Solid start

Ian McCarthy, president of BlueClaw Associates says if a contractor skimps out on the base of a deck, it may cut costs but quality suffers the most.

“If you don't have a suitable base that's going to lead the stones or pavers to sink later on,” McCarthy says. “And then that's going to make the demise come quicker and require repairs. Sometimes we see some contractors doing skimping on the base because they can offer a lower price to the customer and it looks like a better deal, but it's really not because it's not going to stand up as well.”

At Blue Claw, the team primarily works on properties in Cape Cod and Nantucket. They install a lot of pool decks using pavers and concrete slabs and have been called out to do repair work on other properties after faulty installation.

What can go wrong?

Pitch: “It’s important that your decks are properly pitched,” he says. If the pitch is off, water can begin to puddle and cause damage or even dangerous conditions. McCarthy says there was an instance where an existing installation was leading water to puddle near steps. The water build up was starting to wear on the treat of the steps. Repair or replace: In this case, the team was able to repair the areas that caused the puddling rather than having to replace the entire pool deck. McCarthy says it was more cost effective to repair small sections for the client.

Sunken stone: Going back to the base, stones can life or sink if not properly installed. Not only is it aesthetically unappealing, it’s also a tripping hazard. In areas that see a full range of seasons, this can happen over a cold winter. Repair or replace: “It's more of an undertaking (to fix this issue) because you could cosmetically lift stone out and change its place and make it level, but there's something going on underneath that's causing it,” he says. “It's not usually going to happen in just one stone. It's going to be in an area or the whole thing.”

Joint separation: When this happens on a pool deck, it usually means there’s some sort of movement happening underneath the material. “The pavers or the stones are moving from their original location,” he says. Repair or replace: Ideally, it would be wise to replace as much of the install as possible, but cost might come into play. Similar to stones lifting or sinking, it’s usually an indication of a more widespread issue.