On the face of it, a person could deem this a pretty attractive patio. The alternating exposed aggregate and broom-finished tops of the finished panels looks interesting and even somewhat unique. The few flaws it began with never really amounted to anything spectacularly bad and so it served as a great outdoor environment for this nice couple for a few decades.

(most pictures enlarge on clicking)

Eventually, however, things began breaking down. Especially when wood products are used in conjunction with cement such as this place, the eventual deterioration of the organic product is simply inevitable no matter how much sealer or preservative is used. Being as this is in Reno, there is also the deleterious effect of the constant onslaught of sunlight. The UV ratings for Reno off simply off the charts. The sun can act as well to hasten the effects of constant drying and wetting of wood from sprinklers and the washing of the patio. Add snowfall effects and the salty and chemical additives to the snow removal process and you have a perfect storm for concrete deterioration.

The bottom line came when the residents began tracking deteriorating pieces of material into their house with regularity. The cement was crumbling and deteriorating after the long years and the floor in the kitchen was showing it all. Where the wood partitions in some of the cement panels had worn down, their edges produced a fairly constant source of gritty dust and chunks of cement. They decided they wanted to redo it all, in short, so they called us. We agreed on a product and a price as well as a schedule and began the work. Our first order of business was to take out the old patio. Jackhammer in hand, we went at it.

It was actually not bad work, as these things go. Yes, it was constantly in the upper 90’s at the time – even past 100 degrees later on in the project – but, as can be seen here, there was ample shade from a monster European Birch nearby. Having that tree was pretty fabulous. This work is hard and when it’s over 100, something more than hard, moving into dangerous. Did I mention we liked the tree?

Anyway, we finally cleared the existing mess then excavated down a ways (the cement has been set on soil, as we had expected) – this way we could establish a sub base of our own compact able rocky material, standard in all our paver installations.

There were the usual abundance of items to watch out for below the surface, from irrigation lines to electrical conduit, almost all of which we had no desire to replace, so it was a bit slower than one might want.

Just the same, as can be seen in the above picture, what we did was excavate and fill, taking away soil and adding a rock mulch to replace it with. As I have explained in other posts, we look for a very hard and durable sub base below where we add the pavers. A thick layer of base rock can often get us to a compaction intensity we want and which will assure longevity and durability.

So we add the base material, rake it out, then wet it to about 12% and run a compactor – a plate tamper – over the top of it. This vibrates and provides an amazingly intense downward pressure with  lot of weight. The combination of shimmying and weight leads to a supremely tight and well-compacted substrata. What we end up with is a fairly good surface, over which we add approximately an inch or less of a fine washed sand. The sand allows us to grade absolutely perfectly, leaving a surface we know will come out just as perfect as is what’s below.

From the above stages, we go to the next phase, which is far more detailed. Arriving at the finished grade at the surface, at this stage every move we make will reflect on the top. It has to be perfect. The sand allows for some faults occurring below to be rectified. The sand process is always the final answer, grade wise. From here, we lay the bricks.

Drainage: Even in somewhere as generally dry as Reno, Nevada drainage issues matter hugely. The fact that Reno gets almost all of its rainfall (and snow) in a 4 month span means as well that it comes in a rush. I have seen 4 foot snowfalls overnight as well as consistent pounding rain arriving in buckets. In a sense, these downpours and packed snow problems make for an environment every bit as threatening concerning drainage issues as anywhere, including the North West. We were extremely fortunate that the concrete edging used for the initial project was still very intact and usable. It had a small % grade – around 1 percent (translating into 1/8 inch per foot)- which is perfect. I only mention this owing to how vital it is in general. This project was pretty fabulous for that reason and allowed us to rearrange things in an orderly and far easier manner. But know this – mistakes in drainage are lethal to a home’s foundations and for general appearance and wood damage. Just a head’s up: Make sure things drain away from the house.

Next post, we lay the first bricks.

With the sub base intact now, and the sand ‘screeded’ (leveled) at 1 inch thick or so to give us a fairly perfect base on which to lay pavers, we begin laying in some pavers. The irony of paver placement is in the speed at which they can be laid in place. I say “irony” because, with a perfect surface to work on, the pavers get laid about as fast as they can be brought over to the layer. Easily the most labor-intensive aspect of any paver project, it is the one place where a strong back and a good set of legs gets things done in quicker style.

While the general coverage goes fast, as always, it is the details that hang one up. Here my foreman, Kenny, gives a wry look at his business while dealing with that week’s equivalent of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle.

Nasty work! Adding to his woes, the tolerance for achieving the sought-after drainage meant we needed to shove the pavers under the wood almost at the same level where the initial cement was placed, which was at the highest grade achievable. Snug. It’s a pain when the pavers that get cut need to slide under such a minimal tolerance. It literally requires putting pavers down, then lifting, then fitting back. One just hopes the cuts were good. Otherwise………..the dreaded interpersonal fireworks! 😉

For an idea of how the trimming of pavers to conform to the edge is so vital, take a look below. Bear in mind, this is the outer edge. Imagine doing it blind, like Ken did above, with the siding protruding over and just a tape measure to get it right. It takes some serious patience to get it right and he pulls it off regularly. He’s a better man than I, lol.

Here is another look at the outer edge. Plus, the work in the upper part is what the “screeded” sand looks like, just prior to getting pavers laid over. The small rubber mallet is used to “persuade” reluctant pavers to get with the program and go in. It also serves to tamp them down into place.

Here Corey is placing them after cutting. He was on his own on this while waiting for Kenny to supply those nasty fitters under the siding. He also did a fabulous job on this project, acting as the primary labor dude, hustling pavers over and then adapting to his next chore which involved cutting and placing the edge stones. He was The Man, too. Very fashionable shorts, I hasten to add!

Having said all that about all that, a good edge is a beautiful thing. It satisfies the professional in the installers and it is something clients adore no end. Forgive the terrible focus on the next picture, but I think the idea of perfection and its appeal is borne out.

In the end, we end up with a very satisfying end product that met every criterion they asked for: an attractive surface, perfect in its level, easy to walk on and rather sumptuous in its overall appearance.

I omitted the fact that there was an interior patio as well. It is inside an atrium, surrounded by the house itself and which developed the same cement problems with deterioration. It was somewhat painstaking packing the heavy and very sloppy broken cement through this gorgeous home, so we obviously protected walls and floors from our assault. In the end, it worked out every bit as well: