Paving stone (help) - DIY parking spot

[redkow97]

My sister-in-law wants to pay us to live in our guest room, and with trackday season coming up, I am ALL FOR IT.

beyond moving my clothes out of our guest room, the only complication is parking. I don't want her car to be on the street overnight, and I don't want her parking us in.

I have room to park someone on the lawn next to our driveway, but I'd prefer to lay down some paving stones rather than just ruining our lawn.

Anyone done this? any advice? experience? best materials to use? pit-falls to avoid?

Currently my plan is to dig up the grass a couple inches down, level the surface with sand, and then lay the paving stones on top before filling in any gaps with sand as well. Seems simple enough, right?

I just expect the stones to sink, crack, and shift if I don't do it precisely the right way, so if anyone's done this, that would be a great help.

[Bad324]

rent a tamper and tamp down the sand or the stones will sink. I also highly suggest a layer of this black sheeting (i cant recall the name of it now) between the sand and dirt layers so you can help prevent grass and weeds to go through it. I did a walkway for my grandpas garden when I was in high school with no experience at all and it came out ok. I then watched the guys who did my parents patio install it and learned some more

I'm sure someone with much more expertise than I can contribute a lot more but these were some quick noob lessons i learned

[jagr]

Do a search on YouTube. Lots of instructional vids on the topic.

[redkow97]

good call. I was thinking of laying down plywood to be the final layer between the sand and the stones, but I was worried the wood would eventually rot and sink anyway... It would keep weeds out until then though...

[Zach]

To do pavers that won't sink under a car's load, you're gonna have to do a lot of work under the pavers themselves. It may be better in the long run to just have a slab of concrete done.

[ross]

It may be better in the long run to just have a slab of concrete done.

This. Once she packs her shit and moves on then you have extra parking space for yourself.

[Fonzie]

rent a tamper and tamp down the sand or the stones will sink. I also highly suggest a layer of this black sheeting (i cant recall the name of it now) between the sand and dirt layers so you can help prevent grass and weeds to go through it.

I think you forgot the first 3 steps...

1) Buy beer

2) Drink beer

3) Urinate all over grass in prospective parking/paver area "to kill it"

[madcat6183]

Visquine is the plastic barrier name. But really anything works, it is just heavier duty, located in construction materials and lawn and garden.

If you live in a village or anything more than the country, you will most likely need a permit, yes even for this. I know becasue I wanted to do the same and was told it HAS to be concret or at least blacktop. I will be looking to do a blacktop pull off from my drive this spring to park my TT on and my truck, or both depending on the seasons. If you decide to the the rock route I laid pavers for a year and know how to do that and rocks both, just let me know.

[Beegreenstrings]

dig grass. tamp ground. place stone and level with sand. place pavers. fill in with sand. done.

[jporter12]

It may be better in the long run to just have a slab of concrete done.

And if you don't want it to look like just a concrete slab, you can stamp it.

[Steve Butters]

the way i would do it is to dig it down, lay some Visquine, lay some sand and tamp it down, then lay the pavers and fill the gaps in them with sand

to be honest though - the way i would ACTUALLY do it, is dig it down, lay some gravel, tamp it, and then pour a concrete slab

Edited March 3, 2011 by Steve Butters

[redkow97]

how much am I looking at in concrete costs versus paving stone costs?

I had considered that, but will I need to do rebar? I also can't think of any containers large enough to mix that much concrete...

[Steve Butters]

not sure man, im at class and not sure what size area youre dealing with etc, dont have price sheets or anything with me....ide offer to shoot you a quote to come do it for you, but i googled parma and youre FAR from columbus lol

as for rebar - it wouldnt be a bad idea honestly, since youre going to park a car on it...you can use wire mesh too if you prefer

[CBBaron]

Getting concrete delivered is going to be cheaper than a properly installed paver. A thin layer of sand under the pavers will only result in them sinking.

When I tried to get some rough estimates for doing a driveway the companies doing pavers would only do them over concrete or asphalt. However I know you can do it on a solid base. The problem is you need a deep solid base.

Trying to mix enough concrete to do your own is going to be difficult. It will probably take a good part of a concrete truck load to do a pad big enough for a car. At that amount it will be cheaper to get it delivered than to make your own, and much easier.

A cheaper option yet may just be to dig up the grass and put down gravel. Its not as neat but it is fairly easy and cheap. The gravel option may also get you around permit requirements. Still you should first start with checking your local ordinances.

Craig

[Steve Butters]

i wanna say concrete prices are around $110-$120 for a yard....not sure, we pay less since we use so much of it... a yard will cover a 10x8 section (you need 4" thick)...so figure out what size slab you would be pouring to find out how much concrete you would need...it may be easier to form it up and get a buggy to pour it, i believe you can rent them to do it yourself

as for mixing it yourself if you just plan to use bags - try to find a cheap mixer on craigslist and then just resell it after youre done with the job...mix it, pour into wheel barrow, pour, repeat...easiest way to do it

mixing your own sand and gravel with the cement you can save money and actually get a higher quality of concrete...but i think im getting too in depth....i do believe you can rent a buggy and have it filled

[Steve Butters]

Getting concrete delivered is going to be cheaper than a properly installed paver. A thin layer of sand under the pavers will only result in them sinking.

When I tried to get some rough estimates for doing a driveway the companies doing pavers would only do them over concrete or asphalt. However I know you can do it on a solid base. The problem is you need a deep solid base.

