Can you lay pavers on stone instead of sand?

Dezzi

Hello Everyone,

Before I ask my question, which may sound silly, can I just explain that I'm fairly new to Brisbane and come to realise that things are done differently over east due to building codes and the different soil type etc, etc. Hence my question.

I had intentions of straightening a row of pavers (IMG_1.jpg) that was all uneven and wonky and slopes down.  However, upon lifting a few, I found they were all sitting on a bed of stone and not sand (IMG_2.jp2).

So my questions are:

Is this normal? 

Was it done for drainage purposes or something else (and not just laziness)?

Should I re-lay  the pavers on a bed of sand or is it advisable to leave it on the stones?

I should point out, that this area was awash with rain water during the recent storm which entered from the side of the house (the side of the house is at the top of IMG_1).

With every heavy rainfall over the last few years, we've found a whole lot of drainage issues with this house since purchasing it!

The area where the row of pavers (along the wall) are, are all under a patio and generally remains dry if the total rainfall for the day is less than 10mm.  Anything more, and water seems to seep up from the ground.

If you've read this far, thanks for taking the time to read and thank you in advance if you should reply. P-)

IMG_1IMG_2

MitchellMc

Hi @Dezzi,

This looks like a bit of a cost-cutting or time-saving approach to laying pavers. Nothing inherently wrong with it, but as you've noticed, not the best method to employ. I suspect it wasn't done for drainage purposes unless the area regularly floods. Even then, much smaller gravel could have been used, which would have provided the same drainage qualities.

It's tough to level pavers on material that coarse. I'd recommend removing about 5cm of the stones and replacing it with Bastion 20kg Aggregate Crusher Dust or sand. These options are significantly finer, allowing you to create a flat base to lay the pavers on. They are still free-draining and shouldn't inhibit water drainage to any significant degree. However, it sounds like you currently experience a bit of a drainage issue in the area. If any water is already reaching or pooling at the brick wall, it would be worth considering installing a drainage channel along the wall instead of the pavers. However, this doesn't sound like it would be a regular occurrence.

Whilst re-laying the paving, you should find this step-by-step article helpful: How to lay paving for a path.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell