40 sq meters of pavers in a day - continuation, almost…
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40 sq meters of pavers in a day - continuation, almost done
You lot, those who did not flame me immediately on my first post that is, made me realize the job is not doable by a single person in a single day using concrete sand.
Even if the daylight is more than 16 hours as it is these days. I decided to forego the concrete sand and use compacted rock on top of my compacted sand foundation I prepared last year.
Over this weekend I have completed that most work-intensive part of the project - building up the ground layer with compacted rock and gravel, and started laying down some pavers in a pattern that the missus approved.
I begun with a state similar to this - done over last summer and autumn.
This is about 60cm off the ground level. I scraped off a bit of the sand inside though to make more room for rock layer. https://preview.redd.it/p7ladjap2d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60f0c29f4750dca9ae6e657a021fea25b2f6f086
Added a layer of crushed rock and compacted it to 10cm. Used almost full 5 tonnes I ordered. Took me the better part of Saturday to move and compact. You can also see the foundations for patio roof pillars that will be there eventually.
Halfway done with first layer, checked how well it compacts. Very well and very flat. https://preview.redd.it/453o92bd4d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07926c6430a9337542b3ff9903d67e48bce10c65
I compacted this in 2 or three layers, scraped with a rake, checked levels, compacted again. Not a quick process but it was nice to see the transition for hard sand to even harder rock, and already matching the grade.
This is full thickness of compacted rock, graded to the best of my ability to match the patio slope. https://preview.redd.it/wm5grl2q4d7h1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4244c383fa39e969d6660e258d5efbefc952172
Later in the day another 5 tonnes of finer crushed rock was delivered.
Left - compactable 30-60mm rock, right - 2-8mm crushed rock. https://preview.redd.it/pw3xg94g5d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd7850b24abf8516194e931c33782a57f9974d27
Sunday morning, here I come. I started moving the fine rock onto the patio, and encouraged by how easy it was to load into the wheelbarrow I picked up a pace. I have not pictured this, but I moved a couple of loads and started setting the pipes I'd use to scrape the surface.
As my patio is over 4 meters wide, I screwed together two three meter spirit levels to set the position for the pipes with correct grade. https://preview.redd.it/zs5wygc36d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3da04274cc16cab9680a95e9a0553bbdbdd8f58
I also added two boards on the ends of this improvised tool to ensure I am setting the pipes the correct distance down from the final surface of the pavers. I went for 3cm below the surface so that the pavers stick out over 1cm above the perimeter and door threshold. This is to accommodate for any unevenness in how I prepared the perimeter last year. When I am done laying the pavers I will go over them with a plate compactor to settle everything correctly.
Finished moving the gravel and grading. Used around 4 tonnes and about 4 hours. Quick and easy compared to the rock. https://preview.redd.it/grwhs90v7d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25fc18e68ef9b5f0e60e902c14a1be44971db8cc
Bought only four 3 meter pipes to cover the patio length of 7.7 meters twice as they are a straight up extortion. When setting them I made the overlap quite generous, and when I covered the first three meters I moved the pipes from the back to cover the missing two or so meters so that the level was transferred along the full length of the patio. After this stage it started hella raining, so I took a coffee break.
Luckily the rain was intense but brief, so after a nice cuppa I went immediately to start laying down the pavers. https://preview.redd.it/fvzy9gql8d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a603c6d2f2b272274cfbfebceb1afaf73e4edd5
No further surface prep, aside from filling in the indents left by the pipes and occasionally throwing away a larger chunk of rock.
Now, more on the paver pattern that I came up with.
Decided to cover the entire perimeter with full pavers going around, as that would let me hide the cuts a little bit more away from the outside perimeter.
To fill the floor I decided to stagger the rows by a third of paver length.
First row begins with a 20cm piece, 2nd row with a remainer of that (40cm) and third row with a full 60x40 paver.
Shitty cad drawing but it did the job for me just well. https://preview.redd.it/s9anpxs59d7h1.jpg?width=375&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fafdd3a49e5b4059bcb1f29833418e50b3412e1d
This way only every third row length-wise needs to match as the pavers are offset by a third of their length. Also I am sure that bottom right corner is a right angle, whereas other corners are a little bit off, so all the long straight lines will end up actually straight. As I lay move pavers I control for the lines to match.
Final length-wise row by the wall of the house will be all cuts - about 13cm by the wall and 38cm by the door. This is on purpose to work around unevenly sized pavers. They are supposed to be 60x40cm, but they really are 59.x by 39.x. Few millimeter difference here and there, but it adds up.
