My neighbor tore apart my paver patio and I'm actually glad he did

So I spent last summer putting in a paver patio in my backyard in Columbus, Ohio. Thought I did a solid job leveling the base and everything. My neighbor Bob came over and started pointing out how the joints were already shifting after just two months. He said I skimped on the compacted gravel base and needed at least 6 inches with proper tamping. I was kinda annoyed at first but he was right. I ended up pulling up about 80 square feet of pavers and redoing the whole sub-base with limestone screenings. The difference is night and day, no shifting at all after a full year. Has anyone else had to tear out work you thought was finished because someone called you out on it?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_hall5d ago

My buddy Mike did the exact same thing with a deck he built. He thought he had the footings deep enough but his neighbor who builds decks for a living told him they were going to heave come spring. Mike was ticked off at first but ended up digging them all out and pouring deeper ones with proper concrete. The frost pushed the old ones up two inches that winter and his new ones didn't budge at all. He still thanks that neighbor every time he walks out on it.

the_thea5d ago

Oh my gosh yes, this is so true! My dad went through almost the exact same thing with a shed foundation he poured. He was so proud of himself for getting it done in a weekend but then a buddy of his from work stopped by and pointed out the footings weren't deep enough for our area. Dad was grumpy about it for a solid week but finally redid them. That winter we had a brutal freeze and I saw a crack running right through one of the old spots he had to dig out. The new ones are still perfectly level three years later and he brings it up every single time we use the shed.