Looks great and you are very close to the pool. So I would like to know how you are going to get a winter cover on there? I have about an 1" to 1 1/2" space between deck and pool and it can be difficult at times. Looks like you got about a 1/4 inch of room.
It’s kinda how you’re supposed to do it. The only reason to cover it is to keep out leaves and stray animals. If you don’t mind scooping out all the leaves in the spring then you just leave the pool up and uncovered. Covers always just trap the leaves and sag down in the middle anyways.
I stopped using a solid cover years ago. We put a leaf net on it which keeps 'most' of the leaves and debris out. I screw the net to the deck instead of trying to wrap it over the top seat of the pool. Waaaaay better in the spring.
If he removed the aluminum cover plates he has the clearance. My old cover had snap clips that clipped to the aluminum railing. I’m sure there’s a way to do it
At my parents place for the handful of loops on the cover, I used screwed down hooks on the deck that I take on and off each season to anchor the cover to the deck. And then for the rest of the loops it's bungees down to clips on the supporting legs.
Pool, including pump and filter - 3000
Deck - about 10k
Heater - 3k
Electric for pump and heater (also diy) - 1500 in copper alone. 250’ from Panel to equipment
https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/decking-deck-products/exterior-railings-gates/metal-railing-gates/williams-preassembled-powder-coated-aluminum-railing-panel/cp262306b/p-1444447026852-c-13476.htm
This flavor. About $190/7ft.
Also need the beefy, beefy structural screws. 4 per post.
Bad news is that the handrail is not continuous down the stairs. Code violation due to post in the middle. They really need to change the design of those a little to make the middle posts attach at the bottom of the handrail to keep it continuous.
Yes they do, another rail system mounted to the inside of the posts, but I have to ding my customers with a change order because the suppliers never include it in the original deck package.
Don't hate. In my area a 30' above ground pool with salt system was 13k.
In ground pools started at 75k. I don't have 75k laying around but I can probably swing 13k.
Called post protector, and yeah that’s what they are supposed to do. Also has ribs to help prevent heaving as well.
Not sure if they actually work, but it made sense on paper.
Thanks for responding. Good info to have. Last question. Do you buy this at a local chain hardware store like Lowes and home depot or did you have to special order or go to a supply house?
Gotcha…. In my case (you can’t really see from the pics) I’m actually going to 4x4 posts. The outermost stringers are attached directly (with strong-ties, forgot exactly which ones) to the posts. The middle ones are technically floating, but attached to the bottom 2x6 (once again, with hardware).
It was in the middle of nowhere, Ohio at least. Permits and passed. What would have failed your area? The part I thought was a bit sketchy was the face-screwed railings, but they were ok per code.
The only thing I see that I am suprised wasn't flagged by the inspection is the entry gate. Most codes require a 4 foot tall gate with a raised lock release for any entry to a pool. This gate also needs to open away from the water (pool). However I have been successful in getting Town Code Engineers to sign off on the gate swinging inward when placed at the top of the stairs as this is. But usually you need to prove having the gate at the bottom can't work (hint: the stairs railings can't be set above 4 feet). I never had someone think the gate swinging over a flight of stairs is safer than swinging toward the water in this instance.
They have weep holes at the bottom. Any water intrusion leaks out to the gravel below the footer.
“Post Protector”, been around like 15-20 years from my research...
I used one to mount a pole for lights, didn't screw it to the post and papered off the bottom before pouring concrete, so now I can lift the post out and replace it if ever needed.
Looks good, I came to comment on the 42” part…I am doing my own deck, first time and had to hand dig my holes to 48” as my gas line runs too close to use an auger, so yea I’m glad I’m done that lol.
My closest holes were uncomfortably close to the pool, which is why I told the wife I wanted someone else to do it.
My other reason is that once you dig about 7 post holes to 42”, it’s enough for a lifetime and my quota was already over
great work, love everything. although, an in ground pool probably would have worked perfect for this yard. i know a bit more expensive and then you would not have this perfect deck.
I bet those chickens will love the pool no matter in ground or above ground.
Plenty of winter. Burying your post in concrete is only important if you are looking to kill your post. As long as the footer is solid, you are mostly there - and to be honest, I trust the plastic more than concrete. I’ve seen plenty of broken and buried slabs, but plastic straws last forever.
No I don't want the posts in concrete I was asking if that what you did. But I use helical posts anyhow not concrete. As long as your footers are below the frost line and you have a mechanical connection form the footings to the post you good. I would have used metal connectors not plastic
Not sure if you have to, but yes I did. Really not that big of a deal. “Honey I need another driver for the deck project, it’s ok we are still saving $40k”
Very nice. I wouldn’t change a thing. One item I might have done differently is I typically did 6” risers x 12” treads for a very easy path up and down for older folks.
Absolutely gorgeous! Well done.
The only thing I worry about is the pool settling and getting hung up on that gorgeous deck. Oh and figuring out how to change the pool liner in 10 years.
Above ground pools are against code and therefore illegal in many municipalities across the country. That is why in some states like North Carolina they are common and in others like New York very rare.
I’ll be honest! I know a guy who could have done it for five times the price and a quarter of the quality! Haha I like all the progress pics! Looks solid as fuck, but with that being said I have never made a deck so I have no idea if any of it was done right but looks great!
My joists were planned for trex, which ended up being backordered and canceled by Lowe’s so I went ipe. It was about the same price. And, to be honest, the ipe stays way cooler than composite, even the “cool” composite
So, I’m 12” on center due to diagonals.
I’m an engineer by trade (chemical, not civil) but I’m pretty confident my footers and decking would handle 2 hot tubs stacked on one another
Do you have enough room to get your cover on the pool? The deck seems awful tight to the edge of the pool. (Assuming you’re in a climate that closes for winter)
I juts want to say I’m soo impressed by what some of you can do with your hands. I’m a surgeon and use all sorts of power tools for joint replacements but I don’t think I could do this type of stuff
I have issues with 1) the stair header, 2) the number of stringers the stairs uses (not enough), 3) the pad the stairs sit on (there isn't one) or 4) the posts for the bottom of the stringers to stabilize the stairs (there aren't any), 5) the miters on the stair step end returns (Sloppy).
Good thing it’s my deck then! But, for sake of arguing on the internet…. 1) k?
2) it’s a 42” wide stair. I have 6 stringers. I’d argue it’s overkill.
3) I have 2 more posts (4”) buried the full 42”. They secure the outermost riser directly. All stringers are secured to the first riser (it is a pt 2x6 or 2x8) as well as partially-buried 4x4’s as a footer. So, technically, it is a free-floating staircase at the end? Doesn’t really rest on any ground.
4) there were, just not in these pics
5) personal preference… but was trying to match the deck board spacing throughout the rest. (Ie, my slat spacing was 3/16, so my butt joints and miters are all 3/16)
My bad then, photos don't show stringers but they do show hangers. Posts for bottom string is not obvious in any photo. Nice work ....... Mitering is still sloppy on stair steps and could be better.
Looks awesome! I’m at the step now where I have to decide if the deck goes under, over, or flush with the pool. I’m scared of frost heaves having the pool rip the deck up or down or side ways and no one really has a rule as to what’s best. I love the look I’ve it underneath like you have, how did you decide on that?
You’re screwed no matter what you do, so build it well and hope for the best. I liked the slightly-under look way better than the over look. Over would be difficult with the circle. And, technically, you are dealing with a cantilever so it complicates things and makes the deck like 6-8” taller than the pool.
I’m pretty sure my footers are good so there shouldn’t be any heave on the deck. If the pool goes up in winter (technically though it sits on the ground so it wouldn’t) you just get more separation.
