# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Build a deck over an inground swimming pool

## miranda

we are thinking of building a deck over an inground swimming pool at our backyard.Anyone has done this in the past / any advice please?

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## brissyboy

Hi
Welcome to the forum 
Can you give us more details please, eg: 
by over do you mean some of the decking extends out over the water 
what is on the ground surrounding the pool, pavers, tiles concrete etc 
Hi high above the ground is the top of the pool 
What exactly you are trying to acheive 
BB

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## miranda

Hi Brissboy  
thanks for your interest in my query 
by over do you mean some of the decking extends out over the water we are thinking of putting long timber beams over the pool and put decks all over them to cover the pool.We wonlt be doing this ourselves we will engage people from decking company. I just want to find out whether anyone has done this before and any potential problems that can arise down the track.  
what is on the ground surrounding the pool, pavers, tiles concrete etc Pavers   
Hi high above the ground is the top of the pool About 2.5cm  
What exactly you are trying to acheive we are planning to have kids soon so we dun want the pool for fear they may get drowned.At the same time we r thinking of sellling our house in a few years time.The potential buyer may or may not like a swiimming pool at the backyard.There is still a pool there if they want to use it down the track.  Any comments from anyone will be much appreciated thank you  miranda

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## president_ltd

> thanks for your interest in my query 
> by over do you mean some of the decking extends out over the water we are thinking of putting long timber beams over the pool and put decks all over them to cover the pool.We wonlt be doing this ourselves we will engage people from decking company. I just want to find out whether anyone has done this before and any potential problems that can arise down the track.

  the only real issues here are that you may have some longer spans, e.g. whatever the width of the pool is.  if its 4m width then you need to upsize the bearers in your deck design to deal with that span.    

> Hi high above the ground is the top of the pool About 2.5cm

   
some other considerations here are:
 - the pool itself - is it concrete or fibreglass?  if the latter you cannot simply empty it of all water or it will 'pop out'
 - if water can still get into the pool how are you going to drain that out? 
it may be more problematic to keep the pool in situ... and if it has water in it that will need to be treated appropriately still.   

> What exactly you are trying to acheive we are planning to have kids soon so we dun want the pool for fear they may get drowned.

    the rules & regulations for pools are pretty clear - you need to have appropriate fencing & gate(s) around them such that small children cannot get in.
sounds like maybe you don't - hence your concern - and want to deck over it to mitigate this?   

> At the same time we r thinking of sellling our house in a few years time.The potential buyer may or may not like a swiimming pool at the backyard.There is still a pool there if they want to use it down the track.

  as the owner of a house with a pool, if i were a prospective buyer i'd be concerned about "there is a pool there if you want it" kind of approach.  without a "functioning pool" i'd be wary about buying as i know there are enough hidden things that might be wrong or nonfunctional to turn it back into a working pool again. 
as such, i don't think it would really be much of a plus to a prospective buyer.  
cheers.

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## BRADFORD

I think your options are 
1.  Remove the pool altogether
2.  Knock some holes in the bottom of the pool, fill with sand and deck over
3.  Make sure it is fenced correctly and keep the pool.
Putting a deck over the pool would be expensive and cause all sorts of other problems as stated by president.

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## Bedford

One type of deck I did see years ago, was able to be raised or lowered into the pool. 
You lowered it down to whatever depth, then when finished it was raised to give a deck, but also provided security from drowning as it was above water level. It would probably still need fencing these days to be legal.

