Travertine Pool Decks in Liberty Hill, Texas

Travertine and pavers on thin Hill Country ground

The 1983 federal soil survey of Williamson County places the county's west, where Liberty Hill lies, in the Grand Prairie land resource area of thin, stony soils formed in limestone or in limestone and marl, and it notes that surface mining of limestone is significant there. That is a county-wide description rather than a test of any one lot, so the base under a new deck is planned from the yard itself.

Sand-set, mortar-set or pedestal

The Natural Stone Institute names three ways to lay stone paving: mortar-set where stability matters, sand-set, which is common outdoors, and pedestal systems where drainage leads. For concrete pavers, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) builds up an edge restraint, pavers with sand-filled joints, a nominal 1-inch layer of bedding sand, and a compacted aggregate or stabilized base over compacted soil. Around pools, it typically uses a concrete base at least 4 inches thick where the backfill or aggregate base can't be compacted well enough.

Choosing the stone

Travertine is a calcareous stone, mostly calcium carbonate, which the Institute groups with limestone and marble, and it shows more variation than any other natural stone, even from a single quarry. Its advice is to ask for a range of samples before installation and to mix pieces from every pallet. The holes in travertine come from gases trapped as it formed; most are filled at the factory with a cement or resin filler, and voids hiding just under the face can break through later under a small concentrated load, which the Institute says is normal to fill in place.

Slope, drains and gaps

The 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, which Liberty Hill has adopted, sets a minimum drainage slope of 1/8 inch per foot for travertine or brick-set pavers at a residential pool, and wants decks to drain so no more than 1/8 inch of water stands 20 minutes after the water stops. It caps the open gap between a pool deck and an adjoining walkway at 3/4 inch, with no more than 1/4 inch of height difference. ICPI slopes paver surfaces toward drains with holes or slots at the bedding-sand level, wrapped in geotextile so the sand doesn't wash out.

Permits and job-site rules for deck work

Liberty Hill requires a building permit for any construction that physically changes or adds structures, and its permit list names swimming pools and spas, and alterations or remodeling. Fencing is on its list of projects that need no permit, though a fence that serves as a pool barrier still has to meet the pool code's 48-inch minimum. The adopted 2021 pool code requires a permit before anyone alters or repairs a pool, and the City's residential code amendments cut the permit-exempt list down to small sheds without electric or plumbing.

No City page says how a new pool deck on its own fits those rules, so that question goes to Liberty Hill Development Services before work is scheduled. The City's fee schedule sets $200 for an in-ground pool plus any required inspections, and $50 plus $50 per trade, up to $200, for a residential remodel, repair or alteration. On permitted jobs, erosion controls stay in working order for the whole permit, and construction debris is kept in dumpsters, roll-offs or a mesh-fenced area.

Outside any city's limits, Williamson County has adopted no residential building code. Its Road & Bridge Division issues a Certification of Compliance, which checks whether the property is in a floodplain, and owners in a city's ETJ are told to check with that city.