drain strips. are they necessary in a pool deck remodel?

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

My current pool deck has drain strips (deco drain) adjacent to the foundation/perimeter of the house. So the concrete deck pitches towards the house. I read these forums and it seems the smarter thing is to pitch water away from the foundation of the home and pool.

Well, i am getting bids for a 2000 sq ft deck remodel (1.5" pavers will be laid over the concrete sub deck) and some of the contractors want to keep the pitch the same and install new drain strips (which are not particularly aesthetically pleasing to me.) There are a few contractors that tell me they will do away with drain strips and just use sand to create a new pitch and it will pitch AWAY from the foundation of the house.

Not sure why i'm getting conflicting info. Anyone know the right way to get this done? I don't like drain strips but i sure don't want any draining issues on my new deck.

Featured Answer

5birdy

10 years ago

We had a similar problem when building our pool and installing new paver deck -- which is close to but not attached to existing concrete. My husband loves the look of your Deco Drain, but I didn't think it would work with our house and style. Fortunately we had already installed underground pvc pipes/drain openings to take the water away from the house (in the space between the pool and existing house concrete). My pool builder recommended step pavers with smooth pebble rock. This solution works very well; the grade is still towards the house but the new paver deck just drain to the hidden drains in the pebble rock. So you can keep the existing grade as long as you provide some kind of way for the water to escape so it never reaches your house. It really helps to go out in the rain and see what is going on with drainage!

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Comments (8)

randy427
10 years ago
The slope should be away from the house and towards a drain. You might want to research drain styles to find one less objectionable. I don't like the idea of putting sand on a concrete surface to correct the slope when laying pavers. How would they prevent water from seeping between the pavers and eroding the sand over time?
arodinmiami
Original Author
10 years ago
randy, that is what i keep reading...that the slope should be away from the house. and no idea how they would correct the sand from eroding over time. i think i have spoken to maybe 16 contractors in 2-3 years and they either don't know about pitching decks or this is a big mystery that no one knows the answer to. I can't believe there isn't some industry standard.
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arodinmiami
Original Author
10 years ago
don't get me wrong.. they all give me an 'answer' when i ask about pitch and draining.. but they are all over the board.
bossyvossy
10 years ago
I hated our deco drains. During patio/pool remodel we were able to modify slope to ensure drain away from home. It was not cheap. Perhaps prev owner didn't have it in budget to correct slope and the stupid drains are certainly effective so it depends on your budget and your priorities. One thing is undeniable, you need that slope,

suggestion of putting sand above concrete would not be effective, it would drain right on the spot, as you surmised.
arodinmiami thanked bossyvossy
arodinmiami
Original Author
10 years ago
bossyvossy i just had a contractor tell me that he would drill holes in the concrete all over deck. as many as 50 holes -- he called them weep holes -- to allow for water to percolate there and not take away the sand over time. he also said he would put landscape cloth over (or under) the sand base. It would be sandwiched by the existing concrete deck and the new pavers. i have no idea if this is effective but he at least had thought out the drainage issue. he advised keeping the same pitch and utilizing the dreaded deco drains.
arodinmiami
Original Author
10 years ago
5birdy that's a great idea! i would be willing to explore that with the rocks to disguise the draining area. you said you used step pavers to create this disguise. is that a specific paver to use with rocks?
5birdy
10 years ago
Not a specific paver. My pool builder ordered larger pieces appropriately sized for the "gap" in the same material as the pool coping - which is a precast concrete product (pavers are 16" x 24"). Everyone worked with the existing grade apparently because it is so expensive to get an entire yard redone correctly.

Similar to this Houzz photo. Smooth pebbles do not hurt bare feet but you could use ordinary gravel types too :)

https://www.houzz.com/photos/debora-carl-landscape-design-contemporary-landscape-san-diego-phvw-vp~373290