# Forum More Stuff Go to Whoa!  Above-ground Pool and Deck

## Earlybird

I thought I would add a retrospective look at my pool installation and the "work in progress" deck.   
I've posted the plans previously in "Examples of Plans for Council Submission" thread. 
During excavation I also asked for comments on installing an above ground pool on rocky ground.  The results will be seen later in thread. 
To begin with I had to remove a mulberry tree (sadly), a sandpit and a cubby house.  The cubby house only had to go because of access for the excavator - the pool's not that big.

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## Earlybird

The details of the pool are: 
BRAND:	Zodiac
MODEL:	Noosa Reef 2414DE BL
LENGTH:	7.11m 
WIDTH:	3.66m
DEPTH:	1.32m to 1.80m
SHAPE:	Oval Deep End
VOLUME:	28,600L 
There is no local Zodiac pool retailer so I purchased the pool from Brisbane.  I was able to get a copy of the Installation Manual prior to the pool arriving, so that I could begin the excavation work.  I spent a lot of time going over and over the manual to ensure I was reading it correctly.  Particularly where it gave measurements for the deep-end location. 
Because it was being delivered from Brisbane we also purchased a pool cover, cover roller and wedding cake steps at the same time.  We went with the wedding cake step as we have a young toddler.

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## Earlybird

The 2 Reo bar pegs in the previous post indicate the centre position of the 2 pool ends.  The main concern was to ensure that I was more than 1m off the rear fence.    
Excavation took a couple of days due to the rock.  The depth of the deep-end had to be at least 500mm lower than the level of the shallow end.  I had to lower a couple of sections with a jackhammer - it was fairly easy work.   
It was still hard to picture a pool going in here.  After the initial excavation it was evident that we had to take more of the terrace away.  Up until this stage I had dug away what I thought was enough, by hand.  The row of rocks is about the line required.

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## Earlybird

This is the positioning information, from the manual, that I had to carve into stone.  Rather than try and dig a trench for the 100mm frame, as your would on soil, I decided to find a good level for the shallow end and build on top of that.

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## Earlybird

The wonderful people from the transport company delivered the pool.  They really looked after my beautiful lawn by ensuring they carefully placed each item onto my concrete driveway.  The timing was a little unfortunate due to being just before school pickup and our car was now stuck in our garage - our fault for having kids I guess and me being at work.       
Complaints to the pool supplier and transport company yielded little comfort - built a bridge.  I guess when the driver has a lower IQ than gears in his truck, you shouldn't expect too much.  The only major damage was on the pool wall where the top 5-10mm was bent.  I spoke with the pool suppliers' installer who said that it could be straightened and would not affect the integrity of the pool.  Although I probably should have, I did not want to waste time returning it for replacement.

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## Earlybird

I assembled the frames on the flat concrete in the garage, using a rattle gun to tighten the bolts.     
The fluorescent yellow peg in this picture is my reference datum.  This is where measurements became critical and a little confusing.      
From the yellow peg to the edge of the pool is 2m.  From the edge of the pool to the first frame is 1.83m.  It was also very important that the location of the second frame coincided with the top of the slope for the deep-end.  Once the first frame was in place I used bracing and clamps to line up the other frames.  The bracing had chocks on it that fitted either side of the 75mm post to prevent any movement at all.   
With the first frame firmly in place I could align the other frames and adjust them to the correct height.  Once I had the alignment correct I cemented them in place.  
With all of the frames in place it was no much easier to determine where I had to jack hammer out any high points in the rock.  The plan is fill and shape the base with stabilised sand.

