The dock is 12 x 12 and we can't decide if we should wrap the poles with something decorative and drape a thick decorative rope or cut the poles and do nothing or what? Looking for any and all suggestions you may have...Thanks!
Wrap the poles with something, string a heavy rope between them to act as a railing. Anything you wrap on the poles that holds water/moisture will contribute them to rusting quicker.
Cut them off flush with the top of the pier.
Is the pier set at the highest water level the pond could ever see?
Yes, it's set at the highest level....he did make the dock so we could raise and lower it...we started buiding it to be a floating dock and then changed our mind...we just want a nice way to finish it off without spending a fortune at this point.
You may want to be sure that the pipes do not move before cutting them off. Railing on the gangway would add to safety. Adding deck brackets and benches on the near edge and the adjacent side of the dock in an "L' pattern might be nice. The poles could be boxed in with pressure-treated 5/4 stock fastened to the dock so that you still can adjust the height.
Some good ideas so far. My thoughts are, that you could weld extensions onto the poles and build a roof. Even a simple shed roof topped with corrugated tin would look cool, I think. It would also be fairly inexpensive. About $300 to $400 for materials. However, labor cost may vary, depending on how much you can do yourself.