Winner: Steve Drifke - April 2005

Overview

Deckman:

Enclosed are the pictures from my summer 2004 project, in which I used your Splash Deluxe Pool deck plans. I worked on and off throughout the summer, dodging raindrops and taking my time to make sure everything was exactly how I wanted it. If I wasn't satisfied, I would redo it. My crew consisted mainly of myself and one other. Once in awhile someone else would show up and lend a hand. Your plans were great and the floating foundation system worked perfectly.

Thank you. Your Dek-Brands floating foundation deck systems was the perfect choice. I hope this will be posted on your site just to show others what can be accomplished using your system.


1.)Making the Splash Deck sections.

2.)Laying out the blocks. You will notice that I have a small retaining wall around the south side of the pool. The land was not level, so it had to be excavated to install the pool. This was not a problem, as the Dek-Blocks sat on top real nice and this side of the deck is just as sturdy as the rest of the deck.

3.)Pre-placing the sections to make sure that they fit just right.

4.)Cutting the 4x4 supports for the Splash Deck and placing the 4x4 supports.

5.)Installing the sections and adding support braces.

6.)I used 2x6 stock lumber for the deck boards. I used a router to round off each edge to unsure a nice finished appearance.

7.)Installing the deck boards on the Splash Deck frame.

8.)Cutting off the ends of the deck boards even with the frame. We used a straight edge clamped to the deck to insure a perfectly straight line.

9.)I took the existing ladder and cut it down and mounted it to the deck. I made it removeable so as to make it easier to deal with at the end of the season. I live in Wisconsin, so this is a must!

10.) To achieve a precise finish around the coping, I used a jigsaw and router around each support cap.

11.) This is a picture of the last section of the Splash Deck. I made this section removable by using carriage bolts instead of screws, just in case I ever had to replace the skimmer, or the filter. I also used a jig saw to cut each board to conform to the shape of the basket. This is flush with the top of the deck.

12.)Laying out the area for the main deck.

13.) Laying out the Dek-Blocks according to the specs outlined in the plans.

14.)Placing the 4x4 posts. We used a laser level to shoot a line across all the boards. We then marked a line and cut the 4x4's to size. This assured a perfectly level end product, no matter how the blocks sat on the ground. This was a huge time saver. We also used a shovel full of sand under each block; this made it easier to "nudge" them plumb as well.

15.)Pictures of the completed frame for the main deck. As we began placing the deck boards; every hole was predrilled and counter sunk. This added a nice finished appearance in combination with the routered edges of the boards.

16.) Manufacturing and installing the stairs. The stringers were manually cut from a 2x12 and I used 2x6's for the treads. Each outside edge was routered smooth.

17.)Another modification I did was adding benches at each corner of the deck. This was easy using the bench brackets purchased at a local hardware store.

Finished Product! This turned out better than I had hoped in my wildest dreams. The plans from your web site made all this possible! And the floating foundation system was easy!