How to lay pavers?

johnpyt

Hi all,

So I've been wanting to redo my backyard/courtyard for a while now. It seems difficult finding a landscaper, so I'm toying with the idea of DIY.

Firstly, I want to apologise for the pretty general questions, or if I don't quite have enough detail. 

In addition to my questions, I will appreciate any resources here or elsewhere on what I want to do (I've been watching alot of YouTube)

Essentially what I want to do is:

* Take out current pavers

* Relevel/grade so there is a slight slope away from the home

* Relay existing or new pavers 

* Extend garden bed around the perimeter and installed a raised/boxed garden and then a small patch of grass in one corner

There is alot of resource online around laying pavers and leveling. While it seems difficult, it does seem doable.

I have a few general questions which I'm hoping people could help me with:

* Even with the uneven pavers, I don't really notice any ponding, etc. Do I need to worry about drainage or will a slope away from the house be adequate? Will this be complicated if it slopes into a raised garden bed? To me, adding yard drainage is where the job becomes a bit intimidating.

* I noticed the current pavers don't really meet the house well. Should I do something about this? Or is a slight gap ok?

Thanks all!

JacobZ

Hi @johnpyt,

Thank you for your questions about updating your paved backyard.

The great thing about pavers as opposed to a concrete slab is that water can drain between the gaps, so it is less likely you will come across drainage issues.

Since you haven’t noticed ponding, a proper slope away from the house should be enough. Ideally, a slope of about 10mm per meter (1:100) is recommended for surface water runoff. However, if your slope leads into a raised garden bed, you might want to incorporate a drainage solution—otherwise, excess water could pool there and cause soggy soil or even seep back toward the house over time. A simple fix is adding a gravel trench at the garden bed edge or using well-draining soil to help absorb runoff.

If you're in a high rainfall area or want extra security, a strip drain or agi pipe at the end of the pavers could be worth considering. But if the current setup doesn’t have major issues, you should get away without it.

For the gap between the pavers and the wall, you can treat it like an expansion joint in concrete. Adding an expansion joint will stop debris from building up in the gap and give you a nice clean finish that allows for slight movement. Check out How to fill a joint in a concrete slab for some guidance. 

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob