Under-Deck Waterproofing in Amelia, OH

In Amelia (ZIP 45102), a yard with an above-ground pool often has a deck in two parts: a low one at the back door and a high one at the water. That high part rises forty inches or more above the yard on its own set of posts, clear of the pool wall. That makes it the one part of the deck with real space underneath.

A pool deck gets wet from above and from the side. Rain falls on it, swimmers climb out and drip across it, and splash comes over the edge all summer. Drainage under the pool-level boards catches all of it. The troughs fall away from the pool toward the open side of the deck, where a gutter and downspout let the water out well clear of the pool. That matters, because the sand or soil base under an above-ground pool is the part that least likes water washing through it.

The space under the pool level becomes the pool store. At about forty inches high, it holds the solar cover on its reel, the vacuum and its hoses, the skimmer pole, the floats and the noodles. Everything stays dry and in the shade, so the plastic lasts longer and nothing grows in a wet pile of toys. A slatted door at one end keeps it tidy and keeps small children out.

The pool deck then dries off quickly after a swim, and the gear is a few steps from the water. When the pool closes for winter, the cover and the ladder go under the deck as well. At the spring visit, before the pool opens, we flush the troughs, since pool water leaves a little residue behind as it dries.