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## pb02

Looking good so far!
Can't believe the delivery guy could unload like that!!! Looks like he opened the back doors, reversed, and hit the brakes hard so everything would fall out the back...  :Frown:

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## HandyDaddy

I'll be following this one.  
A few months ago I posted to the forum to see if anyone had installed their own pool, but no answers. I'm thinking of doing my own inground fibreglass pool sometime later next year. 
Keep the pictures coming  :2thumbsup:

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## Earlybird

With the frames now fixed in place I started the stabilised sand fill.  I dry mixed the sand and cement in the mixer - this was ok for the flat area, but not suitable for the sloped area.  When wetting through the mix on the slope it would cause a landslide and I would have to re-set it again.  I then started wetting it in the mixer.     
Note the compactor in the background - this didn't work well on the sand.  Instead I made a wooden "stomper" with a piece of 200mm treated pine.    
That's the easy part done:   
In the last photo there is a 100mm white pvc pipe that comes about 2m out of the ground.  Below this is a sewage inspection/maintenance hole.  On my initial discussion with the council I was told I had to keep 1.5m clear of this point.  This meant a shorter deck on that end.  When a plumber came around he said the I only had to keep it accessible.  I amended the plans and re-submitted them, which came back approved.  Now I think I will be about 500mm clear of it.  I've also cut it off closer to the ground.  Fortunately for me this pipe leads away from my property and not through it.

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## Earlybird

> Looking good so far!
> Can't believe the delivery guy could unload like that!!! Looks like he opened the back doors, reversed, and hit the brakes hard so everything would fall out the back...

  Thanks.  I heard a story a month or two later that the same company dropped an $80,000 motor off a forklift and bent it up a bit - karma??

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## Earlybird

Unfortunately these are the last two photos I have of the base prior to the walls going up.  The first photo gives an indication of the deep-end slope.  The horizontal board on the right-hand side is two fence pailings joined together to make up the 200mm required.  I used this as a guide for the start of the slope.    
In front of the wheelbarrow is the "stomper" I used to compact the stabilised sands.  The remainder of the base was formed to the required measurements.

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## Earlybird

It took nearly 8 weeks from the initial excavation but the walls finally went up. 
The three posts on the curved end of the wall are free-standing and only provide vertical support for the wall.  The location of the skimmer box and return point are pre-punched in the wall, therefore the location was pretty much set for us - I wanted the pump/filter at the left-hand side of the pool.  The wall join in on the very outer post. 
Installing the wall when you have a deep-end is at least a three-person job.  We had to unroll the wall while holding the unrolled portion 500mm above the deep-end.  If the roll fell we would have buckled and creased the wall.  If we have more space and more people could probably could have unrolled the wall fully, down one side and walked it back along the other.       
The bottom track that the wall sits into seemed a little flimsy to me.  Once we started inserting the wall into it it was easy to see why the base under track needed to be flat and level.  The bottom track is adjustable, whereas the top is not.

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## Earlybird

3 days after putting up the walls I had the sand base molded and compacted into shape.  The sand base is approximately 50mm thick.  At the base of the walls there is a coving that starts at 200mm from the wall and rises an additional 100mm above the 50mm sand base.  I made a template of the shape with a short length (1m) of ~125mm pine.  This allowed me to screed and compact the coving to the correct height and shape. 
I hired a water filled roller for the flat parts - $5/day at local nursery, $15 at bunnings.  Only needed it for the day and it did a great job.    
Looks like we'll be swimming before the Christmas Day deadline I set myself 3 months earlier.  The next step is to put the liner in.

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## Earlybird

The next 3 weeks was a real struggle, mentally more than physically.  With the liner ready to go in on the 18th December the rains came and washed away any hope of swimming by Christmas Day.  I initially stopped the wash out with tarps over the pool, only to find it was also coming in under the wall.    
After each rain period it would take 3-4 days of sunshine to dry out the sand.  I had to pump/sponge out the water, dig up the sand in the deep-end and slope and put it onto the slope.  This allowed the water to drain out into the deep-end where I could get rid of it.  I could then reform the sand base.  I did this 4 times in the 3 weeks.  Towards the end I was resigned to the fact that I couldn't stop the water, only manage it.      
I estimate that I sponged or pumped out more than a 1Kl of water, maybe closer to 2Kl.  Here a rainfall chart for that period.   
As water was coming in under the pool wall I couldn't just put the liner in and let the rain fill it.  The sand underneath would never had dried.  Added to this is the fact that you need a hot and sunny day to install the liner.

