How do I set pavers...
Concrete pavers for patios, sidewalks, and driveways are very popular.
Follow these directions to get a solid paver project.
Choose a Design
Pavers come in many shapes and colors.
This gives you many different options for your design.
Excavating
Stake out the area for your project. You can do this with sticks and strings.
Remove the grass. You can do this pretty easily with a sod cutter. Then you need to dig down to a point where you want your base to start.
We suggest you dig down seven inches. That is to allow for a four-inch base, a layer of sand, and the pavers.
The process is called skimming. Try not to disturb the dirt at the bottom; just skim the top. If you loosen the bottom dirt, it will settle and you could end up with a dip in the patio.
Remember to grade the base away from the house, sloping one inch for every four feet. This will help drainage.
You can do this work by hand, but if you have a large area you might want to consider having a subcontractor do the work with a Bobcat as above.
Base Material
The base material we often used is crushed concrete. This will help build a stabilized bed.
You can get a compactor at a rental store. Put down half the material, compact it, grade in the other half, and follow with a final compacting.
Some applications will now require a bed of sand to be graded into place. Sometimes the fine recycled crushed concrete is sufficient as bedding for the pavers. Whatever base material and bedding material you use, be sure your application is solid and level.
Setting the Pavers
Snap your center perpendicular line before starting the pavers.
Set a row of pavers in what is called a "soldier course" along the outside edge of the patio.
Start the first two on either side of the line and work out from there.
Set the pavers gently into the sand. Don't twist them or push them down.
Set the pavers in sort of a pyramid, centered on your reference chalkline.
Adjust every few pavers to keep them aligned.
After the pavers are set, put the edging on the sides. This may consist of a concrete slide base or a solid material form like wood or PVC.
Now compact the pavers. This is the process of locking everything into place. The compactor is pressing the pavers down, leveling out the tops of the pavers, and forcing some of the sand up into the joints from underneath.
Next fill the joints with sand from above.
This makes a patio incredibly strong.
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How do I lay sod...
- Remove the old lawn and/or weeds. Do this by digging them out with a flat-bladed shovel (make sure you get the roots).
- Break up the compacted soil with a tiller. Tillers (also called rototillers) can be rented from your local rental center.
- Now rake the soil to begin to level it out, removing any rocks and debris you find. To avoid problems with excess water-runoff, make sure that any site grading you do, allows water to flow away from your house.This step requires a roller. Rollers, like tillers, can be rented from your local rental center. Fill the roller's drum with water, then use the roller to finish leveling the soil.
- Start laying your sod. Begin on the outer edges. Make sure you stagger the ends of sod, so that the seams don't line up. Think of it as a "brickwork" pattern.
- For a couple of weeks after laying sod, remember to water faithfully every day. If your schedule won't permit this, now's the time to look into automatic irrigation systems, before starting a new lawn.
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How do I grade my yard...
- I would give this a second thought. I suggest you get the rough grade done by someone who uses the equipment daily and understands soil compaction.
- The biggest cause of water problems in your yard is improper grade.
- If you have a lot of time and energy the finish grading can be done with hand tools; however, I would recommend letting the pros do this part. Stick to the jobs for which you don't need large equipment. Renting and running heavy equipment without professional experience can result in major damage to your water pipes and septic/sewer systems. These are costly mistakes to fix after your have planted your grass, flowers and bushes.
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Swale water away from a structure
If the soil and or sod in your yard is sloping towards your house, you must create proper directional water runoff by creating a swale.
This swale, or ditch, helps in two ways. It draws the water away from the house and acts as a channel for the water. You dig in a swale by choosing a corner of the house and continuing until the natural slope of the ground is falling away from your structure.
Most Floridians live on oversodded flat ground that causes rain water runoff to flow toward their house. Sometimes the ground is so flat that there is no easy way to create a swale or sloping condition.
These circumstances require a professional with heavy equipment to do the job right.
• The existing sod and dirt should be grubbed (removed) and the grade corrected.
• Gravel and/or drainage pipes can be installed underground to channel heavy water flow.
• Gutters with downspouts should be installed to direct the water flow from the roof to the underground piping.
PLEASE NOTE: Downspouts that dump water onto the ground near the house can cause serious erosion problems.
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