Pool decks
Pool Decking on Auckland's North Shore
A new pool almost always arrives in the middle of a rough yard, and the surround is what turns it into somewhere you want to spend the summer. We have built both kwila and composite pool decks around new and existing pools across the Shore.
Pool work has its own set of constraints — the finished board height has to land on the coping, the framing has to carry traffic right to the water's edge, and everything gets splashed, walked on wet and hit by sun all day.
Timber and kwila pool surrounds
Kwila is dense, takes traffic well and looks right beside water. It needs a wash and re-oil to hold its colour, and around a pool that is a job for the shoulder season rather than mid-summer.
Composite pool decks
Composite is the easy answer where nobody wants to maintain a deck during swimming season. Hidden clips keep the surface smooth for bare feet, and chlorine splash is a non-issue. Darker boards do warm up in full sun, so colour choice matters.
Level transitions and level entry
Getting the deck flush with the coping and the paving is the difference between a pool area that feels designed and one that feels patched together. The substructure is packed and levelled to land the boards exactly where they need to be.
Steps and access
Where the ground falls away, wide steps down to the lawn are safer and more useful than a narrow flight — they double as somewhere to sit with your feet in the water. Every step is set out with the same rise.
Drainage
Water needs somewhere to go. Board gaps are set for drainage, fall is built away from the house and pool, and the ground under the deck is left able to drain rather than holding damp against the framing.
Building around an existing pool
Plenty of the pool work we do is retrofitted around a pool that has been there for years. The framing is scribed and packed around the shell and coping, which is slower than building on a clear site but gets the finished level right.
- —Treated substructure set out on piles and packed to the coping height
- —Picture-framed borders so cut board ends land on a clean line
- —Fixings set below the surface, or hidden clips on composite
- —Privacy screening and seating built in where the space allows
Outdoor entertaining around the pool
The best pool areas are not just a surround — there is a shaded spot to sit, a screen from the neighbours and somewhere to put a table. That is worth planning at the same time as the deck rather than working out later.
Related projects
Common questions
- Can you build a deck around an existing pool?
- Yes. The framing is scribed and packed around the shell so the finished boards land level with the coping.
- What is the best material for a pool deck?
- Composite if you want the least maintenance, kwila if you want the look and do not mind an annual wash and oil. Both work well around water when the substructure and drainage are right.
- Do pool decks get slippery?
- Any wet surface can be. Good drainage gaps, keeping the deck clean and choosing a board with some surface texture all help.
- Do you handle the pool fencing?
- Pool fencing has its own rules under the building regulations. We will work in with your fencing so the deck levels and fence heights suit each other, and point you to current Auckland Council requirements.
Pool going in, or already there?
We will come out, check the coping levels and price a surround in timber or composite.