I built my paver patio twice: paver base panels on a soggy yard

By Jacob Knapp, Virginia-licensed home inspector, Virginia Beach. After the drain, I built a paver slab on the back patio. I love it, but I built it twice, because I did not screed the sand bed flat the first time.

I built my paver patio twice (YouTube Short, PlantLegit)

Steps

1. Stake out the area and use string to set level.
2. Call Miss Utility (VA811), then dig out the slab area.
3. Lay the gravel paver base and compact it with a tamper.
4. Lay the barrier fabric, then the sand.
5. Screed the sand bed flat and check it with a level. This is the step I skipped.
6. Click paver base panels together on the sand (I used about forty).
7. Lay the pavers (about two hundred 12x12s), checking level as you go.
8. Install edging on the sides and sweep polymeric sand into the joints.

Materials

• Gravel paver base
• Barrier fabric
• Paver sand
• Paver base panels (about 40)
• 12x12 pavers (about 200)
• Plastic paver edging
• Polymeric sand
• Tamper, screed board, level, string and stakes

What I did in my own yard, not an engineered spec. Check your local code and call 811 before you dig.

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