I'm looking at using either Pavestones or concrete squares (12 x 12 x 1 1\2)
for a 15 x 15 foot deck on the side of my house. I live in North Texas and
we have some funky soils here as far as the soil shrinking in the heat of
summer and swelling with the rainy season - a lot of houses have foundation
problems if the homeowners don't use soaker hoses around the house.

Any recommendations as far as how much of a base I'd need under the
Pavestones or concrete squares, and what type of material(s) would make the
best base? Would it have to be compacted?

I like the look of the Pavestones, but I like the cost of the concrete
squares.

AngryOldWhiteGuy wrote:
I'm looking at using either Pavestones or concrete squares (12 x 12 x
1 1\2) for a 15 x 15 foot deck on the side of my house. I live in
North Texas and we have some funky soils here as far as the soil
shrinking in the heat of summer and swelling with the rainy season -
a lot of houses have foundation problems if the homeowners don't use
soaker hoses around the house.
Any recommendations as far as how much of a base I'd need under the
Pavestones or concrete squares, and what type of material(s) would
make the best base? Would it have to be compacted?

Have you checked the manufacturer's site for base recommendations?

Around here (central Florida) they often use crushed concrete for a base,
about 3" after compaction. It seems to work quite well, nice mix of fines
and larger, compacts flat and hard. Whatever is used and whatever
thickness needs to be compacted.

I like the look of the Pavestones, but I like the cost of the concrete
squares.

Uhhh...Pavestones *are* concrete. Or did you mean plain old grey concrete?

Personally, I don't care for concrete pavers. What instead? Clay bricks.
The problem with the concrete ones is that sooner or later the surface
erodes and exposes the aggegate. Not a look I like.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

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Maybe just ready for a change? Check it out...
http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:50:42 -0500, "AngryOldWhiteGuy"
wrote:

I'm looking at using either Pavestones or concrete squares (12 x 12 x 1 1\2)
for a 15 x 15 foot deck on the side of my house. I live in North Texas and
we have some funky soils here as far as the soil shrinking in the heat of
summer and swelling with the rainy season - a lot of houses have foundation
problems if the homeowners don't use soaker hoses around the house.

Any recommendations as far as how much of a base I'd need under the
Pavestones or concrete squares, and what type of material(s) would make the
best base? Would it have to be compacted?

I like the look of the Pavestones, but I like the cost of the concrete
squares.


Usual recommendation is 4-6" of compacted base for foot traffic only,
12" or more for vehicle traffic. Base material is usually called
paver base, or 3/4 minus, or crusher run. It's called different names
in different areas, but you want a mix of aggregate from roughly 3/4"
in size down to dust.

After you excavate, it's best to lay down a layer of geotextile fabric
(any paver supplier will carry it) to keep the base from sinking into
the underlying soil over time. Place the base over the fabric in
rougly 3-4" lifts or layers, compacting each layer before adding
more. Dampen the base before compacting. This lubricates it so it
compacts better. Over all that place a 1" layer of paver sand (not
play sand) and set the pavers on that. Compact the pavers into the
sand and then fill the spaces between the pavers with sand or
polymeric sand.

There's a lot of labor in a good job; I'd spring for the pavers you
like so you end up loving the look when you're done.

If you do anticipate vehicle traffic over the pavers, you definitely
will want full thickness pavers; anything thinner will crack
eventually. If it's just foot traffic, the thin ones will hold up
fine over a good base.

The trick is getting the base nice and flat and sloped properly for
run-off. The sand compensates for slight variations in the base since
it's hard to get it perfect.

You will find the base material is sold by the ton. A decent supplier
will be able to tell you how many tons you need if you tell them how
many square feet and what base depth you need after compaction, but
it's an approximation.

The above are general recommendations. A good paver dealer (not the
borg) will be able to tell you if there's anything you should do
different because of your soil and climate. They have an interest in
your job turning out well.

Good luck!

Paul F.

On Sep 17, 8:30*pm, Paul Franklin
wrote:
On Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:50:42 -0500, "AngryOldWhiteGuy"

wrote:
I'm looking at using either Pavestones or concrete squares (12 x 12 x 1 1\2)
for a 15 x 15 foot deck on the side of my house. *I live in North Texas and
we have some funky soils here as far as the soil shrinking in the heat of
summer and swelling with the rainy season - a lot of houses have foundation
problems if the homeowners don't use soaker hoses around the house.

Any recommendations as far as how much of a base I'd need under the
Pavestones or concrete squares, and what type of material(s) would make the
best base? *Would it have to be compacted?

I like the look of the Pavestones, but I like the cost of the concrete
squares.

Usual recommendation is 4-6" of compacted base for foot traffic only,
12" or more for vehicle traffic. *Base material is usually called
paver base, or 3/4 minus, or crusher run. *It's called different names
in different areas, but you want a mix of aggregate from roughly 3/4"
in size down to dust.

After you excavate, it's best to lay down a layer of geotextile fabric
(any paver supplier will carry it) to keep the base from sinking into
the underlying soil over time. *Place the base over the fabric in
rougly 3-4" lifts or layers, *compacting each layer before adding
more. *Dampen the base before compacting. *This lubricates it so it
compacts better. *Over all that place a 1" layer of paver sand (not
play sand) and set the pavers on that. *Compact the pavers into the
sand and then fill the spaces between the pavers with sand or
polymeric sand.

There's a lot of labor in a good job; I'd spring for the pavers you
like so you end up loving the look when you're done.

If you do anticipate vehicle traffic over the pavers, you definitely
will want full thickness pavers; anything thinner will crack
eventually. *If it's just foot traffic, the thin ones will hold up
fine over a good base.

The trick is getting the base nice and flat and sloped properly for
run-off. *The sand compensates for slight variations in the base since
it's hard to get it perfect.

You will find the base material is sold by the ton. *A decent supplier
will be able to tell you how many tons you need if you tell them how
many square feet and what base depth you need after compaction, but
it's an approximation.

The above are general recommendations. *A good paver dealer (not the
borg) will be able to tell you if there's anything you should do
different because of your soil and climate. *They have an interest in
your job turning out well.

Good luck!

Paul F.

i just used some concrete waste on a small driveway addition job, it
had varying sizes and lots of fine material.....

its only 12 by 14 feet or so, 3 inches thick. i wet it down with a
garden hose and raked it out, used the van to compact it...

i am very impressed, it acts like poured concrete, and looks good for
what it is......

in a few years the entire driveway has to get ripped up to replace a
sewer line so this was a make do budget job...... i have zero bucks
right now for a 12 grand sewer line, plus the money to rebuild the
driveway, sidewalk and a wall...

so we hand dug this: and 60 bucks worth of ground concrete delivered
was all we could afford