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## Chumley

> some other considerations here are:
> - the pool itself - is it concrete or fibreglass? if the latter you cannot simply empty it of all water or it will 'pop out'

  G'day all, 
I've researched this quite a bit as I have an unwanted pool and am thinking of removing it if we end up staying in the current house.  It doesn't seem to matter what the pool is made of with regard to the pop out -- most literature calls it 'pool floating'.  It can happen to fibreglass or concrete pools.  The problem is based on the upward pressure of any water below the pool - if the pool is full of water it is heavy enought to stay put - but if the pool is empty then it will float if the upward pressure is greater than the weight of the pool itself.  Bottom line is if you empty the pool you need to break holes in the bottom which kind of makes the future of the pool a non-issue. 
Cheers,
Adam

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## Bleedin Thumb

Adam the pool floating is only if conditions are right for it to happen, namely that the pool is dug into rock or a poorly draining substrate. 
If it was me ...(father of 3 young kids) I can tell you that they would rather a pool than a deck and a pool is worth more as an asset than a deck -even though not everyone wants one...so I would be putting in a fence if that is the issue.

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## Chumley

G'day BT, 
Granted the conditions for floating need to be right (or wrong), but how do you tell.  And what a mess if you guess wrong. 
Re the pool as an asset - I'd argue that in this day of bugger-all rain.  It's a hassle to keep balanced (like trying to get a pendulum to stop moving); it gets expensive, not just for the chemicals, but especially when the various components stop working; it doesn't get used as much as you'd think when you're sizing up the prospective purchase and the kids are begging you to buy 'cos its got a pool; and you have to keep adding water to top it up 'cos the filter system won't work if the level drops below the skimmer box entrance.  You could just leave the water in and not treat it, but I tried that one winter - it turned green, stank worse than my son's footy socks, and starting growing things that swam around.  After suffering continuous jokes about my toxic waste dump in the back garden I took to looking after it again.  To top it all off if I do decide to fill it in, I've got very little access to the back yard, so it looks like 50,000 trips with a wheelbarrow!  I just hope that if we decide to sell any prospective purchasers don't look at it the same way I do - 'cos I'd never buy another property with a pool.  Now as my daughter would say "stop your whingin' Dad, nobody's listening. 
Cheers,
Adam

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## jmealy

I have just read all the responses to Miranda's problem and have the same issue - am OVER THE POOL.  
It seems a shame to fill it in as it is lovely BUT think after your advise will just have to bite the bullet. Now comes the next issue - roughly what would the cost be to fill in a 50,000 concrete pool???????? 
Please advise 
Jan

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## Chumley

Hi Jan, 
Bit difficult to answer the cost question.  For 50,000 litres you would need about 50 cubic metres of fill, which you might be able to get free if you know the right people as it costs developers to dump the fill at tips (maybe - I'm in Canberra and we are very over-regulated here) - if not it could be pretty costly.  You need to empty the pool (permission may be needed, but no cost), smash a few holes in the bottom with a sledge hammer or jack hammer (no cost if you've got one, but maybe a hire charge), dump some fill in, say a metre deep, get some kind of compactor (hire cost), smash up the top of the walls of the pool so the edges are in the bottom (hire cost), add more fill, compact again, add more fill, compact, then leave it for a few weeks before you top it with sand/pavers, topsoil or whatever.  So if you do it yourself, you'd be up for a few hire charges and a fair bit of hard work.  If you pay someone else to do it, I'm guessing it would quite a few thousand.  And if you have problems accessing the pool area with a truck and/or bobcat add a bit more. 
Cheers,
Adam

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## cherub65

> Hi Jan,
>  smash a few holes in the bottom with a sledge hammer or jack hammer (no cost if you've got one, but maybe a hire charge), .

  No chance of sledge hammer,  use a core drill

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## Wombat2

If you are concerned about the kids drowning - teach them to swim.  :2thumbsup:  
Our three kids were taught pre school and our grandkids are being taught at even younger ages - like 2 years - two of them were "drown proofed" at 12 mths  
We found a swimming pool was a real asset and healthy entertainment for the kids growing up at all ages.  
Make it safe - exceed the safety standards and enjoy it

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## reybec

> To top it all off if I do decide to fill it in, I've got very little access to the back yard, so it looks like 50,000 trips with a wheelbarrow! I just hope that if we decide to sell any prospective purchasers don't look at it the same way I do - 'cos I'd never buy another property with a pool.

  
exactly the same problem we have 
pool in the backyard we no longer want and no access to be able to fill it in 
as far as i'm concerned a pool is not an asset but a liability i've been thinking of researching to see if it can be covered and used as a large underground water tank or even a big fish pond

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## Mazzy

An old pool was used as a water tank by installing a pod (plastic water collector) in the drained pool bed, linking it to gutter downpipes to catch rainwater and covering the pool with a deck. i don't know how they stabilized the pool first. Perhaps filled some of it in?