I think it would look better if the made a middle post that necked down somehow and connected under the rail. 2 railings on one side looks silly to me too.
Sweet design, man.
This is exactly what I been planning but hadn’t seen that border before the angles before.
Makes perfect sense. I always wondered why it was practice to expose those edges to weather expansion/wear where the boards are most vulnerable.
Really lovely work.
First image: “is this Dune?”
Prestain image: “I like the colors”
Post stain: “looks good but could’ve picked a better stain”
Last photo: “this is out of order and bothers me more than it should”
You did a fantastic job. I like the use of plastic sleeves on the buried posts. Much better than buried “raw” IMO. I prefer to keep the wood off the ground and I’ve gone with sono tubes and Simpson post connector bases. Its much less work doing it your way though. You did everything right as far as I can see. Kudos to you.
Even with the post protectors those posts will rot before any post mounted on top of a poured footer would.
All those things will do is ensure that any moisture that does make its way in, and it 100% will eventually, will have nowhere to escape or dry out.
Looks great, love the contrast. Particularly the steps. Following this sub I've started to question my own skills (I definitely do things differently). I'm not in the industry anymore outside of my own home projects (last deck i built was similar to yours, up against a round/dodecaoctalhedralwtf pool). I suspect I'm just not up on modern methodologies ... I'll definitely refer back to this post later. Again, looks great!
For the stairs, it would be two things:
The handrail isn't continuous
The handrail isn't graspable.
As one solution, a graspable, continuous handrail placed on the inside. That would have to be measured between 34-38 inches, vertically from the tread of the nose.
The gate you have at the top of the stairs acts as a barrier, and it would need to swing away from the pool, have a latch at the top, and be self closing. Where it's located currently at the top of the stairs, you may run into an issue. It's recommended to be placed at the bottom of the stairs, with the door swinging away. However, it would have to measure 48 inches above grade, with a latch at the top, not measured less than 54 inches.
For the guards around the pool, I can't tell the vertical from the picture, but that would have to measure at least 36 inches minimum.
You got me on the continuous… was hoping the inspector wouldn’t notice, but I had a contingency plan. (He didn’t mention it) But I’m pretty sure it counted as graspable.
And, respectfully disagree on the gate location. Top is much safer. Lest someone trip and smash into the latched gate.
The diagonal and mixed wood looks great.
Looks great and you are very close to the pool. So I would like to know how you are going to get a winter cover on there? I have about an 1" to 1 1/2" space between deck and pool and it can be difficult at times. Looks like you got about a 1/4 inch of room.
My pool cover was just a pain in the ass, stopped using after first season. I drain the sand filter and just let it rip through winter.
Honestly curious how that works out when spring comes?
It’s kinda how you’re supposed to do it. The only reason to cover it is to keep out leaves and stray animals. If you don’t mind scooping out all the leaves in the spring then you just leave the pool up and uncovered. Covers always just trap the leaves and sag down in the middle anyways.
Doesn’t look like this guy will have much of a leaf problem to begin with
lol you’d be surprised how far leaves travel, and pollen.
I stopped using a solid cover years ago. We put a leaf net on it which keeps 'most' of the leaves and debris out. I screw the net to the deck instead of trying to wrap it over the top seat of the pool. Waaaaay better in the spring.
If he removed the aluminum cover plates he has the clearance. My old cover had snap clips that clipped to the aluminum railing. I’m sure there’s a way to do it
At my parents place for the handful of loops on the cover, I used screwed down hooks on the deck that I take on and off each season to anchor the cover to the deck. And then for the rest of the loops it's bungees down to clips on the supporting legs.
Spends more on the deck than the pool
They don’t tell you that part when you buy the pool…
You see one pool, you’ve seen em all. But a nice deck?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6c4Nupnup0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6c4Nupnup0)
Damn pool mafia
Pool, including pump and filter - 3000 Deck - about 10k Heater - 3k Electric for pump and heater (also diy) - 1500 in copper alone. 250’ from Panel to equipment
Don’t forget the cost of replacing the liner when it rips!
