[Willy1959]

Hey there, Been a contractor for 30+ years and have built many many decks. The current project consists of of an indoor resistance swimming pool. The pool is sunken below grade, about 1/2 way. The architect has designed a system of a removable grid so that the mechanicals can be accessed when needed. We are to the point of needing to choose a product for the finish material. This project started its life as a very cost conscious job over quality of materials job, over the months we have been working on it, it has evolved into more of a quality first project. That makes me very happy, as then all the labors do shine

The architect originally drew a generic 5/4x6 product, with no clear choice just to get the project moving. Its time now to make some choices.
The criteria to be considered
Price
quality
availability (midwest)
durability
and weight
Weight because 2 or so times a year the panels will probably have to be lifted out to access controls under.

Remember this will be indoors, but we will still have some sort of chemical dripping off humans exiting the pool.

anyone have some great ideas?

 

[Willy1959]

here is a view of what we are doing... oops pic is too big, will work on that

 

[Willy1959]

well that did work either, and I cant figure out how to erase lol

 

[RobertCDF]

Pvc decking is probably your ticket. It'll be the lightest I'm sure

 

[Deckhead]

Uh oh here we go again...

Tigerwood inside would be awesome, no fading, plenty durable, and an awesome look that costs slightly less than Ipe and weighs a lot less.

Screwed and plugged please.

 

[RobertCDF]

Actually your best bet will be the one that offers the most grip when wet. 2nd choice from there should be the lightest.

 

[naturalwood]

thermally modified ash is light weight and does not get slippery when wet. and drys faster than regular wood.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Pvc decking is probably your ticket. It'll be the lightest I'm sure

I think PVC decking is a good choice. Lightweight is important. The maintenance guy can manage anything, but the homeowners or their cleaning person has to be able to lift the panels out to clean them, much more frequently than every 6 months, because they will be slimy. The slimy/slippery factor would make me vote against wood.

Secondarily, make sure the unlatching or lifting mechanism is simple. It has to be doable by the homeowner. All that mildewy slime. Indoor pools aren't my favorite thing.

 

[tyb525]

thermally modified ash is light weight and does not get slippery when wet. and drys faster than regular wood.

Agreed, thermo wood.

 

[Willy1959]

Thanks guys, all these answers are things we have been thinking about of course. This is a rather high end house for our area. My carpenter and I seem to be the only folks opposed to the composite type decking. We did a similar deck system on their second floor a few years back, and the owners really liked it. I cant say it was particularly light though. Its been 15-20 years since I was a "deck expert" and I know there has been a lot of strides in this, so forgive my ignorance. Treat me like a homeowner as to explaining the materials. Well treat me like a home owner that can build just about anything, once some one tells me what they want LOL

 

[Willy1959]

thermally modified ash is light weight and does not get slippery when wet. and drys faster than regular wood.

this intrigues me. I see you are from BC I wonder if this is a product I can get around here. And I wonder the cost :thumbup: it sounds pricey lol

 

[Willy1959]

I think PVC decking is a good choice. Lightweight is important. The maintenance guy can manage anything, but the homeowners or their cleaning person has to be able to lift the panels out to clean them, much more frequently than every 6 months, because they will be slimy. The slimy/slippery factor would make me vote against wood.

Secondarily, make sure the unlatching or lifting mechanism is simple. It has to be doable by the homeowner. All that mildewy slime. Indoor pools aren't my favorite thing.

the architect/ heating guys, myself etc have all thought very hard on the air exchange, being a colder climate than SFO I think we may have an advantage on that aspect (slime mildew) the panels will simply be seperate sections 2x2 + 2x4 that should be able to be lifted easily. (lifted easily by the home owner is something I do worry about though.)

 

[RobertCDF]

Pvc is pvc not composite. It might get lumped in with composites when people refer to it just because it's not wood. However it is way different than composite. I normally hate pvc but that's because of exposure, being inside would be fine and the lightness (considerably lighter than composite) of the product could serve you well.

 

[asevereid]

this intrigues me. I see you are from BC I wonder if this is a product I can get around here. And I wonder the cost :thumbup: it sounds pricey lol

I'm interested in this as well, as I have been waiting to hear more about this thermo-modified wood that's been popping up lately.
Also interested in this build...subscribed.

 

[naturalwood]

There are quite a few thermally modified wood plant in mid west USA. Just google it and you should be able to locate wood closer to you. Price I do not know. For us we were selling up here for around $8 sq ft but pricing could be completely different down there.

 

[naturalwood]

Aseveride,

"I'm interested in this as well, as I have been waiting to hear more about this thermo-modified wood that's been popping up lately.
Also interested in this build...subscribed."

pm me later this spring. We are out of stock for the winter

 

[Willy1959]

There are quite a few thermally modified wood plant in mid west USA. Just google it and you should be able to locate wood closer to you. Price I do not know. For us we were selling up here for around $8 sq ft but pricing could be completely different down there.

I did a very intensive google search, and so far have not come up with any suppliers, If anybody knows of some in the Midwest I would love to hear about it. I do deal with a full service Lumber yard (100% on this project) and will check with them Monday to see if they have the availability to supply.

 

[Willy1959]

Aseveride,

"I'm interested in this as well, as I have been waiting to hear more about this thermo-modified wood that's been popping up lately.
Also interested in this build...subscribed."

pm me later this spring. We are out of stock for the winter

This build is quite the project, it has a lot stuffed into a little area, The pool room, A sun room, a bedroom. A bathroom. (shower marble shipped from Colorado! weeeee) all in about 1000 sq feet. Included is the remodeling of about 200 feet of existing home. The 3 rooms will have totally different climates, and this has been an ongoing challenge. I used an analogy to my Architect it was like the Mitchell park conservatory (the domes in Milwaukee)
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60097-d183453-Reviews-Mitchell_Park_Horticultural_Conservatory_The_Domes-Milwaukee_Wisconsin.html And the Architect agreed much , There were 3 different foundation levels in the project in that small space/ 2 rooms with the same ceiling height, and one with cathedral (the sun room) https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/110524077383231090061/albums/5965214779157758257/5965217814828875890?pid=5965217814828875890&oid=110524077383231090061Over the pool area will be a "sky factory" http://www.skyfactory.com/portfolio/?p=Aberdeen_tn with a custom made "cloud" that we have pre-made (lotsa festool haha)

 

[Calidecks]

I vote PVC as well. It's going to be the lightest with the least maintenance. Wood will require maintenance. Possibly more often due to pool chemicals. I've seem chemical whiting from pools.

 

[t_brown]

Willy,

I'm in Minnesota and can get thermo modified through Lampert yards. I'm not sure who they bring it in through, but I would imagine your yard can get it through the same supplier.

I would imagine the weight of it will be pretty close to that of PVC as well.