Give Thanks for Investment in Experience

To those of you from the United States I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is a good one. In many parts of the country it's a beautiful time of year and the holiday is always good for "relaxing" with family.

The way I see it holiday's are an investment in experience. In the long run it's the experiences - good or not so good - that we're likely to remember most. Each year Thanksgiving is one such experience - hopefully a good one for you - that you'll always think of fondly.

And that is basic value that I've tried to bring to you with this blog and our website createyourdeck.com...

Whether it's the actual planning or building of your above ground pool deck... or enjoying the finished product... it's all an investment in experience.

Experience that hopefully brings good memories... or maybe good laughs in the face of innocent building mistakes, after the initial frustration... and in the very least it's a learning experience where you're challenged to accomplish something great for yourself and family.

All I've ever tried to do through this blog and our website is to help you have that kind of good experience while building your pool deck... and that kind of experience going forward when you use your pool deck.

Hopefully I've been able to do that for you. And because of people like you, I get to do something I love.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Paul Ottaviano
How to build a deck around your pool

Winterizing Your Above Ground Pool

For most of you in the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere now is a good time to start thinking about winterizing your pool.

And for those of you in warmer or temperate climates this information may still benefit you. Here are some basic tips to help you get started.

Before you shut off and drain your pool for the winter, you'll first need to clean and service the pool. Make sure your water chemistry is balanced too.

It's unlikely that algae will be a big problem if you drain your pool. However, you don't need to risk an algae bloom while you're shutting down your pool for the winter. So go ahead and service the pool as you normally do before drainage. Also, consider adding more chlorination than normal or an algicide.

Also, remember that your water won't be circulating during the winter so don't leave chlorine tabs in the water once you shut the pool down.

Next you'll want to shut off the pump, any electrical sources, and gas for the heater if applicable. From there, you'll drain the pool. You don't have to completely drain the pool but it's recommended that you drain at least below the outlet and skimmer level.

Also, make sure you drain all lines and the plug them up for the winter. Don't leave water in your tubes or pipes for the winter. This protects your above ground pools equipment from freeze damage. So make sure you drain your equipment completely.

Once the above tasks are done, seriously consider covering your above ground pool. This will keep your pool clean and help prevent algae. Sheet vinyl is a good cover for the money. And to be on the safe side you may want to lock gates or fences that lead to your pool or deck.

I've simply covered the basics here. But, by using the above information to winterize your pool you'll make the job of re-opening of your above ground pool in the spring much easier.

Enjoy your pool!

Regards,

Paul Ottaviano
How to Build an Above Ground Pool Deck

Football Means The End of Pool Deck Season

When autumn football season starts here in America this usually means the end of pool deck season... unless you live in Arizona or someplace where the weather will finally be more compatible with outdoor home improvements.

Of course, there is nothing stopping you from building an above ground pool deck during the fall or winter unless the weather is very harsh. But for most of us the outdoor building season is past its peak and is nearing a dormant time of year.

For those of you who took on the task of building a deck around your pool this year I sincerely hope everything went well.

It was a busy summer for us at createyourdeck.com too. Many customers, and visitors with great questions. Thanks to the people who took the time to contact us - or took our survey - we learned more about what people like you want in regards to pool deck information.

In the meantime, some of you may not have moved forward with building a deck around your pool this year. But, you still plan on doing it.

You can visit us to get a start on the basics of your pool deck plans. And you can check back here from time to time as I still plan on posting content during the winter.

As always, enjoy your pool!

Regards,

Paul Ottaviano

Pool Decking Dictionary

When you're surfing the 'net looking for above ground pool deck help, you're likely reading a lot of technical terms or phrases that you may not be familiar with.

Those of you with some DIY experience may know some of these words from the pool decking dictionary. If you do, it still helps to have an easy reference available.

That's why we decided to post a pool decking glossary for you. There you will see some of the more common decking terms.