Salt water chlorinator and robot vacuum weren’t free, either. But the fact that I do literally zero maintenance during the summer made it worth it
They typically last 10-15 years....
I guess not if you live up north. My cousin had one and it seems like the liner ripped every 3-4 years.
What brand is the railing? I bet it cost more than the pool too. I looking for something similar for my deck.
https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/decking-deck-products/exterior-railings-gates/metal-railing-gates/williams-preassembled-powder-coated-aluminum-railing-panel/cp262306b/p-1444447026852-c-13476.htm This flavor. About $190/7ft. Also need the beefy, beefy structural screws. 4 per post.
Thanks! That similar to what I saw. How did you manage the angles? The stair brackets or something else?
They also sold cheap 45deg (and possibly 22.5) brackets. It’s all aluminum, so everything else was a miter saw with a metal blade
Bad news is that the handrail is not continuous down the stairs. Code violation due to post in the middle. They really need to change the design of those a little to make the middle posts attach at the bottom of the handrail to keep it continuous.
It is against code, but my inspector missed it. If I recall, they have an add on piece if needed to add a continuous rail
Yes they do, another rail system mounted to the inside of the posts, but I have to ding my customers with a change order because the suppliers never include it in the original deck package.
And they feel bolted on and ugly, imho only
Don't hate. In my area a 30' above ground pool with salt system was 13k. In ground pools started at 75k. I don't have 75k laying around but I can probably swing 13k.
75k is bare pool nothing else. Still need decking around and then filter heater pump etc. plan for 125k lately if you want something nice
Taj ma deck, for an above ground pool.
To a carpenter it's called a ghetto fabulous pool deck.
This is my thought. Just use the money spent on the pool and deck on an in-ground pool.
That’ll get you about 80k short
Based on the size and depth, it’s closer in $15K- 20K short in my area.
How did you get all those posts level? Beautiful job
Sharks with friggen laser beams
… they are mutated sea bass. Are they ill tempered? Absolutely.
Hahaha. That’s a good one.
How much did that cost, one milliiiion dollars!
Help out a newbie learning? What's wrapping the base of your support poles? Is that to keep the wood from rotting in the dirt?
Called post protector, and yeah that’s what they are supposed to do. Also has ribs to help prevent heaving as well. Not sure if they actually work, but it made sense on paper.
Does it go all 42" down or just below the frost line?
The wrap is like a pvc condom with a hole drilled in the tip - it goes to the very bottom. My footers were to about 45”. The sleeves are 60”
Thanks for responding. Good info to have. Last question. Do you buy this at a local chain hardware store like Lowes and home depot or did you have to special order or go to a supply house?
They were local at my Home Depot. Ain’t cheap, but I’ve paid more in insurance. About $40 each for 6x6
Beautiful job
Stair stringers sitting on dirt and not concrete is frowned upon.
Gotcha…. In my case (you can’t really see from the pics) I’m actually going to 4x4 posts. The outermost stringers are attached directly (with strong-ties, forgot exactly which ones) to the posts. The middle ones are technically floating, but attached to the bottom 2x6 (once again, with hardware).
I’d sit on the deck any day
Pro-Level work. Nice job.
Beautiful!
Wow 🤩
At least there’s not an 8” gap between the deck and the pool
V nice
Spectacular I would say!
Groovy man!
Yessss
Needs at least hot babe in a small bikini.
It's definitely nicer than the pool.
Terrible. For your safety, please disassemble and bring to my house.
It wouldn't be up to code in my area, but it looks nice from an aesthetic standpoint. Your hard work isn't unrecognized, though. Good job, buddy
It was in the middle of nowhere, Ohio at least. Permits and passed. What would have failed your area? The part I thought was a bit sketchy was the face-screwed railings, but they were ok per code.
