Pergola over Pool

[Silva1181]

My in ground pool is exposed to direct sunlight all day. Looking for ideas with how best to provide some shade.

I am thinking about possibly building a pergola over the pool using four steel post at each corner and then adding aluminum slates on top so it’s not top heavy, followed by covering the top with the outdoor material similar to what’s used in garden centers.

Is it safe to bolt into the pebbled decking? Or also thinking I could build post stands out of cinder blocks and cement the post in the center, place one at each corner then color acid stain the cinder blocks so they look descent.

I’d rather not use the triangle shaped tarps that are secured to the house since the pool is some distance from the house and i would still need post on the opposite side of the pool.

Good, bad idea? Any other ideas?

Thanks

 

[proavia]

Be sure any metal within 5' of the water's edge is correctly attached to the pool's bonding grid.

 

[Silva1181]

Sorry, I don’t understand. what do you mean by pools bonding grid?

 

[proavia]

Electrical Bonding - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

You can drill into aggregate pebble concrete using a rotary hammer (not a hammer drill). I did so in order to install pool hand rails. Then plastic anchors go in the holes for the screws (not bolts) to bite into.

Since the pergola will be over the pool, make sure not to provide any tempting roosting spots for birds.

 

[nuttyp]

Under the heading "ideas" and "some" shade, I used a cantilever market umbrella last summer that worked well. I find that some swimmers want the shade (eg my wife) and others seek the sun (usually visitors), and of course it varies with season, time of day, weather, etc. So we hung out in the pool area shaded by the market umbrella when the sun was blistering. The downside to those cantilever market umbrellas is the unwieldy and often ugly trip hazard created by the heavy and bulky base needed to support the cantilever. To solve that, soon I will install some standard AND BONDED anchors, by coring out the concrete (in my case pavers and cementing the bonded anchors lower below the pavers in an 18-24" cube of cement) in a couple places poolside so that I can either use two of those cantilever umbrellas or move one or both around. Plastic plugs will cover the anchors if one or both are not in use. The anchor solution will be a bit of work, but I think far less work and cost than a pergola-like solution, and the umbrellas are of course adjustable and quickly removable. The cantilever ones are in addition to the straight one in my picture.

 

[hexabc]

Will you be able to take the roof down before a strong wind forecast?