDave]

Nice!

How do you like the TREX? Does it get hot underfoot?

[Bosch232]

Well, I'm torn about the Trex. It's not all that their marketing would have you believe it is. But in a nut shell, here's my assessment:

Pros:
Apparently not as prone to mold staining as other brands which have class action law suits if you Google around a bit. I was going to go with a lower end product but was scared away by the mold stain stories. This was more or less my only reason for pony-ing up for Trex.

Cons:
Astronomically expensive compared to a decent cedar. Twice the price.
It scratches easily. You have to be mindful of moving your power tools around on it or you'll scratch it.
Don't believe the marketing - it does fade some.
For $3.00 per lineal foot I'd expect some grain variation to give at least SOME impression of an organic material like wood.
It looks exactly like what it is: A plastic deck.

The concealed fasteners are not worth what they charge for them. For that 500 s.f. deck that I built they wanted (no joke) $749.00 for concealed fasteners. I can look at Grip Fast screw heads all day long for that kind of money..

But to answer your question the heat hasn't been an issue.

[BigDave]

Thanks for your insight. My better half wants a pool deck that won't give splinters (apparently a problem with our ipe deck), I've been concerned that the plastic would get uncomfortably hot in the sun. I've seen how it fades - there are sections of boardwalk at the shore decked in TREX - it smells in the sun too.

[Bosch232]

I kind of ranted on Trex, but I'll tell you we do like it. It's just the price, my God...
That deck as you see built in the video cost me $11 per sq foot total, ready for use. That's 3 times the price of a concrete slab, but with my sloped site it would have required a ton of earthwork to prep for a slab.

And then there's the issue of burying an above ground pool. We got that pool for free, it's about 7-8 yrs old. The previous owner had it only about 6 inches in the ground, and there was a fair amount of corrosion on the buried structural members, including rust on the galvanized plates. So I wasn't too hip on burying an AG pool after seeing that. B

But it's all good, we really like it and are proud of what we did this summer.

[BigDave]

You should be proud! It looks awesome!

[Fuzz1]

Loved your video. Nice looking family too. How's the Trex deck working out now that you're into your second summer?

[Bosch232]

Thanks for the kind words. The Trex is fine. It definitely fades, though, so don't believe their hype that it won't. But I'm still happy I went with it.

[Fuzz1]

I figure that very few people would care about fading... me personally, I just want the thing to structurally last longer than I do. :) It's the same reason why I put in steel oil pipe fence posts around our last property, and PT rails. I figure I could fix a few fence pickets when I'm old, but I'd rather that the posts and rails last longer than I do.

[Bosch232]

If I had it to do over again, I'd build it just the same way.
The brutal heat and drought last year played hell with my heavy framing treated lumber, but no one can really see much of that.