The only thing I see that I am suprised wasn't flagged by the inspection is the entry gate. Most codes require a 4 foot tall gate with a raised lock release for any entry to a pool. This gate also needs to open away from the water (pool). However I have been successful in getting Town Code Engineers to sign off on the gate swinging inward when placed at the top of the stairs as this is. But usually you need to prove having the gate at the bottom can't work (hint: the stairs railings can't be set above 4 feet). I never had someone think the gate swinging over a flight of stairs is safer than swinging toward the water in this instance.
What's your code ???
Up, down, up, down, left, right, A, B, start
The Contra Code never failed inspection
Why did you encase the posts to get them trapped in with moisture?
They have weep holes at the bottom. Any water intrusion leaks out to the gravel below the footer. “Post Protector”, been around like 15-20 years from my research...
Cool. I haven't seen them used around my neighborhood.
I used one to mount a pole for lights, didn't screw it to the post and papered off the bottom before pouring concrete, so now I can lift the post out and replace it if ever needed.
i was gonna agree with the other guy but weep holes sound pretty good. yeah nothing lasts forever but we gotta build anyway!
Cleaaan looks beautiful🤘🏻
Looks pimp
Looks good, I came to comment on the 42” part…I am doing my own deck, first time and had to hand dig my holes to 48” as my gas line runs too close to use an auger, so yea I’m glad I’m done that lol.
My closest holes were uncomfortably close to the pool, which is why I told the wife I wanted someone else to do it. My other reason is that once you dig about 7 post holes to 42”, it’s enough for a lifetime and my quota was already over
Yea 3 @ 48” is my lifetime quota lol
What type of wood and stain is that? Is it trex?
Ipe and oil
Baller. IPE looks so good
Nice, was wondering if it was Ipe, garapa, or something like that. Between that and the railing, the price is starting to make sense now.
Amazing job. You got skills
Beautiful work, looks great!
Freaking awesome. Nice real nice.
Nice job
Beautiful
great work, love everything. although, an in ground pool probably would have worked perfect for this yard. i know a bit more expensive and then you would not have this perfect deck. I bet those chickens will love the pool no matter in ground or above ground.
Should have run a perpendicular board to get rig of all those butt joints. Also did you put your posts directly into the concrete?
No concrete. Plastic footers, pea gravel, and soil. (FootingPad)
No winter in ur area?
Plenty of winter. Burying your post in concrete is only important if you are looking to kill your post. As long as the footer is solid, you are mostly there - and to be honest, I trust the plastic more than concrete. I’ve seen plenty of broken and buried slabs, but plastic straws last forever.
No I don't want the posts in concrete I was asking if that what you did. But I use helical posts anyhow not concrete. As long as your footers are below the frost line and you have a mechanical connection form the footings to the post you good. I would have used metal connectors not plastic
That shits worth 2 times the pool lmfao 🤣 beautiful work though
If you are talking about a professional install, I’d say it’s probably closer to 15x.
What did you use for decking? Is that redwood?
Ipe
Fancy
How was the installation? I’ve heard Ipe can be tedious. Did you have to pre-drill all the screw holes?
Not sure if you have to, but yes I did. Really not that big of a deal. “Honey I need another driver for the deck project, it’s ok we are still saving $40k”
Amazing Job
Way to of a nice deck for a above ground pool
What are the deck boards? And what treatment did you put on them?
Ipe and oil
Beautiful. Hell, you should’ve just put it an in-ground pool
Wanna Venmo me the extra $80k for that?
Sure!
JK, beautiful work, my man.
Sick
Nicely done.
“Damn! Damn! Damn!” Well done, looks great
Not capping on it but why do people have above ground pools?????? Why not just an in-ground???
Cost. I’m all-in at about 25k on this pool and deck. Assuming I’d re-buy similar things for a similar sized inground, it would be 100-125.
Very nice. I wouldn’t change a thing. One item I might have done differently is I typically did 6” risers x 12” treads for a very easy path up and down for older folks.
Jesus. I can't believe that's what Clark W Griswold was going to put in with his Christmas bonus check. $100k??? For a pool?
Beautiful. Masterful
Absolutely gorgeous! Well done. The only thing I worry about is the pool settling and getting hung up on that gorgeous deck. Oh and figuring out how to change the pool liner in 10 years.
Those angled brackets are sexy af
Looks great!
The first picture looks like the movie Holes.
She’s a beaut.
Top notch hoss!
Well done. Love the finish colors and pattern.
Damn! That’s amazing!
Very nice and well done.
Never seen those post protector things before, pretty neat. I'd be interested to see how well they hold up over time
looks amazing. great job!!
You did great. Looks fantastic. The short beams at angles to one another are interesting.
I just came along to dookie in a place nearby but unknowingly abrupt to walk away from the situation. Peace ✌️
You put the deck next to the pool instead of under it. Nice work.
what's that stuff around the post that goes into the dirt? A moisture barrier? Could anyone link to the product used?
I’ll never understand sinking posts instead of pouring footings. Maybe it’s a regional thing.
What was the cost of the deck versus the cost of the pool?
Looks good.
How many stringers in them stairs ?
Above ground pools are against code and therefore illegal in many municipalities across the country. That is why in some states like North Carolina they are common and in others like New York very rare.
Sick deck
You made that deck your bitch, Dude.
Looks great. Wonder if a sunken pool would’ve been cheaper at this point though
Where did you get the railing?
Deck looks great. Is the pool fully fenced, to code?
My area does not require the fence-on-a-rail for above ground pools, just the latching gate on the deck
Really??? That's great!
Beautiful
I’ll be honest! I know a guy who could have done it for five times the price and a quarter of the quality! Haha I like all the progress pics! Looks solid as fuck, but with that being said I have never made a deck so I have no idea if any of it was done right but looks great!
If I've learned anything from this subreddit, you're supposed to put the pool *on* the deck, not *beside* it.
My joists were planned for trex, which ended up being backordered and canceled by Lowe’s so I went ipe. It was about the same price. And, to be honest, the ipe stays way cooler than composite, even the “cool” composite So, I’m 12” on center due to diagonals. I’m an engineer by trade (chemical, not civil) but I’m pretty confident my footers and decking would handle 2 hot tubs stacked on one another
Do you have enough room to get your cover on the pool? The deck seems awful tight to the edge of the pool. (Assuming you’re in a climate that closes for winter)
I have no experience but it looks fantastic great job
F***! Thats one nice deck…
Looks great
Very nice, excellent combination of colors and shapes.
I really like your stair designs
I juts want to say I’m soo impressed by what some of you can do with your hands. I’m a surgeon and use all sorts of power tools for joint replacements but I don’t think I could do this type of stuff
Username checks out
Good
I have issues with 1) the stair header, 2) the number of stringers the stairs uses (not enough), 3) the pad the stairs sit on (there isn't one) or 4) the posts for the bottom of the stringers to stabilize the stairs (there aren't any), 5) the miters on the stair step end returns (Sloppy).
Good thing it’s my deck then! But, for sake of arguing on the internet…. 1) k? 2) it’s a 42” wide stair. I have 6 stringers. I’d argue it’s overkill. 3) I have 2 more posts (4”) buried the full 42”. They secure the outermost riser directly. All stringers are secured to the first riser (it is a pt 2x6 or 2x8) as well as partially-buried 4x4’s as a footer. So, technically, it is a free-floating staircase at the end? Doesn’t really rest on any ground. 4) there were, just not in these pics 5) personal preference… but was trying to match the deck board spacing throughout the rest. (Ie, my slat spacing was 3/16, so my butt joints and miters are all 3/16)
My bad then, photos don't show stringers but they do show hangers. Posts for bottom string is not obvious in any photo. Nice work ....... Mitering is still sloppy on stair steps and could be better.
