Don't attempt BASE PREP until you see this video! Base Prep basics to make your project last.
2024 ж. 18 Мам.
1 323 179 Рет қаралды
Levelling the ground using road-base to create a hard, flat surface for paving stone, natural stone, and large format tile installations. How do I level the ground?
Check out our FREE complete online course covering all things BASE PREP here: hardscapecanada.thinkific.com...
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When you screed with a level you’ll get a much flatter surface if you use more of a rowing motion over just a straight drag backwards. One side of the level stays somewhat stationary while you drag back with the other hand, after that pull bring your level back to where it started and repeat with the opposite side staying stationary.
Great introduction to all the needed prep steps. Great idea of using the window to show the height/lifts and stamping of the roadbase and sand.
Your customers are definitely getting their money's worth! Good to see someone take real pride in their work 👍
Man this is some serious prep! Quite impressive and your clients must truly appreciate your work!!
What kind of soil do you use for you base
Great video on importance of correct prep for a better long lasting job.
Excellent! Great to see someone who knows what he is doing and can explain how to do it wright,
i just did base prep for first time ever. And i went and bought a tamper like youre using. I was trying to hit the ground as hard as i could, but watching you do small quick repetitive wacks makes me realise it doesnt have to be too hard! I like how you used the plexi glass to show the soil compacting as you tamped it :)
I would certainly hire this guy. Seems very professional and willing to go the extra mile to get it done right.
This guy is where it’s at! Thank you
I really appreciate the detailed info, the thorough explanations, & the cross-section view. It reminded me of a college class I once took. Very cool. Thanks for your work on the quality video. Respect.
Hey thank you!
Good video, love your plexi glass angle showing the compaction. This is still the method here on LI. We can’t do open base if we wanted to because no one sells 1/4” chip.
You have to go at least 8 inch deep for the base and 2 or 3 more depending on where you want the stones to sit usually go above grade a little. I do fabric, 5 inch gravel road base compact at 2.5 inch , then 3inches of limestone screening with the last inch packing in some concrete sand then you’re ready for brick. Driveways are 14-18 inch base
Thank you for explaining when to use the cloth. Some videos just did it, some didn't, no one explained when to use it and when it was unecessary.
A lot of info presented in a concise way. Well done.
Thank you I’m glad you got something out of it!
Absolutely brilliant using the glass to visually show compaction. Now when a customer has questions about the base prep, I can refer them to this quick informative video. Thanks mate
So happy you got something out of it! I’ll try to keep it coming!
This type of material for a base is on the way out, it just simply traps too much moisture. Now 3/4 clean crushed aggregate, no binder material, is used and then topped with 1/4” or 3/8” clean crushed stone. This allows the water to pass through the stone.
Seems like heaving would would be a major issue in areas where there are freeze thaw cycles since the water doesn't drain away as easily.
All in the prep…well done!
Hard work but certainly worth it! Thank you for this video.
Wow - incredible
Love the enthusiasm
Perfect thanks
This satisfies my ocd ... props from a landscaper over in the UK🤙
Nice thank you!
I like using that level trick under the string🌲great move ... that is the only way to do it that way I can know exactly that I’m flat and level or whatever angle/ height , I need to be at 🌎
Excellent video, I need every one of my crew members to watch this, some of them maybe twice.
Share it around! I have some online course modules including base prep setup if you’re interested for your crew as well!
I like your video a lot. That side video of the layers and compaction makes things very clear. Thank you very much.
My pleasure!!
Have been researching Patio Paver Install for a few days. This is one of the few really good videos that shows detail. I knew pavers on only sand would be a disaster in a short time. Yet I was unsure how tight the 3/4- crushed road base would compact. Thanks for the video. Mama (wife) will be happy with her 11 x 21 patio.
Love it! Thank you for this comment!
Thank you for this, never knew of such a thing called a Tamper until now, great for small jobs around the house, $56.00 at my local hardware store🌟🌟🌟 Western Australia 🥰
Great cutaway view. Good presentation.
In Ohio where I live I prefer using a 1/2" bedding stone as opposed to bedding sand. And I do not compact the sub soil. I lay down a 2 ish inch layer of 3/4 stone and compact that over the sub base. Compacting a clay sub soil can lead to water not permeating as well. Love the video!
Nice thank you for sharing! Always interested in how people in different locations do their thing. Probably a different soil type for the sub soil then here I can in Canada I can guarantee!
