Concrete Pool Decks in Santa Barbara CA - a deck with good grip for wet, bare feet
Cracked, slick or hot-underfoot pool deck? We pour new or resurface a sound one, with a finish that grips and a protected pool edge.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Should you replace your pool deck or resurface it?
A concrete pool deck in Santa Barbara is the slab around your pool where people walk wet and barefoot, and we either pour it new or resurface an old one that's still sound, with a finish picked for grip and for how hot it gets in the sun.
Most calls about pool decks start with an old slab that's worn out or a new pool that needs a deck, and the first question is whether the old concrete can stay. The price turns on the deck's size and shape, whether the old concrete comes out, how much work the ground under it needs, the finish you pick and any drains or steps, while the schedule turns on removal, any permit review and the curing time before the deck can take foot traffic. The written estimate I send after measuring spells out each of those for your yard.
How do you know your pool deck needs work?
Cracks at the pool edge
Cracks running toward the coping, or a joint there that's open or crumbling, usually mean the deck is moving and pushing on the edge of the pool. Left alone, water gets into the gap and the repair can spread from the deck into the coping itself.
Slick or hot underfoot
A deck that feels slippery when wet has usually worn smooth or was coated with something too slick for bare feet. It won't get grippier with age, and a surface that's too hot to stand on in the afternoon keeps people off the deck you paid for.
Low spots and standing water
Sunken sections, a tilt toward the house or puddles that sit long after everyone's out of the pool usually mean the ground under the slab has settled. Resurfacing won't fix that, and a low spot usually gets worse each season it holds water.
How we build and resurface concrete pool decks
On a pool deck we think about wet, bare feet first, so I'll steer you toward a finish with good grip that doesn't get too hot in the sun. On a new deck we dig out to firm ground, pack the subgrade, the soil and gravel the slab sits on, and set forms with a slope that sends water away from the house and toward the drains instead of back into the pool. Rebar, the steel inside the slab that keeps cracks from opening up, goes in before the pour, and we plan the pour to avoid the midday heat so the top doesn't come out weak and dusty. Where the deck meets the coping, the cap along the pool's edge, we leave the gap and flexible sealant the coping maker's guide calls for, because a deck that moves against a tight edge can crack the coping and the bond beam, the top edge of the pool shell. Before resurfacing an old deck, I check that it has stopped moving. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you spend it on the base than on a fancier finish, because a nice top on ground that settles is still a deck that sinks.
A pool deck rarely stands alone. If the yard steps down from the house to the pool, we can form concrete steps that match the deck, and if you're adding a pool house or an equipment shed, we handle slab foundation building for it too.
Full replacement
This suits a deck that has sunk, heaved or cracked through, because the only real fix is to take it out and start again from the base. It costs more than resurfacing, but you get new ground work, new slope and a properly sealed coping joint.
Resurfacing a stable deck
This suits an older deck that's still flat and solid but worn, stained or slick on top. The slab stays, so it usually costs less, as long as the deck has stopped moving.
Extending the deck
This suits a deck that's too narrow for chairs or a table, and we tie the new section to the old one with a joint so they can move separately. New concrete rarely matches old concrete exactly, so I'll tell you up front how close the color is likely to get.
Get a written estimate for your pool deck
Send photos of the deck, its rough size and the finish you like. We reply within one business day, and I'll set a time to come out, measure and send a written estimate, free and with no obligation.
(805) 869-0160- Based in
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call us about a pool deck in Santa Barbara?
From your first call to the walk-through, here's how a pool deck job runs and what you'll have in hand before you decide.
Call or send the form
Tell us about the deck and whether you're thinking new or resurfaced, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Photos of any cracks and of the pool edge help me know what to look at first.
I measure and check the ground
I measure the deck, look at the ground, how water moves across it and the joint at the coping, and ask how you use the pool. Then I send a written estimate that spells out the removal, base work, finish and joints, so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
We pour, then walk it together
Once anything the city or county needs is sorted, we prep the site, pour and let the deck cure, the wait that lets concrete gain strength before it takes foot traffic. When it's done, I walk the finished deck with you, including the drains and the sealed joint at the coping.
Why Santa Barbara homeowners call Premier Santa Barbara Concrete for pool decks
I measure and quote it myself
I do every site visit and estimate, and our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing with me on site. The person who looked at your ground and your coping is the one watching the pour.
