pavers...should I try it ?

[mawipafl]

donisanasfan ... each of us is so different -- some are willing to tackle tedious/time-consuming projects while others wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. Doing a paver patio can be DIY as long as you do the preliminary research (which it seems you're doing), and understand that a perfectly-constructed base is crucial.

We had ours done three summers ago (about 24'x24' in a tan-tone) and I watched the whole process (remembering most of it). We had an existing 8'x24' concrete slab patio. It was in good condition, so they left it, and excavated the rest by digging out about 10" of sod, top soil, and subsoil (in our case hard pan clay-like stuff). They tamped that all down with the plate compactor and checked the pitch (I can't recall exactly the pitch they had to slope it away from the house). Then they laid about 8" of sand raking it in all directions what seemed like a million times. They tamped that extensively and repeatedly, checking the pitch as they went.

They measured and staked out the area keeping it all square and then started laying the pavers in the basket weave design we had chosen. One guy was doing the actual setting while two others were supplying him with the "right" pavers -- they were aware of colors of the pavers so that the different tones varied. As it progressed, two other workers started setting the perimeter pavers and securing them with cement. One corner of the patio needed the pavers cut since that corner was cut off to accommodate a pond's edge.

Once the pavers were all set they laid down a layer of sand and swept it into the teeny crevices between the pavers. The whole thing was sprayed with water and the process repeated. A week later the patio was sealed.

Fast forward to today, we love the patio and use it all the time and are so glad someone else did the building of it. We have two problem areas though. One, near the center and near where the old patio slab under the pavers meets the new excavation, two pavers sunk about 1/4". So, even with all that proper constructing of the base, that little part shifted. The second area is where a tree root has decided to grow under one of the edges and a few pavers are humped up. Repairing both areas will be easy, and we're glad we didn't put down a concrete base thinking that the tree root would probably have lifted the slab and thrown more pavers out of whack.

Point is, constructing a paver patio can be done by a homeowner with knowledge, patience, and the right tools and equipment. However, personally for me, I was quite content to watch others do it.

[JagFan27]

I just had a concrete patio and sidewalk poured in my backyard. I have been thinking about this for quite some time and finally just said "do it!".
I used Concrete Works 838-1836. They came over on Monday to give me an estimate, and by Thursday, I had my patio. I'm pleased.

[fsquid]

who did you use Mawipafl?

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by fsquid

who did you use Mawipafl?

I'm not positive because the company was the subcontractor for our landscaper, but I'm pretty sure it was Fallen Tree Contracting. They were hardworking perfectionists -- I'm slightly OCD about straight lines :-) and there's not one course of pavers out of line.