How to Merge a Paver Walkway Into a Concrete Pad
By Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Question: I have a question for you regarding paver walkways. I have cast concrete stairs at my front door. A concrete pad was poured as a foundation for the stairs. How should the walkway pavers approach the concrete pad? I am actually having a paver walkway installed now, and the contractor installed the pavers below the grade of the pad, effectively making the pad a small step.
This was unacceptable to me. I thought the pad should be cut flush to the first stair riser (so the paver would go right up to the first step), but the contractor said that this was not possible (he didn’t explain why). |
Answer: Usually pavers are installed approximately 1/2″ above the border, be it metal / plastic border or even granite steps / cement steps / surrounding slab. The reason for this is that overtime the pavers will settle a little, even if the sand/gravel base has been tightly packed.
| By installing the pavers approximately 1/2″ above the border (in this case the cement stair landing), they will ideally wind up settling to a flush level with the border over time.
I agree with you that aesthetically it would make more sense to trim the concrete pad flush with the edge of the bottom stair riser, however I can understand the contractor pushing back. To do this properly, he would probably have to temporarily remove the cast concrete stairs to make a clean cut. Not an easy task. The other advantage of installing the pavers slightly higher would be that it would enable you to temporarily fill in the gap between the elevated pavers and the first stair riser with slices of pavers (e.g. 1/2″ thick) or some other stone product (slate pieces). |
 |
Dress Up Your Home’s Exterior with an Arbor – If you’ve always wondered what to do about a side door entrance to your house or garage to make it more appealing, or just wanted to simply spice up the backyard, building an arbor may be your answer. The “How to Build an Arbor Ebook” provides detailed, step-by-step instructions and pictures on how to build an entrance-way arbor for your home. Order and Immediately Download today!. 100% Money-Back Guarantee if you are not satisfied.
Planning to have a Brick or Paver Walkway Installed by a Landscaping Contractor but not sure what questions to ask to ensure you hire the right one? See HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Brick and Paver Walkway Bid Sheet. The Brick and Paver Walkway Bid Sheet will help ensure that your walkway project goes smoothly and you get the finished walkway you are looking for.
- How to Build a Stone Wall out of Granite Stones
- How to Install a Paver or Brick Walkway
- Paver Stone Walkway Accent Pieces Video
Additional Landscaping Resources from Amazon.com
  |
  |
Free Home Addition Price Quotes with No Obligation!
Fill out our 3-5 minute quick and easy form, and receive a free price quote on a house addition from one of our prescreened and licensed home addition contractors. This process is free and there is no obligation to continue once you receive your house addition price estimate.