floating deck

[drkyello]

i was looking to try some type of floating deck from my pool, since it takes up so much space in my backyard, making it pretty much useless during the off season. I'm in Bay Area, California, so two seasons i have are, 1)hot enough to swim and 2) not hot enough to swim, but still okay to be outside.

so i thought it i can do some type of floating deck, with the plastic drums. but my issue seems to be the frame. i have seen some built with aluminum frame, but i don't think i can do that for a long period of time. I think the aluminum will react. so i thought of composite wood, but not sure about being under water

any advice for a frame?

[PoolDoc]

A floating deck is going to be extremely cumbersome and heavy. It will also not be completely stable under load . . . and it will move up and down with the water level. Where do you plan to store the deck, during the pool season?

It seems to me that, assuming you have a place for storage would be easier to build a raised deck that would span the pool -- I'm assuming it's a small one, and fairly narrow. If so, you could build a deck in sections 2-3' wide x the width of the pool + 1'. If you are careful about the design, several men should be able to handle and stack the sections . . . once the wood is 100% dry. You'll need to use treated lumber + stainless fasteners, and you'll want to seal the wood, once it's fully dried out.

The difficulty will be getting a design. If you can find a local truss company that will design & build the trusses needed, using treated lumber and stainless gang plates, you're probably home free. They should be able to work out the best points to attach trusses to adjacent sections, as well, using stainless bolts and washers. If you seal the wood, to prevent weathering and warping, and use appropriate fasteners, your 'pool deck' could last 10+ years.

Aluminum, galvanized steel, and un-treated wood are all unsuited for near-pool placement. Only stainless or bronze is suitable for immersive pool placement, so be careful.


Good luck!

[BigDave]

I agree with PoolDoc, and have had some similar experience with trusses. My college years summer job was raising tents and building temporary dance floors for large outdoor parties. We did alot of highly customized work and regularly built floors over pools. We had trusses built by a local shop who built trusses for warehouses. Ours were painted steel but they were never installed for more than a week at a time. We attached wood blocks to plates at the ends of the trusses to prevent damage to the pool deck and coping. We spanned the pool with 3 or 4 trusses and built a floor on top of them with 2x10s and plywood. These floors could be installed without getting wet.

[PoolDoc]

Interesting.

Thanks, BigDave.