Concrete around your pool cracked or lifting? We repair the slab or pour a new deck, with room at the edge for it to move.
A concrete pool deck is the poured slab you walk on around your pool. Here in Auburn, WA, we build new decks and repair old ones, and on every deck we pay close attention to the sealed joint where the concrete meets the coping, the cap along the pool's edge.
Most people call because the deck has cracked or a section has lifted. Sometimes the trouble shows first at the edge, where the concrete has pushed against the coping or pulled away from it. Before I suggest anything, I want to know whether the slab underneath is still sound, because that decides whether you need a repair, a new pour or only a fresh surface.
The price moves with the deck's size, whether old concrete has to come out first, how much work the base needs and how easily we can get the crew and the concrete into your backyard. The schedule turns on the weather, the curing time before the deck can be used and any permit review. Your written estimate lists what's included, such as removal and cleanup, so you can see where the money goes.
Most of what decides how a deck holds up is out of sight by the end of pour day. These are the three things I watch most closely on every job.
The subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, has to be dug out and packed firm rather than raked level, or the deck settles along with the loose dirt. When a budget is tight, this is the first thing people want to trim because nobody sees it. I'd rather spend the money here than on the top.
Concrete shrinks as it dries and moves with the seasons, so some cracking is normal. Control joints are grooves we cut into the slab on purpose, giving those cracks a straight, planned place to form. When they're cut late or skipped, the cracks pick their own path across your deck.
Pouring in the heat of midday can leave a weak, dusty top that wears early, so we plan the pour for the cooler part of the day where we can. Curing is the wait before you use the deck while the concrete hardens and gains strength, and rushing it costs you later.
From the first call to the final walk-through, here is who does what, and where the weather and the paperwork can affect the dates.
Call (253) 275-5460 or send the form with a few lines about your deck and what you've noticed. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it in person.
I come out, look over the deck and the pool edge, and check whether your address falls under the city or the county. Then I write up your estimate so you have the whole job on paper before deciding.
Once you're ready, we handle any permit paperwork and our crew lead runs the job. Rain can damage fresh concrete in western Washington, so we cover a newly poured deck when it's coming. The coping joint gets sealed later, as its own step.
When the work is done, I walk the deck with you and point out the joint along the coping, since that seal is the part to keep an eye on over the years. You'll know what to look for before we leave.
Where the new deck meets the pool edge, we leave room for a flexible seal instead of setting the concrete hard against the coping. The deck will move a little over the years, and that gap lets it move without pushing on the edge of your pool. I'd plan that joint into any deck, whether it's poured concrete, stone or pavers.
If your old deck is cracked or lifting, we fix the slab before we talk about a new surface. I look at whether the cracks have opened up or stepped out of line, and whether any section rocks underfoot or has risen above the rest. Those point to trouble in the slab or the ground under it, and no new surface will hold that together.
A pool deck often ties into other work around the yard. If the deck steps down to the lawn or a lower patio, we can build concrete steps as part of the same plan. If you're thinking about a pool house or an equipment shed, the slab foundation under it is work we do as well.
If the slab is solid and only the surface is tired, a coating can make sense. One coatings guide expects a single-coat acrylic anti-slip refresh to last 3 to 5 years, and a textured multi-coat system 6 to 10.
When the slab is cracked through or heaving, the money belongs in the concrete, either repairing the bad sections or pouring a new deck on a properly packed base. That's the work we do, and I'll tell you which one your deck needs.
We reply to every call and message within one business day and set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, with no obligation and no pressure to book. You'll get it in writing, with what's included spelled out, before anything is scheduled.
(253) 275-5460The City of Auburn requires a storm drainage permit to add or replace hard surfaces, and a concrete deck is hard surface, so plan on the city having a say in a new or replaced deck. The city's Building Services office issues building permits for construction, additions and alterations. Before we schedule, we confirm which rules cover your address and handle the applications when your job needs one.
Not every Auburn mailing address is inside the city. Some fall under King County, Kent or Federal Way, and the city's interactive map shows which ones Auburn regulates. If you'd like to check for yourself, the city's permit center answers questions by email or at 253-931-3090, option 2. We work in Kent and Federal Way too, so the work is the same either way and only the office changes.
On jobs around Auburn, the pool decks we're called to are often older ones that have cracked near the coping or dropped at the outer edge where the ground settled. The long rainy months don't help, so what's under the slab gets as much of my attention as the concrete itself.
I learned concrete on other people's crews before starting this business in Auburn in 2013, and in the 13 years since, the groundwork has stayed the part I care about most. I come out myself to look at your deck and write the estimate. Our crew lead runs the work on site, and I check in while it's underway.
We're licensed and insured. Washington's Department of Labor & Industries keeps a contractor lookup that shows whether a contractor meets state requirements, holds an active license and is bonded and insured for damages, and I'd encourage you to check anyone you're thinking of hiring. When you're ready, call (253) 275-5460 or send us the form, and I'll come take a look.
If your pool area sits above or below the house or lawn, solid concrete steps give you a safe way between levels that ties in with the new deck.
A pool house, changing room or equipment shed needs a flat, well-supported slab under it, built on the same kind of packed base as a good deck.
We're based in Auburn and work in the cities around it, including Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma and Lake Tapps. The cities below each have their own page, and we work beyond them too.
A concrete pool deck in the Seattle area usually costs about $7 to $14 per square foot. That's the going rate around here for the work, not a quote for your yard. I'll give you a written figure for your own deck after I've seen it in person.
It shouldn't, as long as there's a gap with flexible sealant between the deck and the coping. Concrete moves with heat, settling and freezing and thawing, and without that gap the movement can crack or chip the coping and the bond beam, the thick concrete band along the top of the pool wall.
Usually it's done in two stages, with the joint at the coping sealed at least 30 days after the pour. One maker's guide sets that wait so the concrete can cure and shrink before the sealant goes in. We'll tell you when the deck itself is ready to walk on, and weather or a permit review can move the start date.
Clear patio furniture, planters and pool toys from the work area, and make sure the crew can get through a gate or side yard to the back. If you know of buried lines or pipes near the pool, tell me when I come out so we can plan around them.
Check it once a year and have the caulk redone whenever it cracks, pulls away or looks worn out. Most elastomeric caulks, the stretchy sealant used in that joint, last five to ten years before they need replacing.
Call (253) 275-5460 or use the form with the deck's rough size, your address and any cracks or lifting you've noticed, so my first visit can go straight to what the slab needs.
