Decking and hardscape
The surface you actually stand on
Nobody stands in a pool for most of the time they spend at one. Decking is where the yard is used, and deck that is too narrow is the most common regret on a finished pool.
Decking is usually specified by material and colour, and then lived with by width and temperature. The material question matters less than people expect. The width question matters far more.
Width first
You need enough deck to walk the full perimeter without turning sideways, and then at least one area wide enough to hold furniture people will actually sit in. A deck that only supports a walkway turns the pool into something you look at. This is decided while the pool footprint is still being drawn, because afterwards the only way to add deck is to take it from the yard.
Temperature and grip, not just looks
In this climate, surface temperature underfoot in August is a real specification, not a detail. So is how much grip a surface keeps when it is wet and somebody is walking on it barefoot. Those two properties vary more between materials than the appearance does, and neither is visible in a photograph.
See samples outdoors
Colour on a screen is not colour in daylight next to your house, your fence, and the interior finish of the pool. Samples get looked at outside, together, before anything is ordered.
It can be its own job
Replacing or widening the decking around a pool you already have is a standalone project, and so is extending hardscape out past the pool area into the rest of the yard.
Concrete has its own page now
Unit masonry is what this page is about: pavers, natural stone, steps, coping and seat walls, all of it set piece by piece on a prepared base. Poured concrete is the other way to finish the same ground and it behaves differently enough to be worth reading about on its own, so it has its own page covering broom, stamped, colored and exposed aggregate finishes.
Included
What gets built
- Paver decking, laid on a properly prepared base
- Natural stone, cut and set
- Concrete, broom or textured finish
- Deck extensions and replacement around an existing pool
- Steps, raised seat walls, and retaining walls
- Drainage, so water leaves the deck instead of pooling on it
- Fire and barbecue surrounds
- Paths and hardscape past the pool area
Questions
Frequently asked
Which decking material holds up best here?
All of the common ones work when they are installed properly. The real differences are surface temperature underfoot in summer, how much grip they keep when wet, and how they age. We walk you through samples in daylight rather than off a screen.
How much deck do I actually need?
Enough to walk the full perimeter without turning sideways, plus one real gathering area with furniture on it. Deck that is too narrow is the most common regret on a finished pool.
Can decking be done separately from the pool?
Yes. Replacing or extending decking around an existing pool is its own job, and so is adding hardscape past the pool area.
Free estimate
Tell us what you want in the backyard
Send the shape of the project and we will come look at the space. Free estimate, no obligation.
Prefer to talk it through? Call or message and Jose Alvarado will walk the site with you.