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## Earlybird

Mid-January and finally there has been enough sunshine to dry out the sand and form it back into shape.  Unfortunately, having done it 3 times previously I didn't pay enough attention to little bumps and hollows, which are now noticeable from inside the pool - only by me though, the kids couldn't care less. 
So with installing the liner it needs to be a very warm and sunny day.  Without the expansion in the liner due the heat it is impossible to get the liner onto the walls.  Trying to do so will most likely result in your wall buckling and collapsing.  It also makes the vacuuming process impossible. 
The manual didn't clear state it, and it may seems like common sense to some, but the liner side directly on the wall and is then clipped on with a plastic strip.  It may seem to some that the plastic strip protects the liner from the top of the wall, but it doesn't. 
The vacuum cleaner in the picture below is sucking the liner to the wall - this process works amazingly well.  I ensured that all vertical seams were vertical and that the seam around the floor sat approximately half way up the coving.      
As the water rose I stretched out any creases.  I ran 2 hoses into it and it took about 12 hours to fill 24Kl.

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## Earlybird

When the pool was approximately half full I started to fit the skimmer box and return eyeball.  Both of these required cutting the liner - I'd suggest getting a new knife/blade for this.  To cut the return hole you push the liner tightly against the, from the inside, with a piece of cardboard.  The liner needs to be cut 3mm inside the pre-punched hole of the pool wall.  The return eyeball is then installed and sealed with tape and cork seals.   
The skimmer box is fitted to the wall prior to cutting the liner.  18 screws are pushed through the liner to hold the skimmer tightly against the pool wall.  Non-acidic silicone sealer is required.    
The pictures above show the configuration of the pump and filter.  The location of these is determined by the positioning of the deck that will go above it.  I will be building a trap-door into the deck to allow for the removal of the filter.  I couldn't find much information on the "best practices" methods of installing the pump and filter I pretty much just winged it.  Once the deck is completed I will probably relocated the controller box and give it some better protection from the elements.

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## rileyp

It seems installing a pool is always an adventure. I'm probably about 2 weeks behind you in progress. I put the skimmer box and return eyeballs in today.  Geelong Council wouldn't allow me to use the 6ft in gc boundary fence so I had to fence all four sides! looks like you had to too? The first time I started filling the pool I did it at 7 pm at night ( Its still light here in Melb)  and the liner wasn't pliable enough and I had wrinkles in the bottom. I put in about 6 inches of water  as the wrinkles in the liner from being in the cardboard box simply would not budge out of the bottom without that amount of water in it and it was hell to push to them out. I deliberated for a few day as to what to do as I simply wasnt happy. I decided to grab the "solar" pump and drain out the water. The pump growled but didn't turn... :Doh:  I then pulled the pump apart snapping 3 of the bolts holding the pump section together in the process. The front bearing was seized so I loosened it up and pushed some grease in and put it all back together and the bloody thing was next to useless anyway. I recon I could wizz harder that that piece of ozito crud even after priming it repeatedly. I ended up I hooking  the 38mm pool flex onto the return line of the main pool pump and putting the non return  valve on the end and tossing it in the drink. After about 5 priming attempts with the garden hose I got it working and managed to empty 5 inches out of pool at a great speed. The last inch I had no choice but to use the ozito and it managed to do it this time.  If I had a submersible pump I suppose these woes would not exist. Geelong council insist on the backwash of the pump being connected to a gully trap on the sewerage system so I needed a 30 metre trench to my existing gully trap on the side of the house. Ah its all good fun. Yesterday was nice and warm so I baked the liner all morning. just about burnt my feet on it in the afternoon but on filling didn't have one wrinkle in the bottom. only  a couple on the sides against the main support posts. 
 I tried to download and open your plans for council but they are password locked?? ..edit nevermind got them to open... 
I was going to use some roof and gutter silicon (non acidic) (14 tubes in shed) till I read not for complete immersion on the side so shmbo drove an extra 60k to get some sikaflex pool silicon. Its probably overkill but hopefully I wont have any leaks. How long did you wait for your silicon to dry on the skimmer box. Its going to be 40 tomorrow so would love to complete the fill ( the sikaflex silcion says drying time (4 - 14 days ) pending on temp then says 2mm per day at 23 degrees.I reckon I should be pretty right after lunch tomorrow.
Great to see someone else taking the plunge!
cheers rileyp.
P.S  I could post some pics but don't want to hijack your build thread unless your not fussed. I can make another build thread I suppose too....
Hows it all going or is the more water outside the pool than in?   QLD is a more than a little wet atm one has noted.

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## Earlybird

Hi Rileyp, 
I'm about a year ahead of where you were at - I'll post some photos soon of what we had in place on this day a year ago.  I'm currently in the process of putting in the deck.  I've also added in some retaining walls. 
I went through 2 bilge pumps getting the rain water out of our pool, unfortunately it all came before the liner went in.  They did however handle the sand much better than I expected. 
For others reading this post, it should not be understated how important heating the liner in the sun is.  My liner expanded at least an extra metre once it was heated.  It is very easy to buckle and crease the wall without the extra expansion. 
This is the Zodiac warning about silicons in the manual:  *Important notice*: Do not use the silicone sealants that are designed for use with windows and glass as they have an acidic cure
and can damage vinyl and some plastics. If the sealant smells like vinegar do not use it for this application.
It didn't mention anything about immersion.  I definitely didn't wait for 4 days for it to cure.  Time will tell! 
Unfortunately I've been very slack with the camera, especially when the weather has held me up.  I'd love to see your work, in another thread preferably as I will be adding the retaining/decking/fencing/etc to this one. 
I've done nothing for the last month as I've been on holidays, which got extended for more than a week because I couldn't get home due to flooding.  It all starts again this weekend with a big push to get it all done asap.

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## Earlybird

These photos were taken exactly 12 months ago.  I decided to install a temporary gate to allow for easier access.  My issue is that I need to construct the deck and retaining walls before I can install the proper fencing.  I purchased the gate and lock from Bunnings.  Incidentally, the lock at the local pool supplier was approximately $100 more expensive than the exact same product at Bunnings.  The removal of the cubby-house provided a useful bridge for entry into the pool and the trampoline.      
The next step is to dig approximately 30 x 450mm holes into the shale for the retaining wall and deck posts.  Once the posts are put between the pool wall and the wall of dirt, the gap will be filled with stabilised sand. 
I took a bit of break in construction after the pool done, partly because of the weather but mostly because it had been a long 5 months. 
Just to fill in some of the detail I should mention the council approval process.  I'd had the initial plans approved prior to purchasing the pool.  I also added on the 2 x garden sheds on the same application.  I modified the plan after approval to extend the deck closer to the fence as I found I could build closer to the sewer maintenance hole - this change did not cost anything and was approved.  I had the council come and inspect the fence prior to filling the pool - well actually it was prior to installing the liner.  I wanted to get approval prior to the Christmas period.  It cost about $25 to fill the pool with water. 
A couple of weeks after the initial setup, which includes adding salt and chemicals, the pool started to get a tinge of green.  Over the next 3 months I had the chlorination  control unit repaired and the chlorination cell replaced, under warranty.  The control unit also spent another holiday at Zodiac as it didn't work when it was returned the first time.  Since then all has been well. 
Other points of interest that may be useful, is that the creepy crawly sometimes get stuck on the wedding cake steps, and the outlet eyeball creates a "whirly wind" that can be very loud.  The wedding cake footprint just seems to be an incorrect design for a pool with a crawler.  I bought a device that goes into the eyeball to prevent the tornado effect, but either I'm not smart enough or it is not meant for my type of eyeball.  It just seems to shoot the water in every direction, other than quietly into the pool.

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## Earlybird

After a hiatus of a couple of months I decided to back into it.  This involved digging the post holes, mainly with the jackhammer, for the deck and retaining wall. Once the posts near the backfill area were in I could backfill with stabilised sand.  I sloped the backfill so that water would run off in either direction.

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## Earlybird

I want to be able to control the lighting and pump from the back of the house so I will have switches at the house and under the pool deck.  I'm yet to finalise the lighting, but I would like some lights in the stairs and a light that shines up into the nearby tree (see 1st photo in previous post).  I already have a spotlight that floods the area from the roof of the house, but don't intend to use it too often.  I'm not sure what lighting is required in the deck itself, if any.  I will most likely engage someone for some advice. 
From the house to the pool I have run 2 conduits.  At present the 2nd one is unused and may never be used, but for about $40 it was worth putting in now.  The trench runs from the wall of the house, under the retaining wall and under the deck joists.