In the US these are a standard way a doing things, I was actually ICP certified so I know what the standard are and have projects done according to their guidelines. I am also Dutch living in Oregon since 1984, the Dutch have no gravel , they use sand for most of their sidewalks and urban roads. I used 6 inch of sand on top of my liner and my patio looks great 10 years on. The strenght of sand is it vertical strength, think of the beach, you can drive on compacted side of the beach sand, the weakness is action on its horizontal side of it, like when you turn you steering wheel.You need good drainage, and good side restrains, and it's easy fixing, and reuse the sand and pavers.
what kind of liner do you use?
Thanks man. Straight to the point and no drama!
My pleasure!!
@Hardscape Instructor Kev! Hi Kevin, I plan to make a base of 6 inches with 1 inch of sand and the pavers are 2.4 inches in height. How deep should I dig???
Hey simply add all of that up! Just set your string lines to a final height that makes sense for sloping for water flow etc, and dig until you hit your total measurement down from the string. Just make sure that the layer you dig down to is suitable to build on and devoid of any organic material
Really like the string line level technique
Very nice prep. Thanks for the video.
Excellent. Thats how I do it.
Excellent video and detail. Very well explained and great close up shots.
Thank you very much!
Great job!!
This video was so much help...Thank you.
From Ontario Toronto. Thank you for Making a simple detailed video ❤️👍👍
My pleasure I’m glad you liked it!
Definitely the best pad prep video, by far, that I've been able to find in two weeks of looking. The video is enough and not too much, and not a bunch of self gratifying content. I really would like to thank you for your whole package on this video. There are a few OK ones out there, But yours leaves nothing lacking. I excavated two pads here in Hawaii on muck at one site and pretty much solid rock on another. We filled with stone and I compressed the substrate with a 5,000lb tractor. Most stuff on KZhead is working on soil, and it is too different to tie in on most parts. But yours fits in any circumstance. This is my first time from the ground up on a house, though I've done everything else on buildings for years. And I've been pretty frustrated searching the videos, until now.
Hey very much appreciated! Feel free to share it around!!
Yes. This was extremely helpful and not filled with a bunch of fluff. Also he didn't hit us with the "and today's video is sponsored by *RAID SHADOW LEGENDS!...*"
I agree, I like my MOT type 1 perfect grade so when I lay my slabs most of the hard work getting a slope has been done.
Wow I'm seeing you on every video with something on patio, levels, drainage etc. Are you working on a project of some sort? I'm planning on doing a porcelain patio but a bit worried about drainage.
@@larry1363 😂😂😂 ha ha, I spend too much time on KZhead. What's your concern with the drainage? Is it external? I've never used them but for porcelain tiles I would try the tile levelling systems out there, they look great.
@@plummetplum I got a question: doing flower beds around the house. Getting the gutters to pvc pipe to street. Will have a proper drop on that. The flower beds will be surrounded by retaining wall blocks. Under the blocks is level, gravel. They are in place. No mortar holding anything in. It’s hilly, one side is 1 block high, other side is 5 high. Will be filled with soil till 4th block, will be level. Then crushed marble on top of that, enough not to see dirt. 2 inches I guess. My question is; what gets the slope? The hard ground or the dirt I put in? Or does that need to be compacted so that no difference between ground and fill dirt? Didn’t plan to compact it because want flowers and such to grow. Need to slope from house a bit.
The cost stung for about a year, but hiring professionals to install a retaining wall and adjacent paver area has given us so much joy. It draws you to it and gives you a retreat with company or in solitude. Both are the marrow of life.
Great video .
So kick ass and informative. Thank you.
So glad you liked it!
Nice job, thank
Good video thank you
Should use a road bass fabric to keep the gravel from migrating into the sub soil. And you should lay you wall and step stones in a angular clear stone.
? Newbie here, about to start setting my roadbase tomorrow. Am a residential contractor so know most everything about construction so don't dumb down your answer. However packing and screeting roadbase is new to me. Why an angular clear stone?
Also, is there any problem with putting stakes in the build area and pulling them out after compaction? Should I just sprinkle some lose roadbase into the holes, pack them and call it good? Or is there the possibility of Movement because of this.
