Decking around pools

[Pete79]

We're in the final stages of preparing to dig our new money pit in the yard and I'm looking at materials for the decking that will be bolted to the side of the concrete pool.

As some of you may know I'm a steel kinda guy and will be using 75x75 SHS columns under all of the decking bearers and through to the roof bearers for the covered sections.
The roof bearers and joists will be exposed oiled hardwood under the colorbond roofing sheets.
The decking boards will be the same LVL boards that I used on the granny flat. I'm really happy with them.

I just need to make the call for the structure under those boards.

The top edge of the pool will be thickened so I can bolt the bearers straight to it along one 4m side and the other 7m side.
At this point I'm leaning towards using galvanized steel sections for the bearers and joists under the deck.
But I just don't know about bolting galv purlins hard up against the sides of the pool and how they will go with corrosion in years to come... 
On the other hand, we have termites the size of bulldogs out here and I've also seen so many old rotten decks near wet areas. So timber isn't really making me that comfortable either.

Is timber or steel better for structures so close to a pool?

[#jonesy]

Salt water, or Chlorine pool?

If salt I'd go timber.

[Pete79]

Salt.

[Craig Tomkinson]

concrete or FG Pete, we had fG was fantastic never got black spot in three years, got in ground Concrete now flaming black spot drives me nuts, both salt, Craig

[rags]

concrete or FG Pete, we had fG was fantastic never got black spot in three years, got in ground Concrete now flaming black spot drives me nuts, both salt, Craig

We have a salt water concrete pool with a pebble finish on the place on the sunny coast and agree the black spot is a pain to manage.

[austastar]

Hi,
   How about some plastic garden edge to insulate the steel from the concrete?
Cheers

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

[gronk]

Salt water, or Chlorine pool?

If salt I'd go timber.

A salt water pool is a chlorine pool !!

I've had pavers around my pool for 22 yrs now...still looks as new.

If I was planning on having bearers around a pool for a lot of yrs, the only steel I'd use would be stainless.

[achjimmy]

Yep stainless if you wanna be sure. If stainless is prohibitive maybe look at structural aluminum. 

If going gal it needs to be hot dipped not dura gal and still use stainless fasteners To bolt to pool. and then I'd give everything a bloody good coat of paint

[sparksy]

Just make allowances for any exposed metal around a pool has to be earthed. Even those stainless clamps that hold the glass fencing panels have to each be earthed. ( even when fixed into concrete or bolted to decking )
Its sometimes not easy after pool is finished and find out you have to earth something.

[GBC]

100 x 6mm extruded structural aluminium C channel is what we have used in the past with staino deck fixings. Ally and staino don't love each other galvanically so we dip the fixings in lanolin. The c channel isn't as expensive as you'd think.

[Pete79]

Thanks heaps for all the replies.
I'll ring around today to get some prices on these options.

And thanks for mentioning the earthing issue Sparksy, I knew it was required for the fencing but hadn't thought about steel bearers and joists.

[Pete79]

Well there's $165 difference between a 6m length of 50x6 alloy and a length of the same in 304 stainless.
I'm basically just landing the edge of the decking boards on this bearer, so the alloy will be fine.

Thanks again for all of the replies.

[gronk]

Just make allowances for any exposed metal around a pool has to be earthed. Even those stainless clamps that hold the glass fencing panels have to each be earthed. ( even when fixed into concrete or bolted to decking )
Its sometimes not easy after pool is finished and find out you have to earth something.

Only if the fence is within 1.25m of the pool edge. Unless you're tight for room , nearly all pools would have a fence further away than this.

[Pete79]

Only if the fence is within 1.25m of the pool edge. Unless you're tight for room , nearly all pools would have a fence further away than this.

3 acres of land and we're tight for room....
The fence on one side will be under the 1.2m requirement.

[gronk]

3 acres of land and we're tight for room....
The fence on one side will be under the 1.2m requirement.

Ha ha....as Hoges would say....unbelievable !!

[Bird]

I fixed the decking around our money pit pool -

[GBC]

Well there's $165 difference between a 6m length of 50x6 alloy and a length of the same in 304 stainless.
I'm basically just landing the edge of the decking boards on this bearer, so the alloy will be fine.

Thanks again for all of the replies.

Then there's trying to install fixings in 304.