So if you're searching the 'net and coming across technical sounding words, you can reference our glossary so you'll understand what things mean. Once you start learning the language, any "how to build a pool deck" guide - including ours - becomes much easier to use.

This isn't an inorganic list... meaning if we missed some words feel free to contact us and suggest an addition to the glossary.

With that said, I think there is already plenty there that you'll find helpful.

Best regards,

Paul Ottaviano
Createyourdeck.com

Home Improvement Centers at the Closing Bell Part 2: How this could work for you

So in my last blog post - regarding The Home Depot closing some of their stores - I made the comment, " ...it wouldn't surprise me if Lowe's announced something similar."

I hoped not. But today they did.

Now if you just look at the numbers, and think of nothing else, it indeed seems scary. Lowe's reported an 18% drop in fiscal first quarter profit... ouch... net sales dropped 1.3% despite adding 150 new stores in the last twelve months... ouch again.

"Many consumers remain hesitant to begin big-ticket projects," said the Lowe's Chairman and CEO Robert Niblock.

Which brings to mind a question to those of you thinking of building a deck around your above ground swimming pool.

Just how "big ticket" is planning and building your own pool deck?

Now, I'm not there to look at your backyard and I won't guess as to what design you're considering. So I'm not going to give you a definite cost analysis. But as to what your deck budget could be, ask yourself some questions.

• How much does it cost to plan your pool deck?
  

The answer is not much, if you plan it yourself. For this, your biggest expense will be time. That said, this can be done relatively quickly... like on a Saturday afternoon lets say... and it can be fun, something you do with friends or family or by yourself with a pencil and sketch paper.

Several of our opt-in newsletters offer tips on how to plan effectively and efficiently. And we posted a basic step-by-step guide regarding above ground pool deck blueprints.

But, if you want deck planning software this can be had for up to only $40 USD. Some are less than that. This is certainly reasonable if you're serious about building a pool deck.

• How much are the tools and supplies?
  

How much do you already have? Look through your garage or tool shed. I bet you'll be surprised by how much you already have available. And I bet you'll be very pleased to learn that you won't need an arsenal of tools to complete the project.

If you're not sure of what tools are really necessary and you visit a home improvement center admitting your lack of knowledge, you're immediately at the mercy of a salesperson.

Do you really need to buy that super deluxe power saw? Can you just rent one? Or do you already have an older one that works just fine, or is there one you can borrow?

Yes, your salesperson could be a good guy or gal who won't insist on loading you up with tools or supplies you really don't need. Then again, wouldn't it be better to know some things before hand?

As for supplies, like fasteners for instance, you'll know what's necessary once you plan and you can budget accordingly. I don't recommend being too much of a bargain shopper here, since I'll assume you'll want your pool deck to be safe and hold together.

• How much will lumber run me?
  

Well, Lowe's also reported they were having difficulty passing along price increases to consumers... for things like lumber. But that may only last for so long. As the economy starts to improve they will eventually pass along prices.

So the contrarian in me thinks now may be a good time for you to find high quality lumber at good prices. There may even be some sales.

Also, if you learn how to spot defects in lumber you'll only get the best quality lumber available.

Knowing this ahead of time will save you money, and time, because your lumber will be strong enough to last and you won't need to discard weak lumber you've already acquired while you're building your deck.

With that all said, let me just remind you of something important...

Since home values are declining in many areas, now is actually a very good time for you to build an above ground pool deck. As I'm sure you know, anything that is up to code and adds value to your home is always a good thing... especially during times like this.

Also, according to the National Association of Home Builders you can recover up to 75% of the cost of your deck construction when you sell your home.

So if you're seriously thinking of building a pool deck... and if you already have the resources, plus you discover ways to build it efficiently so you don't have to make a huge investment... then my suggestion is you ignore the latest reports from places like Lowe's and just build it.

As always, enjoy your pool!

Best regards,

Paul Ottaviano
Createyourdeck.com

P.S. - Learn more about how to build a pool deck efficiently.