Multiple Repair issues

[duraleigh]

Hi, Ron,

It is quite difficult to repair concrete decking and get a decent aesthetic look. The old WILL NOT match the new areas, the textures will be different, etc.

Because of the multiple issues you have, I would get a price on busting it out and replacing the entire deck. If the pool is more than 5 or so years old, the dirt under the decking may be settled by now (that's the cause of the cracking) or, if you remove the existing deck it can be carefully compacted so the new will hold up.

That'll be a pricey fix but at least worth consideration. It sounds like your serious about getting a nice pool back under control so it may be worth it.

[Roninwpb]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I have to explain a bit more history. This is my parents house that I now own. I'm not staying down here for any more hurricanes than I have to. I am selling the house and moving to Raleigh, NC when I sell it. I already have a townhouse up there as an investment. That aside, I need to get everything fixed and repaired as good as I can with limited funds and time. Not trying to get by with anything, but I'm not sure I want to make that big of a repair just to sell the house.
I spoke to a friend in Miami, who said this was a "Cool Deck" finish. Is this a blendable/repairable finish I wonder? other than tearing out the entire deck ( which at the busiest part of the hurricane season, i'm not looking to tear out the deck) is there any way of back filling to the deck?

Thanks,

Ron

[duraleigh]

Hi, Ron,

You'll like Raleigh. I'm about 10 north of the city on Falls Lake....It's a good town.

That's a tough call, Ron. I certainly wouldn't want to make the investment either. We're sorta' getting away from pool issues but I think I'd be tempted to leave it as is and let the buyer tackle it. It'll be an obvious drawback but probably not worse than a patch job that may have implied you were trying to hide the issue.

I'm guessing you're in West Palm....South of the freezing zone. There may be some solutions down there that aren't available to us further North. Maybe a pool contractor could meet with you to discuss some options

[Phillbo]

I just had my deck refinished. They ground the old texture off, filled all the cracks and then retextured it. I'm surprised you can't find someone in your area to do the same.

[Socal_biker]

Already looks better than the other pictures you have posted on your sight.

Under the circumstances (time & money)...

I would patch\fill all the cracks & damages on the deck, do an acid wash on the deck, and then paint the deck with some anti-skid deck concrete paint. That will make the patch jobs, and stains blend in more.

I would drain the pool and have the pool surface patched up and the steps repaired. I would also probably clean, prep, and paint the pool also.

For the most part you and some friends could do the majority of the work yourselves.

You may have to have a contractor repair the steps for you though. You can have the contractor redo the steps as they were or go with molded plastic/fiberglass steps imbedded into the wall of the pool OR have the steps removed and go for a metal pool ladder.

To paint the deck and pool with the misc supplies and prep stuff, should cost less than $1000 on the high end (with quality paints). It would make a world of difference appearance wise.

[dep78737]

Getting it cleaned up and in good mechanical order will help your sale, but I don't like the idea of paint on the deck or in the pool. It will fail in a fairly short time compared to proper resurfacing/replastering and may make future repairs more costly. If you don't want the cash outlay for these expensive repairs (very understandable), I cannot say if a coat of paint would help your pending sale compared to leaving as-is and pricing repairs into the contract. Personally, I would see it as putting lipstick on a pig and make me worry about other hidden problems, even though your intentions are good. Maybe a real estate pro familiar with the market can help with the cost/payback decision.

[Roninwpb]

I am thinking that it would be the best to just clean and go. Problem is, that i would like to fill in any voids under the deck for stability. If possible without tearing the deck out. That being said, I am assuming that there are holes that need to be made and then covered. Which will leave more patch jobs visible. Does anyone know of a way to backfill in a slab?I'm thinking that if backfilled, I could seal the cracks and have the deck resurfaced. Someone suggested resurfacing, which sounds like a plan to consider. The pool surface is recently ( 4 years ago ) resurfaced with DiamonBrite, So it is in pretty good shape. (meaning I am not redoing it) That just leaves the deck and associated problems, which everyone has been very, very helpful with. A friend suggested re-attaching the setp with 3 stainless steel rods for strength and a good epoxy/concrete. Of course, I would have to drill holes for said rods in the step and pool wall to a point for support. Is this a consideration or should I just bite the bullet and get a contractor to reform the step ( which seems to be the other best option I have seen ). This has been quite an education in itself. I appreciate all the help!

[SeanB.]

This is jmo, but I wouldn't even consider buying a house with a pool that needed that much work. I'd be afraid that it could turn into a real money pit. An allowance for something like that isn't enough assurance because there are too many potential problems that could be unseen. If cash is an issue, I'd look into a home equity loan to do a proper, complete repair and then sell. You'll sell faster, and for a better price. Best of luck either way.

[tenax]

agree with seanb..unless the selling price of the house is drastically under other "comparables" in the neighborhood, as a buyer, it becomes a risky proposition..when buying houses, we know there are going to be unforeseen expenses..the total unknowns can easily make buyers walk away. at the very least, get a quote to get the job done properly (or a couple of possible) that potential buyers can take a copy of if you are not going to fix. at least they have some comfort level. when i bought my house, it was 16K under a comparable..reason was that it was going to need a new roof and some slabjacking on the garage floor in the near future. the i ended up being able to comfortably calculate things out and buy the house without issue.