I have a 17 x 35 oval, vinyl-liner pool with white plastic steps and a 3' concrete pool deck. There is soil settling under the pool deck with some cracks in the concrete. I had a landscaper who has quite a bit of experience doing paver pool decks take a look and give me a quote. He thinks the concrete is in good condition for a 15 year old pool, and recommends going over the concrete with 2" thick unilock pavers (I have not seen any 1" renovation pavers for cold climate use as you see in the south). He believes the pool X braces will continue holding up the concrete for years to come and says the settling I'm seeing is normal because you cannot compact pool backfill very much without risk of caving it in.
The paver deck he is proposing is 4' wide because he wants enough field pavers to look good between the bullnose and border (due to the pattern). He will prep 1' wide of gravel/sand outside of the concrete deck. He plans on using landscaping fabric placed up against the concrete so the gravel/sand cannot run under the concrete into any of the voids. There are some options in construction methods. I'd love to know - "which option would you choose?"
The paver deck he is proposing is 4' wide because he wants enough field pavers to look good between the bullnose and border (due to the pattern). He will prep 1' wide of gravel/sand outside of the concrete deck. He plans on using landscaping fabric placed up against the concrete so the gravel/sand cannot run under the concrete into any of the voids. There are some options in construction methods. I'd love to know - "which option would you choose?"
- Do it as he suggests. If any concrete or paver deck issues arise years down the road (concrete cracks under pavers, pavers settle, etc), fix them when they happen. I don't love that there will be pavers on 3' of concrete and then continuing on 1' of gravel. I think the gravel will settle and you will begin to notice the transition in sub surfaces in a few years.
- Saw cut the concrete 12" from the coping around the perimeter. Leave the first 12" of concrete and remove the outer 24". This gives you a 12" "footing" to adhere the bullnose pavers to, and lets you fix most, if not all, of the settling that has occurred through the years.
- Remove all concrete and start fresh. This is a little complicated as it could mean new coping, and I just replaced my liner 2 years ago. I also have an issue where the white pool steps are 2 1/2" taller than the pool wall. They were designed to sit flush with the finished concrete pool deck. You cannot have it where the pavers are on top of the pool wall and over the steps. They are at 2 different planes.
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