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## Mimi Brink

This is exactly the type of thing that I am hoping to build. I have a deck and I would also love to build a pool for my kids, but I do not have the space. If the pool could be concealed by the deck for safety and space when not in use this would be perfect. Is there any chance that you or anyone else would have more information on this type of concealed deck pool?

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## spiderz2

G'day, I have read this thread with interest and would particularly like to hear what Chumley did but am all ears generally. 
I have a fibreglass pool in my backyard that I have grown to loath with a passion - and no one ever uses it. The issues:
I am concerned about kids getting over the fence (there is no pool fence and no logical way of putting one in) there is a thoroughfare behind our house;
the pool is only semi in-ground (on a slope and built up at the shallow end so
emptying it risks flooding the house foundations);
the concrete surrounds and retaining wall on the yard side are about 12cms higer than a paved entertaining area on the other side - that needs to stay (i.e. filling in would look yuk); and
we have a green-belt behind the back fence (which is effectively the pool fence) so there is machinery access. Thanks in advance.

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## spiderz2

Hello again, I suppose what I was trying to say is (a) the pool has got to go; (b) filling it in is not an option; (c) the job will require removal of a retaining wall, concrete surrounds and all or part of some brick steps. the retaining wall and steps will need replacement - although they won't be as high. 
there appear to be specialist companies in Sydney (and even Albury) but not in Canberra. 
I am thinking that if I sort it myself I may need to get a demolition contractor, a plumber, and probably an electrician. Anything else? As Chumley said I live in the regulation capital of Australia but having trouble divining what approvals are required. 
One again, ears open. Cheers

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## bpj1968

Drain the pool, garden hose to drain (sewer not storm) or use the pool pump if connected to sewer.  Pump filter etc, whack on ebay and someone may pay you to take it away.  Could even try with the pool shell.   
Otherwise big sledge hammer and reciprocating saw to cut the pool into manageable pieces, then get someone with a bobcat and tipper.

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## spiderz2

Thanks Brian

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## jvw.gtd

Be nice if people would just answer the question with knowledge rather than opinions. I have the same question. Did you ever get an answer elsewhere? 
I live in Arizona, USA; believe me, there is no shortage of aging pools.  I did find this: *Building a Deckover your pool as an alternative to filling it in for abandonment.* Another enterprising approach was to build a greenhouse in it, complete with chickens and tilapia: _We created GardenPool.org to document our journey of converting an old backyard swimming pool in to a way to feed our family and live more self-sufficiently._ 
I'd be interested in any design information, materials considerations, cost, etc.

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## jh777

Hi all 
I've also been reading this thread with interest and face a similar problem.  A 60000 liter inground concrete pool, wasting money and time on it for no real purpose.  No easy access to it, even wheelbarrow is tricky.  It is roughly 10m * 3.5m * 1.8 m deep.  I also face the expense of adding in a new fencing, so any decision to do something different needs to be made soon. 
I like woodwork and have built a couple of decks in the past, so putting a deck on top of the pool looks good.
But... how do I stop the pool from popping up? One though would be use some water tanks (perhaps flexible "bags", which would fill the whole space) and the weight of these would keep the pool in place. 
And how do I keep the excess rain water out?  Is it possible to have a small pump installed with a trigger so it kicks off when there's rainwater coming in. 
Any thoughts greatly appreciated :)  Perhaps there are some new ideas or web-sites that have sprung up since the original message in this thread. 
Cheers!

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