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## Earlybird

A major consideration during the deck construction was the drainage of the area above it.  I've put in both surface and sub-surface drainage.  I've been designing this "on the fly" so things have changed a couple of times during the process.  I had initially installed a surface drain the length of the top retaining wall, but have since reduced it to 3 x 1m grates.  Over the surface the area does not receive much surface water or run-off.  Channeling the water through the stormwater pipes from the house will reduce it even further.  These are in-progress photos as I didn't take any other photos. 
I've included a photo of the finished retaining wall for comparison.  Note that the stairs are for access to the trampoline and not the pool deck.  There will be a pool fence between the two.

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## Earlybird

I'm slowly catching up to the present day - these photos were taken in January.  I've put in the joists on one end and just over half way down the side.  At this point in time I was waiting on getting some bearer welded in.  In one spot I used Gal for the joist as it is close to the tree and soil around it. 
A couple of the vital stats: The posts are 75x75mm Gal. The bearers are 150x50 Gal. The joists are 150x50 LVL. 
The joists are held on with Pryda Framing Brackets and Triple Grips. 
The rebates in the posts are a result of the late change in material size.  The original plan was to have the decking finish under the pool lip.  This is still the case however it is going to be closer to the lip than originally planned.  This end of the pool is relatively simple compared to the other end.  The other end has the filter, skimmer box, and chlorination cell which must be accessed via the deck.

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## Earlybird

In order to fit part of the deck frame I had to remove the top ledge of the pool.  I took a couple of photos to show the liner installation, as discussed earlier, and the interlocking columns and top deck.   
The white plastic piece is called the "long pin" and it has 3 possible locations (A, B or C), depending on which part of the top deck it is being used on.  There are 3 possible locations: either on a straight to straight or a curve to curve join (A), leading into a curve from a straight (C), and exiting out of a curve into a straight (B). 
The join in the photo is a curve joining a curve, so pin location A is used.  Once the top deck pieces are linked together the "EZ-lock atrium" screws down and locks the top deck pieces in place.

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## Earlybird

I ordered 300 l/m of 90mm merbau from the local timber yard last week.  I spent a bit of time working out how I was going to finish on the end near the steps.  The problem being the gap between the joist and steps is about 200mm.  My initial thought was to finish in-line with the outer side of the fence post (as per 1st picture), which is 50mm.  I changed my mind and bought the overhang out 150mm.  The idea here being to close the gap a bit more between the deck and the steps.    
After the 1st day I had 4 rows of boards down.  It was obvious by the speed I was traveling and the soreness in my back, as I hunched over the tape measure, that I needed a jig for this job.

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## Earlybird

I spent a little bit of time setting up a jig for the location of the screw holes.  This will save me having to measure each hole and will prevent any stuff ups when measuring.  It also saves my eyes and back from straining over a tape measure.    
The screws near the ends are to allow me to use it as a cantilever on any bendy boards when drilling the holes and screwing the board down.

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## jago

Nice...

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## Lexi01

I just found this post...I have absolutely no plans to do my own pool (mainly due to the extraordinarily small backyard we have!) 
But what a great post...very interesting to see the progress. 
Keep the pics and updates coming. 
Nice job.  :2thumbsup:

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## Earlybird

With the jig speeding up the process of screwing down the boards, I was quickly approaching the edge of the pool.  I didn't really put too much effort into planning where the boards would lay in relation to the pool posts.  As luck would have it, I think it turned out pretty good.   
I used a smaller piece of merbau as a template to get the curves right.  A 10 litre paint tin is the perfect arc for the top of the pool post. I used a jigsaw to cut the curves.  Once I was happy with the shape I transferred the pattern onto the piece to be laid.  
Below is a picture of the board with the coping sitting over the top.

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## Oldsaltoz

Hi Earlybird, 
Looks great, you can look forward to lots of fun now. 
I just noticed you are in Nut Grass country, did you treat the sand for this? A friend had 2 little green shoots after about 6 months, ended up having to remove the liner and sort the plant life out before replacing it. 
Good luck.

