South Pasadena, California
Pool Surrounds & Decking in South Pasadena, CA
Coping, decking, and the turf and hardscape around the water, detailed to sit level with the pool edge. Serving South Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley.
The short answer
MKW Homes builds and re-decks pool surrounds across South Pasadena, from Mission West to Marengo. The one thing to fix before you pick a material: the slope that carries water away from the pool is set during layout and cannot be changed later without tearing it out. Get that right first, then choose a surface that stays cool underfoot in July. We handle both.
PermitsWho signs off in South Pasadena.
Permits for South Pasadena go through City of South Pasadena Planning & Building.
Local detail
South Pasadena runs its own building department and takes historic character seriously. Expect more scrutiny on street facing work than in a comparable Pasadena neighborhood.
Housing stockWhat we find in South Pasadena.
Dense, older housing stock with a high share of pre 1940 homes and a strong preservation culture.
Neighborhoods we work in
The buildPool Surrounds & Decking in South Pasadena.
What actually drives the price
Five things move the number, and material is only one of them. Square footage sets the base. Then demo: pulling up old decking, especially if it was poured thick or sits over buried conduit, adds labor and haul-off. Drainage is the quiet cost, because the water has to go somewhere other than the pool, and on a tight South Pasadena lot that often means a channel drain and a run out to the street. The transition at the coping matters too, since meeting the existing edge cleanly takes real time. We measure all of it on the walk instead of guessing.
Pavers, poured concrete, and travertine
Poured concrete is the cheapest to install and the easiest to slope, but a dark or plain gray slab soaks up sun and gets hot barefoot, and when it cracks you patch a whole section. Pavers cost more up front, stay cooler in lighter colors, and repair one at a time: lift the cracked one, drop in a spare. Travertine is the coolest underfoot of the three and reads soft and pale, but it is porous, wants sealing, and a broken piece is harder to match years on. Choose for July heat, not the color that looks sharp in the driveway on estimate day.
Permits, barriers, and tight lots
The City of South Pasadena Planning and Building Department reviews this work, and the barrier rules around a pool are enforced without exception. If your deck project touches a fence, a gate, or a self-closing latch, that has to meet current code before you pass. The bigger local reality is space. Lots here are small and old, a lot of them pre-1940, and setbacks are tight, so on a Monterey Hills or Marengo yard the deck width and where the drain can run are often decided by the property line, not by taste. We confirm the exact requirements with the city before we price the job.
How the job actually goes
The order matters because slope is baked in early. First we demo the old deck down to a workable base. Then we build and compact that base and rough in the drainage, so water has a path away from the pool before anything is set. Next we set the deck itself to the right fall and to meet the coping at one level, so the edge reads as a single clean line. Surface and detail come last: the paver field, the concrete finish, or the travertine, plus the joints and edges. Re-decking around an existing pool and coping is normal, and it does not touch the pool shell.
How long it takes to live through
Most re-deck jobs run a couple of weeks of active work once demo starts, though drainage complexity and material lead times swing that either way. Concrete needs curing days you cannot rush, and travertine or special-order pavers can wait on delivery, so we lock materials before we open the ground. While we work, the pool area is a job site: no barefoot access, dust from the demo, and the deck out of use. The safety barrier stays in place or gets a temporary equal, because the pool does not stop being a pool while we build around it.
How long it lasts and what it asks of you
Set right, all three surfaces last decades. What decides that is the base and the drainage, not the pretty layer on top: water that pools or runs under the deck is what lifts and cracks it over the years. Concrete wants its control joints kept sealed and the odd hairline watched. Pavers want the joint sand topped up every few years and stay easy, because you swap one unit. Travertine wants resealing on a schedule so it sheds pool chemicals and rain instead of drinking them. None of it is heavy work, but skipping the drainage is what turns a twenty-year deck into a ten-year one.
