Hi all, this is my first post been lurking around for a while as I ramp up on my pool remodel.
The plan was to have my 20 yr old pool resurfaced but a back yard remodel was the result. Not unusual as this has happened on other projects.
The pool is now going to be surrounded by travertine pavers and the far edge being raised for a stone faced wall and water feature.
I plan to most of the travertine deck, BBQ island and pool wall.
The deck will be overlay travertine, I outweighed the cost for tearing up the kool deck concrete vs. overlay and overlay wins - the concrete is in great shape.
The wall will be two row block to give me a 24-26" height for a rain sheer descent.

The two question(s) I have are related to the pool wall. First, I had a structural engineer(friend of the family) confirm the wall could be made on top of my concrete deck using 8x8x8 block. Rebar will be set through the deck and into the pool bond beam every 2 ft.
1. the deck has joints about every 4' I had some concern with these "pads" moving which would effect the wall? is this an issue? if so would leaving out mortar at these joints of block be good. Fill with mortar/epoxy that can expand/contract...if such a thing?
2. the wall will be faced with ledger stone on top of a brown coat. I think the brown coat will be needed since the wall is curved leaving a faceted a larger mortar gaps. Anyway, the question is to leave a small step for the first row of stone or set the block right up to my saw cut line which is nearly flush to the water line tile. See the drawing showing A or B.

Thanks in advance for the comments/advice...
chris

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/po...#ixzz2rWEuMSGC

 

Forgot the pics of the wall progress, pic two shows A or B for how far the block sits on the deck.

 

If your structural engineer has given his blessing, I guess you can do it. No way would I put that much weight on the edge of a pool. Now, in addition, what will you do with the dirty run off from your back fill? It has to go somewhere, and it can't be contained behind the wall.

 

Am I seeing diagonal cracks and potential spalling in the "concrete deck" shown in the photo, below the blocks? If that's the case, your engineer should take a closer look at things before declaring that slab being fit to support a heavy wall. Even though frost shouldn't be a concern in your climate, you can expect the wall to show performance problems in the future if the concrete beneath it is unsound.

 

Thanks for the replies....the deck is in great shape must be debris on the deck you are seeing. Joints are about every 4' along perimeter of the pool.
Some of the deck will be removed and gravel added along the back in the wall.
With the rain we get here I am not to worried about a lot of buildup.
Chris

 

Not worried about buildup, concerned about runoff. The rains you get in AZ come with a torrent. That water has to go somewhere. In your situation, where will it go? Into the pool.

 

not sure how much movement you're getting now from the slabs ( solids expand under heat & contract when cold ),,, those jnts are so conc didn't randomly crack on its own,,, usually conc guys lack complete understanding of joint's purpose but you had a good guy.

i don't see any existing cracks but bridge's got better eyes than mine suggest you diamond core drill for vertical rebar rather'n using a rotary hammer drill,,, you're likely to run into steel in the bond beam & carbide bits don't like steel.

unsure if static weight you'll add is significant to bond beam's present load which is designed for lateral strength, not vertical loads,,, but ask your guy.

'nother point - why remove any of the deck ?