I'd rather cut off 2cm from each paver than end up with missing 2cm mickey mouse piece I have to somehow cut without breaking it.
The nook in the far end will get a small concrete pour for a floor, as there will a cabinet anyway, and I cannot be arsed to work around the downspout and electrical connection with the pavers.
Rain again, which turned into hail. https://preview.redd.it/wt3r12q1bd7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dca89eeabf1ad71b72bc2fec795748bd208030b0
After completing about a third of the surface we actually got hail insteada rain. Time to call it a day. About 7 hours of work, interrupted by the weather.
I will finish laying everything down today. Tomorrow I will start dealing with the cuts. Will have to cut approx 11 meters length of pavers, so a fair bit of cutting ahead of me. I a have a cheapo concrete saw with an ability to connect water to it. I jig it up with a straight piece of wood and two carpentry clamps. Setup takes a while but it cuts quite precisely and the huge saw blade does not wander much.
In retrospect - it was foolish of me to even ask if doing the job in a day on concrete sand by myself is feasible. With a capable helper maybe, but not by myself.
I do like working with gravel, it's as easy as setting tiles on concrete sand. Crushed rock is living hell to load with a shovel though, and as far as I can see it offers the same drainage capabilities as concrete sand, which is not a lot. Concrete sand would've been easier to move, but definitely a job for more than one person on this size patio. However the gravel is much easier to transport and grade properly as it does not require compacting before setting the pavers.
There are tradeoffs to each of the methods.
I hope those who made it this far into my post will find something useful here or ask constructive questions :)
P.S. for the inquisitive folks - this is how the perimeter was prepared.
The curb blocks are 100x30x8cm and weigh 50kg each.
As the patio is approx 60cm above ground level of my garden, I set the full height along the shorter edges. They are set in concrete sand.
On the longer edge I set halves. 50cm along the patio edge and another 50cm piece lower. My wife gets a flower bed, I get additional support for the patio edge and less intense lifting session :)
The concrete sand is nicely set after the few months since completion of this stage and none of the pavers have moved a millimeter when I was going by them with the compacter.
Lots of clamps and wedges and this large concrete pour elements cannot be straight... https://preview.redd.it/oodtk6ulhd7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26449250f8b5188c46b40c957639c078fec61f7f
#diy
source
You lot, those who did not flame me immediately on my first post that is, made me realize the job is not doable by a single person in a single day using concrete sand.
Even if the daylight is more than 16 hours as it is these days. I decided to forego the concrete sand and use compacted rock on top of my compacted sand foundation I prepared last year.
Over this weekend I have completed that most work-intensive part of the project - building up the ground layer with compacted rock and gravel, and started laying down some pavers in a pattern that the missus approved.
I begun with a state similar to this - done over last summer and autumn.
This is about 60cm off the ground level. I scraped off a bit of the sand inside though to make more room for rock layer. https://preview.redd.it/p7ladjap2d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60f0c29f4750dca9ae6e657a021fea25b2f6f086
Added a layer of crushed rock and compacted it to 10cm. Used almost full 5 tonnes I ordered. Took me the better part of Saturday to move and compact. You can also see the foundations for patio roof pillars that will be there eventually.
Halfway done with first layer, checked how well it compacts. Very well and very flat. https://preview.redd.it/453o92bd4d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07926c6430a9337542b3ff9903d67e48bce10c65
I compacted this in 2 or three layers, scraped with a rake, checked levels, compacted again. Not a quick process but it was nice to see the transition for hard sand to even harder rock, and already matching the grade.
This is full thickness of compacted rock, graded to the best of my ability to match the patio slope. https://preview.redd.it/wm5grl2q4d7h1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4244c383fa39e969d6660e258d5efbefc952172
Later in the day another 5 tonnes of finer crushed rock was delivered.
Left - compactable 30-60mm rock, right - 2-8mm crushed rock. https://preview.redd.it/pw3xg94g5d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd7850b24abf8516194e931c33782a57f9974d27
Sunday morning, here I come. I started moving the fine rock onto the patio, and encouraged by how easy it was to load into the wheelbarrow I picked up a pace. I have not pictured this, but I moved a couple of loads and started setting the pipes I'd use to scrape the surface.
