So my buddy Steve is getting married to a girl. She wants me to build a bridge across their pool that the two of them and the officiator (quite possibly me) may stand upon to do the service. Pool span is 14 feet. She's thinking something along the lines of this:



I know the pic is small, but it's basically a straight span, that one looks like it's about the same length. Probably going to be 6 feet wide. This is pretty much going to be a one time use thing, she's talking about using it elsewhere in the yard after the wedding, he's talking bonfire. I'm going to let her choose between Cedar to be stained, or untreated pine to be painted. If she goes with the pine, I'm thinking I'll paint the beams to match their pool house, and *maybe* stain the decking and balusters.

Anyways, I was thinking (2) offset 2x6's, glued and screwed, totaling 16 feet in length, to make a beam to span the gap. That'd leave 1 foot on each side of the pool

(3) of those beams, with 2x6's for the decking. I figure 2x6's ought to span 3 feet without deflecting too much.

(6) 4x4's cut to 4 feet for balusters on each side, 3' on center, starting 1' from the ends, glued and double lag bolted from inside the beams.

And then maybe some X bracing between the beams under the decking, but I don't know if that's really necessary.

I should think that would carry the load of the three of us, but it's liable to be a fiesta after the ceremony. I just want to make sure I've got a fair amount of safety built in just in case Uncle Gigante' ends up doing a cannonball off it.

Honestly, I'm hoping to price myself right out of having to do it at all, but I figured I'd ask around and see what the consensus was. Again, it's not going to be permanent, any advice I receive will only be considered a suggestion, no liability will be expected, yadda yadda lawyer yadda.

Really just aiming to not end up going for a swim in my good boots.

If you go with the 2x6's, I would build a laminated beam with decking in between the 2x6's...then screwed and glued.

The X bracing would do the job, but you can run 2x6's on 2' centers from the bottom of one beam to the bottom of the other beam to keep it from "canting" (similar to runners on floor joist). And if you get much deflection from the decking, it would be easy to add another joist, after the fact, in the middle as added support.

At 3' wide, the 2x6 top boards shouldn't be an issue but there will be some deflection. I would let them over hang the beams by 2"-3"

Make sure the 4x4's go to the bottom of the beams

Other than that, think you have it nailed!!! Good luck on pricing yourself out of it and post some pics if you build it

I guess I'm not understanding the first part, "build a laminated beam with decking in between the 2x6's" Decking, as in the 2x6 decking I'm using, or something like a strip of OSB or ply in between the 2x6's?

I get what you say about the spacing between the beams and the runners. I appreciate the help.

Poor choice of words on my part...Instead of simply nailing and gluing the two 2x6's together. Cut a strip of decking to fit between them. It will make the beam stronger. Similar to the picture below.

Should be real fun to move once you get it built don't forget about that

Float it over on 55 gal drums. Or, place it at the end of the pool and wheel it to the middle.

Learned something new here. Thanks txshuntr!

Put in a trap door, you could win $10,000 on Americas Funniest Videos

Okay, that's what I figured you were talking about. Thanks again.

I'm thinking about pre-building the beams, placing them one at a time across the pool, and decking in place. After it's put together, it's their problem. My "quote" will only include installation.

And AFV would have to come up with more than 10k to put me in witness protection if this were to fail. I think his fiance started planning her "perfect wedding" in the womb.

That's a good start.....

When is the wedding ? I think got a couple of gluelams or LVL's that will span that if you want them to build your bridge.They are prolly sun bleached and not stain grade so you would have to paint them.

Well, there was a pretty good joke there, so I figured I'd head it off at the pass.



If you ask her, it'll be in the next few months.

Ask him, and he'll tell you it'll be in the fall. Of 2017.

I sincerely appreciate the offer, I'll let you know as soon as I know more.

Thinking about it a little more the exposed sides could prolly just be sanded to get rid of any discoloring and they will hold as many people as you could put on the bridge. I'll look this weekend and see what I got out there.

They had a pretty good one at the end of the movie Sargent York. Watch the movie and learn.

Worse comes to worst, I can just panel it with some cedar and throw some stain on it.



Is that the one they built over the River Kwai? That'd make for an epic reception. Now I just have to find a train...

Tell Steve to run!