This is basically some of the process I've used to put in pavers. I dealt with some areas where it was just loose fill over trash on one end with heavy blocks of rubble pushed in. Lots of voids and old lumber included. I had to dig down to remove all the trash in some places three feet down. Then I used salvaged gravel to partially refill the area and compacted that with a hand tamper. When that was done I used screened soil with five parts soil to one part Riverside Portland to make a thick mud I dropped in and vibrated down by hand to fill the hole. The entire area had to be mechanically compacted and then I was ready for decomposed granite which I layered in watered and hand tamped. I got it up to half an inch of grade and then screeded in my sand. Placed pavers 1/8th inch above curbing and then vibrated mechanically to place top sand. Swept it all down and washed. Homeowner refused to pay for sealer so I left it as is. A year later they have issues with ants and weeds. I cleaned it all up, killed all weeds and again homeowner refused to invest in sealer. Stupid people get what they want.
Can you tell me more about the sealer? Doesn't the sealer just seal the top surface of the pavers? I can't see how this would stop weed growth between the cracks? Isn't a layer of geo-tech fabric what is needed underneath the thin layer of sand to prevent weed growth?
@@murraymetcalf-CA Sure, the sand sticks together and small seeds stay on top and can't get in. Also, since the sand sticks together as the sealer flows down between the pavers the ants can't move it out and make nests. Ants are the real problem as they pull out sand to make tunnels and weed seeds get taken into the tunnels or just fall in the cracks and germinate. You can purchase sand that has been coated so that after you vibrate the sand into the cracks you sweep off all the excess. Then lightly spray the pavers down. The sand when wetted activates it's glue which then cures onto the sand sticking them all together. Personally, I prefer just using normal paver sand and then sealer. You get it all done with one spray. With the expensive sand you still have to purchase sealer to prevent staining from dropped food and soda. Worst thing is people dropping chicken bone scraps. The grease not only attracts ants which burrow out the sand but causes hard to get out grease stains.
@@johnknoefler Hey thanks John for the info. I will definitely check into those options when I figure I want to pull up my pavers and redo them.
If your base is proper(no less than 8 inches for best results) there will be no weeds, no ants, my paver walks and patios have been done for 10+ yrs and no ants, n no weeds, the polymeric paver sand is hands down the best option to use... do not use regular sand!!! It will not stand up to exterior elements(sun, wind, and weather).. Also do not use sand as your base to level pavers, it will have voids and regular sand is water soluble which will trap water in your base and will freeze in the winter, heaving pavers and making more voids to be repaired. 8 inches of crushed concrete base over geotextile fabric, another layer of geotextile fabric then use screenings for the base directly under the pavers..... This process will create an unequivocal base prep for your patio.. No need to seal the pavers as most pavers worth getting already have a protective coat on them, unless you desire the wet shiny look then you would apply the sealer to create that shiny look... thats all it really does oils and greases will penetrate through sealers
@@socha6976 Sounds like a solid plan (excuse the pun). Not sure if polymeric paver sand is an option where we live in Canada since the winter frost penetrates down 48" (sometimes even deeper) into the ground in the winter, so there is always going to be some seasonal movement, even with a good base. Your suggestion to reduce, or even eliminate sand from the base is interesting. Eliminating the sand and substituting screens I am guessing would eliminate the attraction for ants?
Best video I’ve seen! Thank you it will help me tremendously with my project
Awesome so glad to be of help to you! Let me know how it goes!
I really like your thinking as far as taking a little extra time with your prep work. I've always had the mindset that any extra time spent prepping you will get back during construction. My question to you is how would you recommend building a great base like this when your using natural stones that have variable thicknesses? The stones could be any where from 2" think to, 6.5" thick, and likely only somewhat flat on one side.
Hey Zane, thanks for your feedback. I would do a minimum base of 4-6” roadbase, then decide on what you want to bed the stones in. Are you setting them in sand like a cobble? Or in mortar?
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I was planning on using a four-eleven limestone. Which is basically a number #9 limestone small like pea gravel size with the fines, or pulverized material from the crusher. We use a #304 limestone for the base. Similar material with a larger stone. I'm in Ohio USA it's commonly referred to as berm material in these parts. Thanks again. Zane
i was going to hate but you are a pro my friend good work.
Level to line screed...so frkn simple. Man I feel stupid...awesome.
Thanks
Great video. As with almost everything, you can pretty much predict the quality of the final product by the quality and completeness of the preparation.
Thank you! Absolutely!
Put in stakes to 1" below height, screed the base lay the bars on the compacted base
Cool video!
Thanks!
Thank you!!!
Anytime!
