All new wood must be thoroughly saturated and exposed to either rain or water; three or more times to open the wood grain and remove excess surface tannins. Allow a minimum of 48 hours of good drying conditions before applying TWP® 100. This is from twp's website. I also found it at other places. You could hose it down a few times really good through the week.. and then stain it at after a good few days of dry weather. John doesn't stain all sides but I would. Chapter 15 of the forests products labratory claims moisture vapors entering the wood will create uneven moisture and procure cupping. But.... keep in mind you're dealing with ipe and it is very forgiving. Especially when you face install it. It's not a typical wood that will cup like pine. The finishing of 1 side would be much more drastic on a softer wood. Here is a link that might be useful: Forest products labratory

Have you considered carefully taking apart the deck and building a new deck patio or large porch with the lumber? There's enough there for a good sized patio. Lumber is expensive and it looks to be in good condition and nicely weathered, and since it's sitting in your back yard, it's also free. That's enough wood to build a different project, like a potting shed or playhouse, etc. I'm building a fence with wooden fence boards that were thrown away. It's a dirty job to tear wooden boards apart, sand them (if needed) and make them into something else, but well worth the work. It may be tough to find someone who would pay you for wood, then tear it all apart and haul it. Look up the same pools on Ebay. Even if you don't sell it there, you can get a price idea. The pool and accessories (and deck) can be listed and sold as a pick up only, and as a diy removal. We had our in ground pool removed last November (Yay!!) and sold the heater on Ebay. You'll get whatever it's worth there. However you decide to sell it, it will probably sell for more during swimming season. Good luck. Linda Here is a link that might be useful: wooden deck photo

The concrete slab under my hot tub has started to shift over the years, so it's not level anymore. I was quoted $700 to pour a new concrete base, which included gravel and rebar. That's really the best option, but I was concerned that this price was going to be too LOW! I wanted to make sure they made it thick enough that it wouldn't shift again in 5 or 6 years. I understand money being an issue, but that's really the best solution. Anything else, I think you'll regret in a few years and just end up spending more money to undo it. Otherwise, the next cheapest option would be to build a wooden frame with deck boards (so it won't rot from touching the ground), get it perfectly level, then lay down thick plastic that overhangs the boards, then give it a layer of pea gravel, then fill it with leveling sand. Then cover it with more plastic. My hot tub was going to require 10 cubic feet of leveling sand, which is twenty 50lb bags. But of course that will vary a lot, based on the thickness and everything. I'm not 100% positive that the leveling sand wouldn't wash away, even with the plastic layers. I was TOLD that polymeric sand would be a better choice, but that's just hearsay. It's considerably more expensive, but it DOES say it's rain-safe in an hour and is designed for pool decks, so... maybe. https://www.lowes.com/pd/CasaScapes-35-lb-Gray-Polymeric-Sand/1002635628

Being able to sit on the ledge, swing your legs around and then get in is a huge plus - as is the ability to have a towel, candle, adult beverage, book, phone, etc. nearby and not have to use a tray or the like. Also - not crawling around the back of anything is more practical. I see absolutely nothing wrong with your installation preference. Your architect / designer pushing you to a "style" that doens't meet your needs isn't cool. Unless you were building a spec house - your personal preferences need to be incorporated and expanded upon for a god outcome FOR YOU!