How To Properly Backfill For Concrete Pavers (DIY) 

🤣 Nice! ✌

Same thought!!! Ben Affleck doppelgänger 💯

Thank you very much! This method is far more effective and efficient than the traditional dense grade / sand method. But yes, the fabric is key in my opinion. I push this base prep method a lot on my channel, it is the most important part to a quality install. ✌

No problem, glad it was helpful for you! ✌

😂✌ Nice, I'm glad to hear it brother! Plenty more videos to come!

@@TheChristianHardscaper well deserved.

I couldn't agree more.

Thank you so much for the feedback, I'm glad it was helpful! I work in Massachusetts where we have a lot of Freeze / Thaw cycles in the winter. This is the best backfilling technique to allow water to permeate into the sub soils, preventing any shifting or sinking in the future. Thanks again! ✌

Thank you, I really enjoy the work and also making the videos. I appreciate the feedback and there is plenty more videos to come!✌

Awesome! Thank you, glad you like them! ✌

Thanks for the support! ✌

Glad to hear it, it is all about the base prep. This method will work excellent for your shed pad ✌

I have always worked either alone or with a very small crew, so learning how to operate equipment was key in my career ✌

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad they are helpful! ✌

Thanks for the feedback from all the way over there! I'm glad they are reaching that far, it's cool connecting like that. God bless ✌

Thank you, from Massachusetts ✌

My pleasure, it is very important in my opinion. ✌

Thank you, just trying to explain my thought process behind these jobs in these videos. My whole career has been spent looking through RU-vid for Hardscape content, not much out there… ✌🏻

No problem brother, He certainly is!

My pleasure! ✌

Thank you, drainage is key for sure.

That's awesome man, this is the best way to prep for any paver install. No matter the soil type, where you live, doesn't matter. Good luck with your project! ✌

Thank you! I'm glad it is helpful ✌

Glad to hear it, this method will not fail you! ✌

Thanks man!

That is a very important thing in my opinion, most guys don't do it... ✌

My pleasure ✌

Thank you very much, im glad it is helpful! ✌🏻

Thank you very much!

No problem ✌

Sweet! Good luck, this method will not fail you. ✌

My pleasure!

They are super handy bro. I rent this one a lot. Hopefully going to buy a machine of my own at some point

@The Christian Hardscaper im going to rent one too this year, b4 i buy a bobcat, i may go w a mt100

@@GRUBB-MUDD Not a bad idea, test it out before you pull the trigger on a skid

@@TheChristianHardscaper exactly, those things r like a Swiss army knifw

Thank you

That's awesome, congratulations! sounds like a sweet area to chill out on. It sure is a lot of work, but totally worth it when you can step back and look at what you built... ✌

Glad to hear it brother! Thanks for the feedback, it is very cool hearing from viewers like yourself who found me because of the need for this info. Good luck on the project, it will leave you thinking if many more ideas.... 🤣✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper are you in New Hampshire

Very nice to hear, thanks for the comment ✌

No problem at all, I really appreciate the feedback. I haven't really thought about shifting to teaching yet. Maybe someday when I am older but I would like to get another 10-15 years of experience before I get into anything like that. I have much more I want to learn in my career. But I love sharing what I know already here on RU-vid and I love hearing from people who have built their own projects based on my videos, that feels really good.... Thank you for your very kind words, comments like this really motivate me to keep going. God Bless! ✌

Thank you! ✌

No problem, glad you enjoy it and that it’s helpful. As far as a video on driveway prep for pavers, I know how to do it and I can’t wait to sell a paver driveway so that I can make a video on it ✌🏻

No problem man! glad you like it, thanks for the support ✌

Definitely slightly larger than most patios. It was a very fun install, came out mint! The pavers having wavy joint lines really added a lot of character. ✌

Sweet, thank you!

No problem!

It was a long day with a few long days before it too... LOL ✌

😂 Nice! LOL thank you!

Thanks for the great feedback! I totally understand what you mean, but unfortunately it is not always feasible to lay down protection. Especially the poly boards.... A 40 ft stretch would take like $2500 - $3500 worth of boards. Sometimes we are 60 - 100 feet away, so to cover that area would be a very expensive investment, even with plywood.... Nevermind the time spent moving them around and hauling them from job to job. I try my best to keep turf damage down to a minimum and always do my best to re establish any damaged area. It wont always be perfect but that's the price you pay sometimes for construction. Tough problem without a doubt though, I hear you ✌

Hey there, my pleasure! Glad you found the videos helpful. I would do the same base prep for poured concrete, only thing extra would be a layer of geo grid in the middle of the base stone for extra stability. ✌