First time DIYer here! Your videos are amazing and so straight forward, thank you for sharing! I have a few questions for you. Call me crazy but I am building a 14 x 14 ft large stone paver patio over an old pine tree landscape bed. It is located between my shed and house.The area is also sloped a good 8-10 inches towards the back of my shed. I cleaned out the landscape bed, pulled out roots, and used a stump grinder to get rid of the entire stump. Now I have a 3 foot hole in the middle of my patio area, ugh! I want to build a small retaining wall at the lowest point as well. What is my next steps? How do I go about setting my base floor on a slope with also building a wall? Also, do I backfill the hole with left over dirt/clay material or use gravel? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you for taking the time.
Ok, you come to Germany, stay with us and install 100 sq meter paver stones and put in a wall foundation - deal? Oh, the beer /wine is good....
That would be a dream!
Beer is good here in America keep your beer we don’t want it, your money no good in america
@@billyjohansen6815 my money in Germany is the USD. I’m here with the Army. Hate to say it, but Germany makes better beer.
@@davidfinney6855. Have to agree. Not only is German beer outstanding, the variety is amazing. Not sure what that has to do with hot tubs though.
I also agree German beer 🍺 is way better I miss it 😢…
Damn, no bullshit, quick video with everything in it, thanks!
You’re very welcome!!
Really nice in-depth video with great information. I have a question, My house and detached garage are about 5 ft apart from each other. I had to rip up the concrete walkway that was installed. It did not have wire mesh it was not secured to either foundation via rebar so it collapsed. What is the best method for installing a walkway in between a port foundation and a block foundation. My goal is to put pavers on top. I'm not sure if I should pour a slab in between the two foundations and secure them with rebar to the garage foundation and the house foundation. I also live in an area where I'm kind of at the bottom of a gully so we get a lot of runoff and moisture. I figured a base of concrete would be best but I'm not sure.
Hmmm. I've always used a graded base of 3/4 trap with a paver bedding of 3/8 since here in my Massachusetts gets lot of ice.
Thanks for sharing your expertise mate from NZ Btw is there a part 2..for the blockwork
Good vid thanks I subbed.
Great instruction right there
Much appreciated!
What do you do if you have previous sprinkler pipes where you're building a retaining wall? Do you leave it there and work around it?
Hi! Should I place some plastic edging around the perimeter of where I’m going to prepare the base? Or should I do that afterwards? First time trying to do this in my townhouse backyard. Thanks, great video!
Do you have a video demonstrating how to set your level lines? For me the most challenging part is setting your level lines up.
Yup sure do! There’s this one: kzhead.info/sun/i7NsnLSHmIicl2g/bejne.html As well as a slopes video. Also I have a complete site prep course up on www.hardscapetraining.ca
Hey Kevin, perhaps I missed it in your video but when would you set your slope (or grade)? For example, while compacting the sub-grade or when your setting the roadbase. TIA
Hey checkout my other vid called “Slopes”. Usually before or in tandem with the excavation so that we know how far to dig and we can get really accurate with our material depths
Hi. Thank you for your video. Great info. I'm checking into creating a patio with pavers in approximately a 9' x 10' rectangle area that is encircled by my house walls and side walk up to my front door. I will only be able to use a tamper. Will this plan mess the stability of my home since I'll need to dig down about 7-8' along the foundation? Thanks.
I needed this episode. New home in dessert. You made it easy to understand. New sub here.
Awesome! Glad to have you!
This is excellent. That’s a lot of crushed rocks. I have to use sand
I live in Houston, Texas and the sub-grad is this muddy clay. I've dug seven feet down in my backyard and it's still mud/clay. I'm at loss for what to do next. It makes since why all the roads and sidewalks are popping and shifting in this city. Especially in the older neighborhoods. I'm thinking of digging down two feet and filling in my whole backyard with base rock? Idk, I don't think people were ment to live on a swamp
Back again, @4:06 is the fabric used woven or non-woven? I've learned that woven seems to have superior soil strength results while non-woven has better drainage characteristics .
I was looking for a strategy to compact sub-base soil (when you add the thin first layer)! Thank-you but I have a question. Does compacting any base material work on on wet soil? I would think the moisture would prevent full compaction.
Yes so we need an optimum amount of moisture, which depends on the soil type, but typically I don’t add moisture when compacting the sub-grade soil. Usually it’s freshly excavated so it’s moist and if it hasn’t rained then it won’t be too wet. We focus more on adding water to the roadbase layer when compacting so we achieve the optimum level of compaction
Hi, May I ask you I have prepared my base with road base and compacted it well. Does it have to be 100 % level. It has few high and low spots at few places that I am not able to rectify to 100 %. Would adding pavers sand on next step not fix these few spots. Please share. Thank You !
