Old deck slick, cracked or sending puddles toward the pool? We pour a new one that grips bare feet and drains where it should.
A concrete pool deck is the slab you walk on around your pool, and Aberdeen Concrete Company builds them for homes in Aberdeen, SD and the cities around it so the deck grips wet feet, carries water off and stands up to freezing and thawing.
Flatwork, the flat slabs like driveways, patios and decks, is most of what we do, and a pool deck asks more of it than most. People cross it wet and barefoot, so grip and drainage get decided at the start, not after somebody slips. The price mostly moves with the deck's size and shape around the pool, how much old concrete we tear out and the finish you pick, and I'll price your yard at the estimate.
The schedule usually turns on the weather and on your pool installer, since the deck goes in around their work. When your deck needs a building permit from the city, we take care of the application and keep you posted on where it stands, and we're licensed and fully insured. If there are steps down from the patio door, we can pour new concrete steps as part of the same plan.
You call (605) 824-9815 or fill out the form, and I'll get back to you and set a time to come out. It helps to have a rough deck size, the finish you're leaning toward and when you'd like it done.
I walk the site myself, check where water runs now and where the pool equipment sits, and hear how you use the space. If your pool installer can be there too, even better.
The estimate lays out what's included, from tear-out to the finish, so you can see where the money goes. I'm happy to go over it with you line by line.
Once you say go, we set a pour date that works with the weather, and I'm on site from digging out through the finish. Then we clean up and walk the deck with you.
Before we set any forms, I work out with you and your pool installer where the water goes and what happens at the coping, because the deck has to fall away from the house and away from the pool or into its drains, so dirty runoff doesn't wash in. Skimmers, pipes, equipment pads and joints all get sorted out at that point too.
Under all that, we dig out and pack the subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, just like we would for a slab foundation, because a deck settles right along with a loose base. Concrete with entrained air, tiny bubbles mixed in on purpose, holds up to far more freezing and thawing, so ask whether your mix has it, and ask how we handle water on site and curing, the days the slab spends gaining strength.
What a pool deck job covers:
A few hairline cracks or a worn surface can often be patched, resurfaced or sealed, and that's worth doing if the slab still sits flat and water runs off it. When sections have sunk, tilt toward the house or the pool, or cracks keep coming back at the coping, the trouble is usually in the base or the drainage, and a new surface on top won't fix that. That's when I'd tell you to tear it out and start over.
The finish is what everyone sees, so when a budget gets tight, people want to keep the fancy surface and trim the base. I'd go the other way. A broom finish, a light texture dragged across the top for grip, over a well-packed base will outlast a decorative surface on dirt that wasn't dug out, because once the base settles, no finish saves it. Exposed aggregate, decorative work and extra deck drains add cost, and a plain broom finish keeps it down.
I learned this trade from an old-school contractor who wouldn't let a truck pour on a base he hadn't walked himself, and I still run jobs that way. We keep the trucks and the mess off the parts of your yard we don't need, protect the pool while we work and clean up before we leave.
I'd rather you understand your job before we start than find out halfway through, so I'll explain the plan, the price and what we're doing each day, and answer every question you've got, no matter how small. Satisfaction guaranteed.
It's easier to plan the drains and the coping joint while the pool's still going in, so give us a call at (605) 824-9815.
Tell us the rough deck size, the finish you like and when you'd hope to swim. I'll reply within one business day to set up a free on-site visit, with no obligation.
Pick a finish with texture, because broom, textured, exposed aggregate, coated, overlay and decorative finishes all grip differently when they're wet. Heat matters too, since very dark finishes can get uncomfortable for bare feet in the sun, so I'll help you compare a few on both grip and heat before we pour.
Yes, as long as the new concrete stays unfrozen until it's strong enough to stand on its own, because concrete that freezes before then will likely never get much stronger. That's why we pick the pour date around the weather and plan how the slab stays protected while it cures.
One sealer maker says film sealers need recoating about every 18 to 24 months, and penetrating sealers last three to five years but bring out color less. For the first winter, concrete industry guidance says to skip deicers and use sand, and to keep magnesium, potassium and ammonium products off the surface.
Building permits come from the city's Building Inspection office at City Hall, and there's a fee. Its list of work that needs no permit names prefabricated pools but not concrete pool decks, so check there, and the city's Community Development Department can tell you how far the deck has to stay from your property lines. Any wiring for lights or pumps falls under the South Dakota Electrical Commission, which inspects wiring and licenses electricians in the state.
The price comes from your yard, the size, tear-out and finish we covered above, so I won't guess at a figure before I've seen it. Call (605) 824-9815 and I'll come out and price it for you.
Usually it's the deck pushing on the coping as the slab moves. One coping maker says a gap filled with flexible sealant between the coping and the deck keeps that movement off the coping and the beam along the top of the pool wall, and that without it, cracks or spalling, chips flaking off the surface, can follow even with poured concrete decks. We work that joint out with your pool installer before we pour.
We're based in Aberdeen and work in the cities around it too. Pick Aberdeen below, or call (605) 824-9815 if your city isn't listed.