I love everything about this work. Very fun! ✌

No problem, if you don’t have a plate compactor like I do. You should use a hand tamper to compact. And I would definitely not recommend adding mortar to the soil. Even in heavy clay soils, this exact method from this video is all you need to do for a very long lasting project ✌🏻

No problem at all thank you for the support! You certainly can just lay the pavers in front of and on the sides of the step. That is what I always do when building around existing wooden steps. Benny is the strong silent type without a doubt, I couldn't ask for a better Co Star... 🤣✌

No problem at all, that sounds sweet! I buy the fabric from a couple local supply stores in my area. I would recommend just looking around your area at landscape / masonry supply stores. And yes, any brand will be fine ✌

Thank you! The MT 100 is not the smallest mini skid steer, there are smaller ones out there. I would look around at a few rental places in your area to see what they have. ✌

Thank you, not many people request the Herringbone but I love it. Very cool pattern but needs to be a certain application... ✌

I'm doing a paver driveway 2300 sq feet. Wish you were closer, I would have hired you. Love your work, attitude and Benny ! Southern Cali is my home, working in 100 degree weather now, hot hot hot.....@@TheChristianHardscaper

Thank you, and yes we do ✌

You got it, some people compact the 3/4 stone once it gets to correct height but it is not mandatory for light foot traffic installs. I do sometimes depending on the sub soils that I am dealing with. Good luck with the project brother! ✌

I have been in the landscape/hardscape field since I was 12. My family had a landscape business and my dad worked in equipment rentals. He taught me how to operate skid steers and mini excavators when I was very young. As I got older I worked for a few different companies and always paid attention and took every opportunity to be on a Hardscape job I could. It’s my true passion. Other than that, just kept learning on every job. Also, a lot of RU-vid watching….. which lead me to start my channel because for years I searched RU-vid for good hardscape channels, not many out there.. ✌🏻

​@@TheChristianHardscaper Thanks for following up - keep up the great work along with videos. I was trying to learn from another one of your videos on poly sand. I'm doing a 14x14' simple paver patio - it's okay to use hand tamp for the polymeric sand? Is there a special cover similar for plate compactor that won't crack/shatter the pavers? Or plain tamp is sufficient? Thanks again man.

No problem, and you certainly can just hand tamp the pavers. If you are worried about cracking them, any kind of plywood or rubber mat will help absorb the impact. just make sure whatever you use is completely dry ✌

Heck yeah, you got it down perfect. But if you have good subsoil, you will only need 4-5 inches of base stone on top of the fabric and it doesn’t hurt to compact that before chip stone. ✌🏻

@@TheChristianHardscaper we got clay soil here that doesn't drain well so I guess 6-7 inches above textile or maybe overkill? Many thanks your channel is the reason I'm doing it DYI

Thank you, I really appreciate the feedback! I have realized the saw noises and overall poor sound equalization on most of my early videos. I did not know as much about the editing as I do now and RU-vid does not allow you to re-edit that kind of thing.... I think I am getting better with the audio balancing with my new videos I think. I have also noticed the more mellow music pairs with this style video better than rock. But thanks again for the feedback, it helps me a lot. ✌

Thank you, Benny definitely earns his $$$ 😂. I learned pavers from working at multiple landscape construction companies. Worked beside some very good people and learned everything I could from them. Also, a lot of RU-vid!!! LOL That is what motivated me to make this channel. I searched up and down for a good hardscape channel to learn from. Found a couple that I enjoyed but even then, they were not doing things the way I would do them. So started filming jobs last year and started the channel this past January. The results are very good so far, could not be happier! ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper you deserve all success that is coming to you. Do you have any tips on how to get customers for someone trying to work for themselves? I dint have much experience in hardscaping but a lot of experience in landscaping. At some point I’d love to master small resting walls and patios. That’s the bread and butter services I’d love to offer. Patios look like a lot of work, but fun. It’s hard NOT to appreciate the end result.

The best way to get that type of work is to approach hardscape material providers in your area. Then you need to sell yourself to them. Most customers call local material providers for references. A lot of my work comes from that. But, you need to have solid work under your belt, because they will not refer you for big jobs until they know you can handle them. You can start there though. Approach some of them and tell them your story. You are starting out and want to find some small projects to do for people. Believe it or not, the small ones are easy for you to find because the bigger companies just don't have time in their schedule to take on small profit jobs. Determination and motivation, that is what it takes. ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper awesome. I didn’t know that. That’s a great idea. Thanks for the tip!

I use this method for every install in every soil condition. It works especially good for sandy soils. It stabilizes it and allows water to permeate down into those sandy subsoils quickly, leaving you with a project that is always dry. That’s how you get an install to last a very long time, keep the material dry… ✌🏻

5/8 stone will work just fine 👍🏻

Thank you, and yes, you certainly can! Hand tampers for smaller applications are no problem at all. Good luck with your project ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper thanks for the advice. It’s a 130 sqft application, would that be ideal?