Anyone in northern Ontario tell me if I should change over from crusher dust to high performance bedding for the final bedding layer? And I’ve been taught to not compact the bedding layer after lifting my pipes I just fill where the pipes were then lay the stone and compact only after it’s laid but my buisness partner was taught to compact it before laying the stone
Question: I’m adding a 4X8 area with either brick trim/concrete or just pavers to a patio area. Should I do the three lifts? Thank you for the string line-level idea.
The key is really to get down to good non organic soil, to a minimum depth of 4-6” of compacted gravel. So typically that’ll be 3 lifts yes. Just remember not to compact more than 3-4” at a time depending on size of your compactor
Dude i'm trying to get my gravel base level and flat and it has been kinda kicking my a$$. I got 3/4 base cause that's all our quarry and landscapers have up here apparently. But I went got a p.o.s. harbor freight level to try your method. I'm ready to just start building already. Saving money is nice, but I been wasting too much time. And the dust in my material seems to have settled and mostly just rocks on my top layer now. Anyways thanks for the info video
I have noticed many companies love to break up old pavers and use them to save on crushed gravel are there disadvantages to this cost saving technique?
Thanks for the training/education. Does frost or what weather conditions will change the surface height after your sub grade? What is recommended for slope for drainage?
1/8 per foot as considered a minimum slope but you can do 1/16th but it'll be to slow run down.
Hey Kevin! Your videos are very informative! I had a question for you, if you don't mind. We're going to be doing a DIY patio at home this weekend which is going to be surrounding by grass on all 4 sides (grass that already exists). So my question is regarding the posts and string line we'll be creating so that we know the dimensions of the patio itself. What is the proper practice, however, if we will also need to install paver edging (the plastic kind) - do we need to excavate further out from our actual patio size? My concern in doing that is that we will end up digging up our posts and lose our level string lines - as well as the fact that we wouldn't need to dig as deep for the edging. So curious on the best practice in a situation like this. Thanks so much!
Hey great question! For the plastic edging you still want to have it nail/spike into good roadbase type gravel, so you will need to excavate about 6” extra on all sides. It would be smart to set your perimeter stakes to the outside of your intended patio dimension as well yes. I recommend simply spraying the dimension out first with marking paint. Using the 3-4-5 method to square it up with string lines etc if needed, start your excavation a little and then setup your grade stakes for more precise heights for the gravel, sand and finished pavers
@@HardscapeCanada That's great, thanks so much for the information and taking the time to respond! Appreciate it!
.
iam doing a column...how do secure the 1row of block paver
Superb ground work, I definitely think the extra steps pay huge dividends later. Thank you for taking the time to film this 🙏
thats how we do it in the UK. ]
Great video,good job! Wish you were in Tennessee I would hire you!
Thank you very much Adam!
Q: Is the 4-6" tamped base the same if your burying french drains etc. or do you have to generally start your tamped stone; from that base (of the drains)?
Hey usually you don’t need a French drain under the pavers, so you can just switch to solid pipe for that section and bury it just below your roadbase layers. Or if you must then you should just make sure you have minimum 4” compacted roadbase and some geotech cloth for separation of materials above the drain rock for your French drain
Great instruction and video. Do you really need that much road base, or any road base at all if you have to jackhammer or use a ripper attachment on a decent-sized excavator to accomplish any ground removal? My driveway excavation just produces DG. I have had a few quotes for pavers and some companies want to go deeper to get in add and road base, compact, and then sand. Other companies have said they only need to use sand as a little base to level low spots as the compaction of the material in my driveway is better than what could be achieved by ripping it out and adding road base, recompacting. There isn't any organic material to decompose. I live in Southern, CA so there isn't a lot of rain and we live at the top of the hill and don't receive any runoff when it does. Your thoughts or advice?
We use 10 inch base and 2 inch hpb and than the paver on top, hasn't failed me yet
Awesome that’ll certainly last the test of time!
Great video, can you tell me how do I know when the soil , gravel and sand is compacted correctly. In your video you say too go over it 3 x's from different directions .How much do I overlap as I'm compacting.
It’s a feeling thing, you’ll hear the compactor start to hop along the surface, and you can drive a stake into it to see how hard it is. Mostly just a heel press will tell you, if it doesn’t displace material then you’re close. I overlap by about 1/3 the width of the compactor most of the time.
