Concrete pool decks in Kirkland WA - a slab that protects your pool's edge
Cracked or sinking concrete around your pool? We pour a new deck with a flexible edge joint, so it moves without harming the pool.
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What goes into a new concrete pool deck in Kirkland?
A concrete pool deck is a poured slab laid around your pool that meets the coping, the cap along the pool's top edge, at a joint. In Kirkland we build it so the deck can shift with the seasons without pushing on that edge.
Most calls start with an old deck that's cracked, sinking or chipping around the pool, or with a new pool that needs a surround. The price moves with the size of the deck, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging and packing the ground needs, and any extra work like steps or a wall. The schedule turns on the weather for the pour, the curing wait before you can use the deck, and a later visit to seal the pool edge. Once I've seen the site, I'll give you your own figure.
How we build a concrete pool deck
The joint where the deck meets the coping gets our closest attention from the first visit, because a deck that moves can damage the coping. On the job we take out the old deck, then dig out soft soil and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, so the deck doesn't settle away from the pool later. We set the forms and the rebar, steel that holds the slab together if it does crack, and we leave a gap at the coping so the deck can move on its own. When it's hot out we pour in the cooler hours, because a slab that dries too fast in midday sun ends up with a weak, dusty top. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and let it cure, the wait while the concrete hardens before you use it. Sealing that edge gap is its own step a while after the pour, because the new concrete shrinks early on and a seal put in too soon can pull loose. If the budget gets tight, I'd keep the money in the base before the surface, since nobody sees the base on day one but it's what keeps the deck flat against the pool for years.
If your yard steps down to the pool, we can pour concrete steps in the same visit so the heights line up with the deck. If a pool house or equipment shed is part of the plan, our slab foundation building work starts with the same dug-out, packed base.
Building a concrete pool deck in Kirkland
Whether a pool deck needs a permit in Kirkland isn't settled by the city's list, so ask before the pour. The city's no-permit list names decks 30 inches or less above grade, not pool decks, and the city's Development Services is the office that answers permit questions. Even when no permit is needed, the city says all its codes still apply, so setbacks from your property lines and limits on how much of the lot you cover still count, and the Planning division at 425-587-3600 takes those zoning questions. The pieces that often come with a deck can need their own permit too, like a retaining wall over four feet, moving or adding more than 50 cubic yards of soil, fill that changes drainage, new electrical circuits, irrigation lines or taking out a tree. When a job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and either take care of the application with the city or county or walk you through it, so you know where it stands.
Our winters bring long stretches of rain and some freezing nights, so the ground under an old deck is often soft and the top often shows chipping from water that froze in it. That's why the base gets more of our time here than anything you'll see, and we find the same wet ground on jobs in Bellevue and Redmond. We're based in Kirkland and work across the cities around it, inside city limits and out in the county areas too.
Pool decks and poured concrete
Get a price on your concrete pool deck
Tell us the rough size of the deck and how high it sits above the ground. We reply within one business day, then I come out for a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
(425) 285-8643Kirkland pool deck questions
What does a concrete pool deck cost around Seattle?
A concrete pool deck in the Seattle area usually costs about $7 to $14 per square foot installed. Where yours lands depends on the deck's size, how much old concrete comes out and how much base work the ground needs. I'll give you your own figure after I've looked at the site.
Do I need a permit for a concrete pool deck in Kirkland?
It may need one, and the city's Development Services is the office to ask, since pool decks aren't on its no-permit list. If your lot sits in a flood hazard area, or in a city critical area or its buffer, Kirkland sets its usual permit exemptions aside, so check that before you plan anything.
How do I keep a concrete pool deck from cracking the pool edge?
Leave a gap between the deck and the coping and fill it with flexible sealant, which is what one coping maker's guide calls for. The guide says poured decks shift with heat, settling and freezing and thawing, and without that joint the deck can crack the coping and the pool's bond beam, the concrete ring along the top of the pool wall. It says to caulk the joint at least 30 days after the pour, once early curing and shrinkage have passed.
How long does the caulk around a pool deck last?
Most elastomeric caulks, the flexible kind used in that edge joint, last five to ten years, according to the same coping maker's guide. The guide says to look the joint over every year and replace the caulk when it cracks, pulls away or wears out.
How do I check a concrete contractor in Washington?
Look them up on L&I's Verify a Contractor tool, which shows whether their registration is active, whether workers' comp is paid up, and any safety violations or lawsuits against their bond. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I and to be bonded and insured, so a missing or lapsed registration is a reason to keep looking.
What is the best way to keep a pool deck from flaking in winter?
Ask whether the deck concrete is air entrained, because the American Concrete Institute says air added to the mix helps concrete hold up when it's soaked and then freezes and thaws. The institute says it also cuts the surface flaking that ice melt causes, which matters if you use ice melt near the pool. I'll go over the mix with you at the estimate.
Plan your Kirkland pool deck with us
Call (425) 285-8643 or use the form before you open the pool for summer, so there's time for the pour, the cure and the edge sealing.