The mistake that shows up every July
The one we see most: a homeowner picks a dark, dense surface because it looks sharp on estimate day in spring, then finds out in July that it is too hot to cross barefoot from the door to the water. By then the fix is a full re-deck, because you cannot cool a material after it is down. The other version is chasing looks and ignoring slope, so water drifts back toward the pool. Both are choices made for the wrong day. Choose for the hottest afternoon and the worst rain, and the deck works the rest of the year.
What to ask before you hire
Ask where the water goes, in plain words, and make them point to the drain and the fall on your actual yard, not a brochure. Ask how hot the surface they are proposing gets in direct sun, and whether they have crossed one in August. Ask how the new deck meets your existing coping, and who owns that line being level. Ask whether the barrier and fencing pass current South Pasadena code once they are done. And ask to see a re-deck they did around a pool they did not build, because that is the real test of this work.
QuestionsPool Surrounds & Decking in South Pasadena.
Do I need a permit to re-deck around my pool in South Pasadena?
Check with the City of South Pasadena Planning and Building Department, since it turns on scope, any drainage changes, and whether you touch the barrier or fence. Work near the pool also has to leave the safety barrier and self-closing gates at current code. We confirm the requirements before we price.
Can you re-deck without draining or damaging my pool?
Yes. Re-decking around an existing pool and coping is normal scope and does not require touching the pool shell. We work up to the coping and set the new deck to meet that edge at one level. The pool stays as it is while we rebuild the surface around it.
What is the coolest pool deck material for South Pasadena summers?
Light-colored travertine is the coolest of the common choices underfoot, with lighter pavers close behind. Dark, dense surfaces and plain gray concrete get hot on a July afternoon. Pick for the hottest day of the year, since you cannot cool a material once it is down.
How long does a pool re-deck take?
Most run a couple of weeks of active work once demo starts, though drainage complexity and material lead times move that. Concrete needs curing days you cannot rush, and travertine or special-order pavers can wait on delivery, so we lock materials before opening the ground.
Why does the slope matter so much on a pool deck?
Because it decides whether water runs away from the pool or back into it, and it is set during layout. You cannot correct it later without tearing the deck out. On tight South Pasadena lots the property line often sets where the drain runs, so we plan the fall first.
Can you match new decking to my older South Pasadena home?
Yes. With a high share of pre-1940 homes here, we choose surfaces and tones that sit right with an older house and its yard instead of fighting it. Travertine and paver colors read softer against period architecture, and we confirm any street-facing details against the city's review.
See it builtReal pool surrounds & decking we finished.
ReviewsWhat clients say.
Hired Mike and his crew to redo our entire backyard and driveway. Removal of the asphalt and existing landscaping, running water lines and electrical, artificial grass, plant borders, a paver driveway, raised the patio gazebo, added a paver patio, landscaped borders, irrigation and outdoor lighting.
Teri CraftLocal Guide · 33 reviewsFrom start to finish the job was handled with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail. What stood out most was their communication. Mr. Ward kept me informed every step of the way.
Angela Adams5 reviewsMKW Homes just painted our home. We are very satisfied with the work. During the process everything was clean and organized.
Jake Baloian3 reviewsMike and his crew were great. They did a wonderful job on the stucco patching and painting, and we were very pleased with the results.
Jen B1 reviewHired Mike and his crew to redo our entire backyard and driveway. Removal of the asphalt and existing landscaping, running water lines and electrical, artificial grass, plant borders, a paver driveway, raised the patio gazebo, added a paver patio, landscaped borders, irrigation and outdoor lighting.
Teri CraftLocal Guide · 33 reviewsFrom start to finish the job was handled with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail. What stood out most was their communication. Mr. Ward kept me informed every step of the way.
Angela Adams5 reviewsMKW Homes just painted our home. We are very satisfied with the work. During the process everything was clean and organized.
Jake Baloian3 reviewsMike and his crew were great. They did a wonderful job on the stucco patching and painting, and we were very pleased with the results.
Jen B1 reviewNearby citiesPool Surrounds & Decking near South Pasadena.
Free estimatesIn South Pasadena.
Michael usually gets to the property the same week.