PATIOS & PATHS / The Family Handyman - June 1992

Make a gridwork of stakes and guide strings to indicate the finished height and slope of your patio, then excavate 7-1/2 in. below these lines. This will provide room for a 4-in. subbase, the 1-in. sand base, and the 2-1/2 in. pavers themselves (4 +1+ 2-1/2 = 7-1/2 in.). See Fig. C. If the area is hilly, you'll need to go back and forth between excavating, leveling and setting strings to get things right. Soil conditions vary greatly across the country. If after digging 7-1/2 in. below your strings, you still find pockets of loose dirt or black soil, remove it or it will eventually settle, creating a wavy patio.	INSTALL THE PAVERS starting along the longest, straightest edge. Border pavers provide a crisp finished edge, especially along curved portions of patio.
Next, bring in the subbase material. Bring the area up to a height 3-1/2 in. below your guide strings (Photo 4). It should be at least 4 in. deep in all places. The subbase should extend 8 in. beyond the actual edge of the patio to provide room for the edging. It's possible you'll need to build up an area to accommodate your patio. In such cases, remove the sod and loose soil, then build up the area with your subbase material. Building a 10-to 12 in. subbase is common; even 20 in. would not be unusual. Compact the class 5 using a flat-plate vibrator (also known as a compactor) as shown in Photo 5. Go over the entire area twice. THE ESSENTIAL EDGING Edging is an absolute must for maintaining the integrity of your patio.	CONTINUE LAYING PAVERS using a layout string to keep them in line as you work. Put a gap between pavers or tap them tighter to stay in line.
Without solid edging, your sand base and pavers will separate and drift apart as rain, frost and foot traffic pound away.We used Snap-Edge plastic edging. Left uncut, it remains straight and rigid, but when it's cut is can be bent to form curves. Secure the edging into the compacted subbase with 12-in. spikes (Photo 6). We used landscape timbers for combination edging/steps in a sloped area of the yard (Photo 7). Crisscross corners and use double timbers on the front of steps (even thought the lower one will be buried). This lower timber prevents the subbase and sand from washing out. The tops of the timbers should be at the same height as the surface of the finished patio. See "Backyard Path and Steps," May '92, p. 61, for more information on cutting and installing timbers.	MARK PAVERS that run "wild" into the border area. Then remove the paver, cut to size and place back into position along with border paver.