On Apr 24, 7:15 am, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:35:59 -0400, "SBH"
wrote:

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.

How big is the tree-- what kind of maple- how close to the trunk do
you need to go? Ask a local arborist for their opinion- they can
come to the site and tell you how much root pruning the tree will
bear.
My patio is within 4' of a Swamp Maple - about 3' in diameter. I dug
down 2' & cut off roots as big as 4" in diameter on about one third of
the perimeter of the tree. It never blinked. It is just as healthy
as it was 3 yrs ago- and it provides a great deal of shade for the
patio. [it also sheds blossoms, sap and leaves on the patio- but I
consider that a fair trade]

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.

If you want a raised patio- use lumber. If I understand what you
want to do, you are as likely to harm the tree as if you cut the
roots- and you are not likely to end up with pavers that stay in
place. Mulch [or pea gravel] under pavers is a bad idea.

Jim

Putting a paver patio over the root zone of a tree known to have
surface roots is never a good idea. The roots will likely cause the
patio to heave.