I am wanting to tear up a small portion of my yard (about 300 sq ft) and
make it a patio area with pavers. Unfortunately, I have a huge maple tree
very nearby and I think there may be a problem digging the required 6 inches
or more because of the roots from the maple. I like the tree, therefore,
killing the roots and increasing the chance of it dying is not an option.
One suggestion was to dig about 3 inches or so, until we start to see roots,
then level it off with mulch or something, compress it, then lay pavers on
top of the mulch, thereby, providing a so called "raised" patio area, which
I would support with treated wood borders where necessary. I was wondering
if I could use pee gravel in place of the mulch also.

Has anyone ever encountered this problem and/or if you did or not, can you
suggest other options for me to achieve my patio area?

Thank you