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## Earlybird

Jago & Lexi01 - thanks for the feedback.  I can't imagine there would be too many people wanting to do what I am doing/have done - glad I'm not paying someone an hourly rate.  At the least, I hope it provides a good read and a little inspiration. 
Oldsaltoz - I hadn't heard of treating the sand before, hopefully anyone looking at doing an above-ground pool and reading this thread notices this heads-up.  Having been installed for 14 months, without this issue, hopefully means I'm safe from this issue.  The sand, due to the earlier issues with rain, is completely encased between the liner, the wall and the stabalised sand.  I do however notice that ants like the sand as well - there are some visible tracks just below the liner.  I regularly poison their access points around the posts.

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## Earlybird

We had a light shower of rain and the merbau got wet for the first time.  The 2nd photo shows the tannin that has leached out of it onto the ground.  The stack of merbau I'm working from is well covered with a heavy duty tarp.  This is why you shouldn't stack it on your driveway or grassed area without a cover.  When it comes time to deck over the pump, filter, chlorinator, control box, power box, retaining wall, etc I will have to make sure I protect them from the tannin stains.    
On a similar note, I had an issue with a paint tin staining the timber.  Here is the link:  http://www.renovateforum.com/f196/re...au-deck-97135/

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## Earlybird

The easy end of the deck (the one without the skimmer box, filter, etc) is done and fenced.  I've installed the next fence panel along to completely close off that end of the pool, up to the retaining wall.  Next step will be some more sub-floor framing to allow for removable decking, for access to the skimmer and filter.     
Here is how I have attached the fence post to bearer and joists.  Tidied it up with a couple of blanking grommets.

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## Earlybird

I've worked my way around the other end of the pool, which took a bit longer to do due to working around the skimmer/chlorinator and filter access doors.   
I had a spare piece of bearer, which I used as a straight edge.  The other end didn't have room for me to use this method, so each board was cut to length before laying.  As this is the first deck I've done, it was interesting to note the difference in cuts between the slide compound mitre saw and the circular saw - circular saw cut is chipped in some places, although barely noticeable. I did change the blade from a 20 teeth to 40 teeth blade in the circular saw.  It seems the difference comes back to the circular saw cutting upwards and the mitre saw cutting downwards.  It may just be a lack of technique and experience with pushing the saw through too quickly.  This isn't a major issue and I am happy with the result.

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## Earlybird

I've completed the main part of the deck, with the exception of a manhole cover where the skimmer box/chlorinator is.  The pool cover has been trimmed and looks a whole lot tidier. 
View to the South:  
View to the North, with the steps that are currently under construction:    
I would have liked to create another angle or two on the steps, but with the tree to the left and stormwater to right it was a little tight.  I wanted wide steps rather than narrow one which would have allowed for more angles. 
This is the manhole and cover that provides access to the cartridge filter.  I am considering using a stainless steel flush hatch handle to provide easy access.  However, due the number of times I access the filter cartridge I may just leave it as is.  
  Hopefully by the end of the weekend the steps will be done.

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## Earlybird

I've always liked the look of the bordered deck, although I did not do it on the main deck.  I thought I would give it try on the steps.  I used 190mm pine for the frame as this was 2 * 90 boards with 5mm gaps at the bottom and between the 2 boards (riser).  As you'll see in later photos this works well for the 2nd and 3rd steps, but the 1st requires a fillet piece.  In the first photo the middle piece is slightly lower than other 2 - this is important to get right as when the border piece goes on it will be out of level.     
On the riser, where there are going to be gaps between the boards, I put some black paint.  This is purely aesthetic.    
The view looking down the steps.  To create the angled step I cut a piece of 190mm pine at different angles until I found one that gave me the direction of the step that I wanted.  It turned out to be 15 degrees.  This worked out perfectly in terms of board sizes.  I don't have any pictures of it, but the top 2 steps are held up at the back with pryda half stirrup post anchors.

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## Earlybird

Here are the finished steps.  Just waiting on some custom fencing to  close up the gap near the steps and a triangular piece at the other end  of the deck, then it's time for council approval.    
A wider view:

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