Trying to mix enough concrete to do your own is going to be difficult. It will probably take a good part of a concrete truck load to do a pad big enough for a car. At that amount it will be cheaper to get it delivered than to make your own, and much easier.

A cheaper option yet may just be to dig up the grass and put down gravel. Its not as neat but it is fairly easy and cheap. The gravel option may also get you around permit requirements. Still you should first start with checking your local ordinances.

Craig

agree with this guy.

best way is to form it up and have the concrete delivered...the only problem is i dont know what your property looks like- hence why a buggy might be a better idea than having a truck come there.... problem with trucks is if they get too close to your house they can ruin your foundation....so if you have a truck show up, make sure it doesnt get close to your house

my girls grandma had a truck deliver concrete to pour her driveway, and they drove into the sideyard and dumped the concrete right on the driveway - but the weight of the truck pushed the dirt down so tight that it bowed the foundation of their house and the whole wall had to be braced up - and bracing a foundation wall can get expensive pretty easily

although i disagree about it taking the better part of a load....10x8 is a yard of concrete, and i doubt his pad would be more than 20x16, probably 16-20x8....2 yards of concrete would more than he needs - might only need a yard and a half depending what size he wants to pour it....you can rent 1 yard buggies - im not sure if you can get a yard and a half buggies or not....

i would not have a truck deliver a yard of concrete....you will pay way too much because its being delivered...rent a buggy and pour it yourself

also...if you have a 3/4 or a 1 ton truck - pick up the gravel yourself, it costs more to have gravel delivered than the actual gravel costs...i wanna say gravel is 10-15 dollars per ton, its cheap if you pick it up yourself

Edited March 4, 2011 by Steve Butters

[Steve Butters]

if youre just wanting to slap something together cheap for her to park on though - i would just dig the yard away and lay some gravel...rent a tamp and tamp it nice and tight and call it a day...i wouldnt bother with pavers for what you want to do ...i would go with either gravel or concrete

[Steve Butters]

FYI - a concrete truck will hold 10 yards!!! so he would only need like 10-15% of a truck load to do a pad for a car - not the better part of one - hence it probably being cheaper to just rent a buggy (or two)

[undr_psi]

if your gunna do pavers, youll have to dig out the area you want, put down stabilization mat( or plastic if you wanna save a little money) then put in about 3inchs of a compacted gravel or crushed limestone(called 46d or crushed 46's) and tamp that down. from there add 2 or so inches of sand and tamp that a little bit. lay your pavers as you want the, leave a bit of a gap. when you get all the pavers where you want them pour some joint sand in the gaps and broom off the excess. lightly spry it all of with water (this well make the joint sand "set" and get hard to hold all the pavers in place) and your done! nothing to it. if you need the materials let me know and ill get you intouch with some people. i work for Lang Stone, i was downtown in the yard before i got moved to granite installer..so if you have any questions feel free to give me a shout.

[undr_psi]

this may give you an idea http://www.langstone.com/pdf/spf_install_paver.pdf

[Steve Butters]

if your gunna do pavers, youll have to dig out the area you want, put down stabilization mat( or plastic if you wanna save a little money) then put in about 3inchs of a compacted gravel or crushed limestone(called 46d or crushed 46's) and tamp that down. from there add 2 or so inches of sand and tamp that a little bit. lay your pavers as you want the, leave a bit of a gap. when you get all the pavers where you want them pour some joint sand in the gaps and broom off the excess. lightly spry it all of with water (this well make the joint sand "set" and get hard to hold all the pavers in place) and your done! nothing to it. if you need the materials let me know and ill get you intouch with some people. i work for Lang Stone, i was downtown in the yard before i got moved to granite installer..so if you have any questions feel free to give me a shout.

this is the proper way to lay pavers!!

undr_psi - you guys truck gravel? or just the other materials like the pavers and plastic? might be in contact with you because we use a lot of this stuff (pavers, gravel, plastic, everything)

Edited March 4, 2011 by Steve Butters

[Lost1888]

To do pavers that won't sink under a car's load, you're gonna have to do a lot of work under the pavers themselves. It may be better in the long run to just have a slab of concrete done.

+1

Edited March 4, 2011 by Lost1888
Forget it answered already. My bad

[CBBaron]

FYI - a concrete truck will hold 10 yards!!! so he would only need like 10-15% of a truck load to do a pad for a car - not the better part of one - hence it probably being cheaper to just rent a buggy (or two)

Sorry, you are definitely correct on this. I was thinking of the pad my dad poured on his farm, he had to get another yard delivered over a full load, but that was likely a much larger pad and probably thicker than needed here.

I didn't know you could rent buggies capable of hauling concrete. Learn something new every day. The problem with foundations is something for me to think about when I need to replace my driveway in the next year or two.

Craig

[undr_psi]

this is the proper way to lay pavers!!

undr_psi - you guys truck gravel? or just the other materials like the pavers and plastic? might be in contact with you because we use a lot of this stuff (pavers, gravel, plastic, everything)

We deliver it all..I'm not in the yard anymore, I install for our granite shop, but I can get you intouch with the right people downtown if you need anything .

[jporter12]

The company we've been using has front load and rear load trucks. They all hold 10 yards, but they only load the rear loaders to about 7, due to weight restrictions, or something like that. At the shop, the floors are 4", no rebar or mesh, just fiber in the concrete. There has been pretty much no uncontrolled cracking in the 11 years that I've been there!

I like the gravel idea. You could leave it a little bit low, then if you decide you want it gone, just get some topsoil put on top of it.