@@mervindsouza9816 It may take longer than using a plate compactor but definitely possible

It’s actually very comparable. We call the road base your talking about “Dense Grade” and most material providers sell the 3/4 clean crushed for a couple dollars more than the dense grade. Even if the 3/4 is a little more money, it is totally worth it. Gravel and sand installs just don’t hold up over time…✌🏻

It certainly is ok to use for that size paver, better than sand without a doubt.

We try to get our sub base decently smooth and sloped away from any structures. Because remember, the main idea is to get any surface water down into the sub soil and away from the house as quickly as possible so that it can permeate into the ground. If the subsoil is sloped towards your house, than the water will want to permeate into the ground closer to your house.

@@TheChristianHardscaper Awesome thanks a bunch and great video!

I think and kind of vertical structure you are building should be compacted well to be safe. With that being said, This project has been in for 3 years now with no sinking or shifting... The compacting of 3/4 with less than 6" can be a highly debatable topic because it has a 98% compaction rating up to 6" just be being spread out. But I always say, compacting the 4-6" lift will certainly never hurt anything.

@@TheChristianHardscaper Thanks man!

Thank you, that would have been really cool if they did 👌

Unfortunately we are south central Ma, but NH is not that far away… ✌🏻

Hey man, I think you will be fine. As long as it is compacted well, should be ok. ✌

You might, but it may take a few phone calls to some different supply / aggregate yards.

No problem. You can use non woven if you would like, the woven provides more stabilization but in your situation the base material should be held into place by the walls. That being said, I have not had any drainage issues with this woven fabric on over 120 installs. So I think you will be fine either way but the non woven will allow more water through ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper you’re the man. Thanks!

Hey man, I get my base to proper height by raking/grading it close by eyes and strings. Then I use the screed pipes to lay them out and check the grade, and also the top of paver height. You can do most of your height measurements by using those screed pipes. ✌🏻

I would definitely use the 3/4 crushed but with a few changes in the technique, like excavating deeper, laying geogrid in a few different layers of the backfilled stone and compact in lifts of 4-5 inches to make sure the stone is tight and can hold vehicular traffic. ✌

We use (SRW Products) geotextile fabric called (SS5). I believe the gator fabric version is called (GF5)

Thanks for the feedback, the 5/8 clean will be just fine. I'm glad the videos were helpful, good luck on your project! ✌

Thank you! And yes, the 1-2 inches on the subsoil does count as base height. And yes you can use the soil to fill low spots but be sure to compact them well after. ✌🏻

🤣✌🏻

It doesn’t have to be perfectly level but you want to make sure it is well compacted into the sub soil. If you want to compact more in the spot of the hot tub, it will only help. And is you can’t find the chip stone, find the smallest “clean crushed stone” you can. Pea stone is typically round, you want crushed stone so all the angular stones lock together. Most stone places will have 3/8 inch clean crushed stone, if not, use the smallest you can find. Good luck on the project ✌🏻

@@TheChristianHardscaper Great. So do you use line levels to kind of get the sub base pitched correctly? And I think I can get crushed limestone at 3/8 inch. That will work. You are awesome at this. I wish. you lived in NY. LOL... Pavers LOOK WAY BETTER THAN CONCRETE!

sorry for the late response, a line level and string is a great way to gauge your sub-base. Crushed limestone will work and I totally agree that pavers look far better than concrete. thanks for your support!

6-8 inches.

Thank you very much! That sounds like a very cool project. As far as how much base is to much? As long as you excavate the grass and top soil from all the areas and backfill with the technique I use in this video, you can use as much as you want. Just keep in mind that if you backfilling 16-18 inches of stone, you should compact at least every 6 inches to make sure the stone is nice and tight. The plus of backfilling with that much stone is that it will act as a very large drainage area for any water that may get under the patio and prevent any shifting or sinking of pavers. Honestly, this 3/4 inch clean crushed stone is the best backfilling material you can buy ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper you are awesome! Thank you for the advise, this eases my mind alot! God Bless!