Trained on a local flatwork crew
I learned the trade on a flatwork crew here in Santa Barbara, working on the slabs people walk and drive on, and started this business in 2017. A pool deck is flatwork with water on it, so the ground work and the slope matter as much as the finish.
In business since 2017
We've been building driveways, patios, walks and decks under this name for nine years. Driveways, patios and walks that sit flat and shed water are what we're best known for.
Fully licensed and insured crew
We're fully licensed and insured. Ask any contractor for that before they dig next to your pool, because the work sits right beside the pool shell and your house.
When you're ready, call (805) 869-0160 or use the form on our contact page, and I'll come out to look at the deck and the ground under it.
Planning a pool deck and the yard around it in Santa Barbara
The city's own permit list doesn't settle whether a pool deck needs a permit in Santa Barbara. The city's Permit Center advises on which work is exempt, and its list of exempt work names decks no more than 10 inches above the ground next to them, not pool decks, so we check with the city or county office that covers your address before we set a date. If the job needs a permit, we pull it or walk you through it and plan the schedule around review and inspections. If the deck is part of a new or remodeled pool or spa at a single-family home, the city's pool handout ties that permit to at least two of seven listed drowning prevention safety features, so we plan the deck layout with the ones you choose in mind. If your address is in the coastal zone, the California Coastal Commission says development there generally waits until it or the local government issues a coastal development permit.
Some soils here shrink and swell, and the county's soil survey says that movement can damage foundations and other structures unless they're designed for it. That's why I look hard at the ground on every visit and why we don't skimp on the base, and we see the same kind of ground on jobs in Goleta and Montecito.
Questions about pool decks in Santa Barbara
How much does a concrete pool deck cost in Santa Barbara?
Installing a concrete pool deck across the US usually costs about $10.10 to $12.40 per square foot, and that's a national figure, not a Santa Barbara quote. A per-square-foot number can't tell you what your yard needs, so your own figure comes from the written estimate I send after measuring.
What is the best finish for a pool deck where people walk wet and barefoot?
The best finish is one that grips when wet and doesn't get too hot to stand on. Broom finishes, the light ridged texture dragged into fresh concrete, along with textured, exposed aggregate, coatings, overlays and decorative finishes all differ in traction and surface heat, and very dark finishes can get uncomfortable in the sun. I'll bring samples to the visit so you can feel the difference.
Can I resurface my old concrete pool deck instead of replacing it?
Yes, if the deck is stable. A coating over old concrete only works when the old deck is a good candidate, and whatever is making a slab move or settle has to be fixed before an overlay goes on. If the slab is still moving, replacement is usually the better spend.
Who do I ask about a pool deck permit in Santa Barbara?
Start with the counter staff at the city's Permit Center, which advises on which work is exempt from a permit. Many items on the city's exempt list may still be regulated by other city divisions, so it's worth asking before any work starts.
How do I maintain the joint between my pool deck and the coping?
Check it once a year and replace the caulk when it cracks, pulls away or starts breaking down, which is what one coping maker's guide advises. The same guide says most elastomeric caulks, the stretchy kind, last about five to ten years, so resealing that joint is regular upkeep, not a sign something failed.
What causes cracks in a concrete pool deck?
Most cracks come from the ground moving under the slab or from concrete with no planned place to crack. Concrete shrinks and will crack somewhere, so control joints, the straight lines cut into the slab, give it a place to do that. Ask any contractor where the joints will fall, because they should be planned around curves, drains, columns, corners and the deck's shape, since odd narrow panels are prone to cracking.
Related services for the yard around your pool
Concrete steps construction
When the patio, back door or yard sits higher than the pool, poured steps with the same grippy finish make the trip down safer for wet feet.
Slab foundation building
Planning a pool house, cabana or equipment shed near the deck? It needs a slab built on prepared ground to the plans, and we pour those too.
Areas we serve for pool deck work
Premier Santa Barbara Concrete is based in Santa Barbara, CA, and builds pool decks across the South Coast and the cities around it. The eight cities below have their own pages, from Carpinteria to Ventura, and we work in nearby cities too.
Santa Barbara, CA
Book a look at your pool deck
An open joint at the coping is easier to deal with now, while the fix is still in the deck and not in the pool's edge.