@@HardscapeCanada thank you for taking the time to reply
Thanks for the very informative video. What adjustments should i consider making in Nova Scotia? I am concerned about frost heaving as our ground is quite wet although my property has good drainage. Soil is heavy clay type for the most part. Wet like the west coast but add a long cold winter to the mix with temps dipping down below minus 20. Thanks!
Hey Douglas, check out my video on open graded base as well, will likely be the best option to minimize frost heave action in your area!
@@HardscapeCanada Hi! @Hardscape Canada Training inc. Hi! thanks. I have so many questions - I am a complete newbie for this. I have done the grading and the sub base is mostly some very hard fill intermixed with some clay. I have decided to go with flagstone from a local quarry. The patio will go from the foundation of the building to the edge of a slope . My local person said not to worry about the geocloth as the ground has so much stone in it. I have a load of 3/4 wash for base and started to wheelbarrow it into place yesterday. I have not gone too far but am getting a bit nervous about how to do this correctly. My questions are: What do I do with the edges of the patio to hold the 3/4 in place? Should I stop and put the geocloth down? The gravel I have down is moving some - almost like pea gravel. It makes me wonder if I have the right base gravel. Also, I have planned on a 6 inch base of 3/4 with 2 inches of finere stuff on top, then the stones - does this sound right? Sorry about the long response. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you.
Is it weird that I found the tamping sound very satisfying
Lol not weird at all!!
So did I, it was cute 😂😂
Yeh me too ! Compaction ASMR ha !!
Try doing it all day. LOL.
What happens with drainage and puddling do you make this flat or build it on a slight slope towards the drainage ?
That's 👍👍👍
Looking for perfection here, can I use stakes at a 6' interval within the build area to help get a better level for the roadbase? If I do, should I just sprinkle in material to the holes when I pull the stakes and then compact that area?
Great perspective to have! Yes you certainly can. I usually work to a screed bar width, ie 8’ or whatever makes the most sense for screeding based on the shape. As well as what makes the most sense if you have a more complex slope towards a drain etc. Running the lines with the slope so that it contours nicely.
Ideally you are setting them up only once for all of your prep and key ones ie square or parallel lines to the house can stay in place while laying as well for reference points.
Can you comment on the moisture content of the base? What happens if it's too dry or too wet and how can you tell when it's just right? I didn't see you adding moisture to the road base.
Yes good idea! If it’s too dry it will kick up a LOT if dust when you are compacting, and it won’t compact as well because a lot of the fine material will turn into dust. If it’s too wet you’ll see water puddling on surface and the compactor won’t run smoothly over it. Usually a liberal hosing with a wide nozzle to begin with, then adding more once you’ve compacted one time, adjusting as needed to get in between the two lines described above!
should do a side by side screed on your walls
Hey Kev, great videos! After screeding the road base, do you plate compact before adding 1" of install material?
Hey thanks! Yes indeed that’s correct! The compaction of the road base is key
This is pretty awesome me and my cousin do turf he can grade it pretty good by eye and a rake but I always thought it would be smart to do it in layers I will definitely incorporate this when I start doing it for myself is there any thing you recommend to really learn how to grade and compact everything and any tips for drainage? Any way to contact you?
Hey thank you and yes you can check out my website for some online courses (some free some paid) as well as my contact info. I’ll be putting up a drainage video and a course model as well sometime soon. www.hardscapetraining.ca
I installed a paver driveway and patio in 2007. Before beginning, I remember reading that a durable fabric liner should be installed between the compacted soil and first layer of course rock material. I noticed you did not install any fabric. What are your thoughts about the fabric option? Thanks.
Hey it is a standard practice in some areas where the sub grade isn’t ideal, where as in my local area we are usually on a load bearing clay so it’s not necessary, however it does help prevent your base particles from migrating downwards into the sub grade and add some longevity/stability to the install. It certainly doesn’t hurt!
This was excellent. Really helpful to understand the layers and approach. I'm going to do a DIY paving stone parking pad for my 3,000 Lb travel trailer. Any recommendation you have for what materials to use for the base layers for a pad in which the trailer will be parked at length in the same spot? I am in California, so little rain. More concerned about stability under long duration tire weight. Thank you!
Thank you for the great feedback! Yes any roadbase material or crushed angular gravel would be perfect for that, compacting in lifts. I’d recommend renting a larger compactor for a couple days too
@@HardscapeCanada Appreciate the quick response!