Concrete pool decks in Goleta, CA - a deck that drains away from the pool
Cracked, slick or pooling deck around your pool? We pour a new one that sheds water, grips wet feet and meets the coping right.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a new concrete pool deck?
A concrete pool deck in Goleta, CA is the poured slab around your pool. A good one sends water away from the pool edge, gives wet feet some grip and stays flat instead of settling into the dirt under it.
Most people call when the deck around the pool has cracked, sunk at one corner or started holding puddles, or when a new pool or a remodel means the old patio slab around it has to go. The price mostly moves with the deck's size, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, how much digging and packing the base needs, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the tear-out, whether your address needs a permit, and the weather, and once I've seen the site your estimate puts your own price and scope in writing.
Is a new concrete pool deck right for your pool?
Deck cracked or heaving
When old slabs have shifted or split, tearing out and repouring on a packed base starts fresh.
Water sits after swimming
Puddles that linger on the deck usually mean the slope is wrong, and that's fixed in the pour.
A new pool going in
A new pool needs a deck formed around fresh coping, with the pool edge planned before we pour.
Slick or worn surface
If the top has gone smooth, dusty or chipped, a new finish gives bare feet grip again.
How we build concrete pool decks
I start with two things, how the deck will meet the pool edge and which way the water runs off, because most pool deck trouble starts at one or the other. On a full replacement we break out the old slab, then dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil and gravel the deck sits on, so it doesn't settle later. We set forms that slope the deck away from the pool and the house, since water that sits around a pool cuts grip and grows algae. We lay rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack, pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't come out weak and dusty, then finish the surface and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight line to crack along instead of a random one.
Pool areas usually come with other concrete. If there are steps from the house or yard down to the deck, we can build the concrete steps in the same plan so the heights and slope line up. If you're adding a pool house or cabana, we also do the slab foundation it sits on.
Broom finish
We drag a stiff broom across the wet concrete to leave fine ridges that give your feet something to hold. It's the plainest option and usually the least costly, so it suits owners who want a working deck more than a showpiece.
Exposed aggregate
The top layer is washed back to show the stone in the mix, so the surface comes out pebbly and textured. It suits owners who want something with more color than plain gray, and the questions below cover how it grips.
Stamped concrete
Stamped concrete presses a pattern like stone or tile into the surface while it's still soft. It suits owners after a particular look, though around a pool the grip needs planning, which the questions below explain.
Coating over a sound deck
If the old slab is solid, flat and draining right, a coating can freshen the surface without tearing it out. If the deck is moving or badly cracked, I'll tell you it needs real repair and not just a coating.
What happens when you call about a pool deck in Goleta?
Call or send the form
Call (805) 285-4985 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Photos of any cracks or settling help me see what I'm walking into.
I walk the deck with you
I look at how the old deck meets the coping, where the water goes and what has to come out, and I find out which office covers your address. Then I write up an estimate with the scope, the finish and the price, so you know the cost before anything gets torn out.
We form, pour and finish
If you go ahead, I run the job on site from setting forms to the last pass of the trowel. The person who checked your slope and your pool edge is the one watching them go in.
Clean up and walk it
When it's done, we clean up and walk the finished deck with you. I'll point out the joint at the pool edge and what to keep an eye on over the years.
Base or finish on a pool deck?
Put the money in the base first.
The base is the part you never see. Once the deck is poured it's buried, which is why it's the first thing people want to trim. But a fancy finish over dirt that was only raked level will settle and crack right along with it, and nobody can fix that without tearing the slab out.
So I'd rather you pick a plainer finish than a thinner base. A broom finish on a well-packed, well-sloped base will hold up better than a stamped pattern on a poor one. If the budget covers both, good. If it doesn't, I'll tell you where I'd spend it.
Examples of concrete work
Look through these examples of concrete work, from pool decks and patios to driveways and steps, to get a feel for finishes and layouts.
Get a free estimate for your pool deck
Put in your deck's rough size, the finish you like and photos of any cracks. We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out for a free estimate, with no pressure to book.
Why Goleta homeowners call Goleta Concrete for pool decks
I walk every deck myself
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate, then run the crew on site through the pour and the finish. You deal with one person who knows your deck from the first visit to the cleanup.
In business since 2013
I started this business in 2013, after summers through school on a concrete crew learning to finish from people who'd done it for decades. That's where I learned that the setup before the truck shows up matters most, because poured concrete has no do-over.
Licensed and fully insured contractor
We're licensed and fully insured. California's licensing board describes a concrete contractor as one who forms, pours, places and finishes flat and other concrete work, and a pool deck takes all of that.
Based in Goleta, South Coast
We're based in Goleta and work here and in the cities around it along the South Coast and beyond. To get a time on the calendar, call (805) 285-4985 or send the estimate form.
Pool deck questions we hear
How much does a concrete pool deck cost in Goleta?
Installing a concrete pool deck across the US usually costs about $10.50 to $12.50 per square foot, and that's the national market, not our price. Your total turns on the deck's size, whether an old slab has to come out, how much base work it needs and the finish you pick. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site.
What is the best finish for a pool deck so it isn't slippery?
One finish guide says exposed aggregate is slip-resistant on its own, while stamped concrete needs a non-slip additive in its sealer because the stamped texture alone doesn't give enough grip. If you want a stamped look, plan for that sealer step. The same guide says light-colored river pebbles or quartz stay cooler than dark stone mixes, so ask about those if hot feet are a worry.
Can a coating fix a cracked concrete pool deck?
Not if the deck is moving. One finish guide says a coating isn't a structural fix and existing cracks will show through it eventually, and a deck with active movement, settling or several wide cracks needs structural repair first. A sound, flat deck can take a coating, and sorting out which one you have is the first thing I do on site.
How long does it take to replace a concrete pool deck?
One finish guide puts a full pour at 5 to 7 days, compared with 1 to 2 days for a coating. On your job, the tear-out, any permit and the weather move that, and the estimate lays out the plan.
What causes the pool coping to crack next to a concrete deck?
Usually it's the deck moving against it. One coping maker advises a gap with flexible sealant between the coping and the deck, because deck movement can crack the coping and the bond beam, the concrete ring at the top of the pool wall, and says that applies to poured decks too. The maker also advises checking that joint every year, keeping it clear of dirt, plants and standing water, and recaulking when it cracks or pulls away, since most of these caulks last five to ten years.
Will my new pool deck crack like the old one did?
Some fine cracking is normal in concrete, and the control joints we cut give it a straight line to follow. The bad cracking you see on old decks usually comes from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, and that's the part we won't skimp on.
Want a price for your pool deck?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come out, look at your deck and the pool edge, and write up your estimate.
Other concrete work around the pool
Concrete pool deck permits and work in Goleta
In Goleta, the city's Building and Safety Division issues building permits, and the city's Planning and Environmental Review staff make the final call on which permits a job needs and what fees apply, so whether your deck needs a building permit is their decision. Deck size matters too, because a project that creates or replaces 2,500 square feet or more of hard surface that water can't soak through needs a stormwater permit from the city's Public Works. A smaller project doesn't need that one, but it still follows construction best practices and includes one or more low-impact development features in the design. If your lot sits in the coastal zone, state law generally requires a coastal development permit before work starts and defines development broadly, so that's a question for the planning staff. I check which office covers your address before I write the estimate, and when your job needs a permit we handle the application and set up the inspections.
Around here we see plenty of older backyard decks that have shifted or been coated over cracks more than once. We see the same on jobs in Santa Barbara and Montecito, and we handle them the same way, by finding out why the slab moved before we talk about a finish.