As my patio is over 4 meters wide, I screwed together two three meter spirit levels to set the position for the pipes with correct grade. https://preview.redd.it/zs5wygc36d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3da04274cc16cab9680a95e9a0553bbdbdd8f58
I also added two boards on the ends of this improvised tool to ensure I am setting the pipes the correct distance down from the final surface of the pavers. I went for 3cm below the surface so that the pavers stick out over 1cm above the perimeter and door threshold. This is to accommodate for any unevenness in how I prepared the perimeter last year. When I am done laying the pavers I will go over them with a plate compactor to settle everything correctly.
Finished moving the gravel and grading. Used around 4 tonnes and about 4 hours. Quick and easy compared to the rock. https://preview.redd.it/grwhs90v7d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25fc18e68ef9b5f0e60e902c14a1be44971db8cc
Bought only four 3 meter pipes to cover the patio length of 7.7 meters twice as they are a straight up extortion. When setting them I made the overlap quite generous, and when I covered the first three meters I moved the pipes from the back to cover the missing two or so meters so that the level was transferred along the full length of the patio. After this stage it started hella raining, so I took a coffee break.
Luckily the rain was intense but brief, so after a nice cuppa I went immediately to start laying down the pavers. https://preview.redd.it/fvzy9gql8d7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a603c6d2f2b272274cfbfebceb1afaf73e4edd5
No further surface prep, aside from filling in the indents left by the pipes and occasionally throwing away a larger chunk of rock.
Now, more on the paver pattern that I came up with.
Decided to cover the entire perimeter with full pavers going around, as that would let me hide the cuts a little bit more away from the outside perimeter.
To fill the floor I decided to stagger the rows by a third of paver length.
First row begins with a 20cm piece, 2nd row with a remainer of that (40cm) and third row with a full 60x40 paver.
Shitty cad drawing but it did the job for me just well. https://preview.redd.it/s9anpxs59d7h1.jpg?width=375&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fafdd3a49e5b4059bcb1f29833418e50b3412e1d
This way only every third row length-wise needs to match as the pavers are offset by a third of their length. Also I am sure that bottom right corner is a right angle, whereas other corners are a little bit off, so all the long straight lines will end up actually straight. As I lay move pavers I control for the lines to match.
Final length-wise row by the wall of the house will be all cuts - about 13cm by the wall and 38cm by the door. This is on purpose to work around unevenly sized pavers. They are supposed to be 60x40cm, but they really are 59.x by 39.x. Few millimeter difference here and there, but it adds up.
I'd rather cut off 2cm from each paver than end up with missing 2cm mickey mouse piece I have to somehow cut without breaking it.
The nook in the far end will get a small concrete pour for a floor, as there will a cabinet anyway, and I cannot be arsed to work around the downspout and electrical connection with the pavers.
Rain again, which turned into hail. https://preview.redd.it/wt3r12q1bd7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dca89eeabf1ad71b72bc2fec795748bd208030b0
After completing about a third of the surface we actually got hail insteada rain. Time to call it a day. About 7 hours of work, interrupted by the weather.
I will finish laying everything down today. Tomorrow I will start dealing with the cuts. Will have to cut approx 11 meters length of pavers, so a fair bit of cutting ahead of me. I a have a cheapo concrete saw with an ability to connect water to it. I jig it up with a straight piece of wood and two carpentry clamps. Setup takes a while but it cuts quite precisely and the huge saw blade does not wander much.
In retrospect - it was foolish of me to even ask if doing the job in a day on concrete sand by myself is feasible. With a capable helper maybe, but not by myself.
I do like working with gravel, it's as easy as setting tiles on concrete sand. Crushed rock is living hell to load with a shovel though, and as far as I can see it offers the same drainage capabilities as concrete sand, which is not a lot. Concrete sand would've been easier to move, but definitely a job for more than one person on this size patio. However the gravel is much easier to transport and grade properly as it does not require compacting before setting the pavers.
There are tradeoffs to each of the methods.
I hope those who made it this far into my post will find something useful here or ask constructive questions :)
P.S. for the inquisitive folks - this is how the perimeter was prepared.
The curb blocks are 100x30x8cm and weigh 50kg each.
As the patio is approx 60cm above ground level of my garden, I set the full height along the shorter edges. They are set in concrete sand.
On the longer edge I set halves. 50cm along the patio edge and another 50cm piece lower. My wife gets a flower bed, I get additional support for the patio edge and less intense lifting session :)
The concrete sand is nicely set after the few months since completion of this stage and none of the pavers have moved a millimeter when I was going by them with the compacter.
Lots of clamps and wedges and this large concrete pour elements cannot be straight... https://preview.redd.it/oodtk6ulhd7h1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26449250f8b5188c46b40c957639c078fec61f7f
#diy
source
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