No, not true. Clay does make it take far longer for water to permeate through, but not impossible. Remember, all that happens with rain water is it permeates into the subsoils unless it is diverted to sewer drains. Other than that, all water finds it’s way into the subsoils of the ground. If you dig a hole in clay and fill it with open grade base, you have made that hole the most permeable spot in your yard. You will never create a drainage problem by using open grade base, only help it. The traditional method still takes on water, the problem is that the fines in the gravel hold onto the moisture like a sponge, causing sinking / shifting with heavy rain and freeze / thaw cycles through the winter. ✌🏻

Great explanation, thanks I've done two installs this summer using the open grade base since I started watching your videos, and I have to say, I love it. Just need some encouragement as I transition from the traditional method after so many years and friends in the industry question why I made the switch 🤣 Thanks and best of luck to you! John

No problem at all, glad to hear you made the switch and are enjoying it! I'm telling you, you will never go back..... ✌

Thank you! If you can’t find the geotextile fabric, then yes, the landscape fabric is still a lot better than nothing. If you have a lot of clay, as long as you have 6 inches minimum of room for the 3/4 stone, you will be all set even if the grade is a little rough. Just make sure you do the step of spreading a thin layer of stone right onto the subsoil and compact it in. Then lay the fabric and backfill to height. ✌🏻

It is similar, but #57 stone is not quite as clean... It has a little more dust and fines than a clean, crushed stone. But it is still fine for open grade base ✌

@@TheChristianHardscaper so I could ask specifically for 3/4 inch clean, crushed stone and landscape stores would know what I'm asking for?

@@delt19 They should, they may tell you they are the same... I just know some regions do not clean or screen the stone as well as some other regions. The #57 might be all you can get where you are but im not sure. Calling around is a good idea

It is called (Woven Geotextile Fabric) It is strips of plastic woven together so that water can still travel through it while keeping the soil from migrating into the clean base stone. ✌

Thanks! And I would absolutely use this technique in a very sandy soil condition. Just be sure to excavate at least 8 inches and follow the steps in this video, it will not fail you✌🏻

@@TheChristianHardscaper Good thank you! Man every time I called a stone yard for a quote they told me I should use stone dust instead with 0-3/4. I have been told that 3/4 crushed would shift with 1/4 on top?

There are a lot of people stuck in old ways. It is the classic " You can't teach old dogs new tricks " I have used this system on over 70 installs and it is far superior to stone dust or sand. The 1/4 - 3/8 clean crushed stone is the best paver bedding material you can use (in my opinion) It locks into the 3/4 base and stays solid. And the most important part of using clean stone on the base and bedding, is to allow water to flow freely through it. Stone dust and sand are like a sponge for water....

@@TheChristianHardscaper yeah I think you are right! I am receiving my shifting 3/4 stone tomorrow lol. Does this system make a big difference for bugs and grass too vs sand ? Thanks 🤙

@@jonathanl5316 Sweet! and it certainly does. When there is nothing but stone, not much will grow and there is nothing for the bugs to live on so not as many of those either. ✌

1/8 pitch exactly is a little over 1% slope

I'm pretty sure its the same thing. Clean, 3/4 inch crushed stone. ✌

There are a couple disadvantages... One is that it typically is much dustier and has more fine particles in it, causing water to not drain as well. The other is that it breaks down faster than natural crushed stone.

We used about 20 cubic yards of 3/4 stone on this job

I had this spot excavated and backfilled in 2 days with 2 guys and a mini skid. If there was no septic or propane tank to be careful for, I definitely would have rented a full size skid steer to save time. But with that aside, I love mini skid steers. They are very comfortable to operate and you have a lot more visibility than a regular skid. So I would say rent whatever you are comfortable with. Around here, the mini skids are only a fraction cheaper to rent…. Good luck with the project and use this Open Grade Base! 🤣✌🏻

We get it from a few different manufacturers, most commonly is made by (Alliance) and is called (Gator Fabric GF5) alliancegator.com/gator-grids-fabrics/gator-fabric-gf5/ another is made by (SRW) and is called (SS5) kearneycreteandblock.com/catalog-product/srw-ss5-woven-stabilization-fabric-6x100/ Those are just links to show you the product, not links to where I buy it.

I know, it can be crazy trying to hire the right contractor for a job like that. I live and work in Massachusetts. This method is hands down the best for the Northeast in my opinion. I have been installing patios for 12 years now and used the other methods, this one is the best. It allows water to travel through the base stone and permeate into the subsoil no problem. This is very beneficial for us in freeze / thaw states because there is less moisture under the pavers and will be far less likely to heave and shift with cold temperatures. I 100% recommend this method and 100% do not recommend sand or stone dust under your pavers. It will bite you down the road when it all starts washing out / settling. And it attracts ants like crazy. They will build hives under the pavers and eventually ruin the joint sand. You also never want to pour concrete under your pavers, it does not help. If anything, it prevents water from draining under the pavers. Clean, crushed stone base is the best way. Good luck ✌ Here is another video where I explain my base prep method in more detail 👉ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ChaJe3JqD6I.html

@@TheChristianHardscaper awesome. Thank you. Much appreciated