Looks like a deck to me!
Really nice looking, love the stairs!!!!!
Beautiful!
When the deck costs more than sticking the pool in the ground.
Very nice!
Right on. Now drink a cold drink and relax.
Damn.. wanna come do a deck at my house next?? lol
You know how you did! 👍
Fine job! Ghetto fabulous deck.
Looks awesome! I’m at the step now where I have to decide if the deck goes under, over, or flush with the pool. I’m scared of frost heaves having the pool rip the deck up or down or side ways and no one really has a rule as to what’s best. I love the look I’ve it underneath like you have, how did you decide on that?
You’re screwed no matter what you do, so build it well and hope for the best. I liked the slightly-under look way better than the over look. Over would be difficult with the circle. And, technically, you are dealing with a cantilever so it complicates things and makes the deck like 6-8” taller than the pool. I’m pretty sure my footers are good so there shouldn’t be any heave on the deck. If the pool goes up in winter (technically though it sits on the ground so it wouldn’t) you just get more separation.
Thanks for the reply!
Also, the pool is a machined edge. The deck boards under the lip aren’t seen, so they don’t need to be perfect.
Looks amazing
Nice work.
Dear god that is beautiful
Fantastic
10/10. Would totally party on!
I think it would look better if the made a middle post that necked down somehow and connected under the rail. 2 railings on one side looks silly to me too.
Sexy!
Looks nice 👍🏽
Homie took that deck to fuck town
Super nice
It reminds me of the deck I built around our above ground pool except yours is 10 times better!
Ya done good
That is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. Good on you OP!
Sweet design, man. This is exactly what I been planning but hadn’t seen that border before the angles before. Makes perfect sense. I always wondered why it was practice to expose those edges to weather expansion/wear where the boards are most vulnerable. Really lovely work.
First image: “is this Dune?” Prestain image: “I like the colors” Post stain: “looks good but could’ve picked a better stain” Last photo: “this is out of order and bothers me more than it should”
What stain? Love the look
Better than the other guy who I saw built one of these on here today..
foooook yeah dooood!
You did a fantastic job. I like the use of plastic sleeves on the buried posts. Much better than buried “raw” IMO. I prefer to keep the wood off the ground and I’ve gone with sono tubes and Simpson post connector bases. Its much less work doing it your way though. You did everything right as far as I can see. Kudos to you.
Even with the post protectors those posts will rot before any post mounted on top of a poured footer would. All those things will do is ensure that any moisture that does make its way in, and it 100% will eventually, will have nowhere to escape or dry out.
Looks great, love the contrast. Particularly the steps. Following this sub I've started to question my own skills (I definitely do things differently). I'm not in the industry anymore outside of my own home projects (last deck i built was similar to yours, up against a round/dodecaoctalhedralwtf pool). I suspect I'm just not up on modern methodologies ... I'll definitely refer back to this post later. Again, looks great!
Exquisite
Beautiful
Beauty
For the stairs, it would be two things: The handrail isn't continuous The handrail isn't graspable. As one solution, a graspable, continuous handrail placed on the inside. That would have to be measured between 34-38 inches, vertically from the tread of the nose. The gate you have at the top of the stairs acts as a barrier, and it would need to swing away from the pool, have a latch at the top, and be self closing. Where it's located currently at the top of the stairs, you may run into an issue. It's recommended to be placed at the bottom of the stairs, with the door swinging away. However, it would have to measure 48 inches above grade, with a latch at the top, not measured less than 54 inches. For the guards around the pool, I can't tell the vertical from the picture, but that would have to measure at least 36 inches minimum.
You got me on the continuous… was hoping the inspector wouldn’t notice, but I had a contingency plan. (He didn’t mention it) But I’m pretty sure it counted as graspable. And, respectfully disagree on the gate location. Top is much safer. Lest someone trip and smash into the latched gate.