How To Excavate & Backfill For a Paver Patio (Base Prep)

Researching how to prepare the base for your concrete paver project? This video is what you need to get started!
#hardscaping #pavers #paverpatio #patio #excavation #concrete #landscaping
00:00 Introduction
01:18 Project overview
06:39 Marking out the area
10:14 Excavating the area
14:29 Backfilling with (Open Grade Base)
24:22 Unloading some pavers
28:10 Finding the grade height and slope
36:10 Easy job sites?
37:28 Clean, crushed stone vs. dirty crushed stone
39:34 More backfilling / drainage
44:10 Front walkway too?

[@Mangold2865]

That’s a nice job to land! Congrats. Yinz deserve it for sure. Thanks for another video. You and Victory are the only ones I look forward to and watch every one….and I don’t do concrete, I’m also a landscaper 😅

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

It certainly was, I really enjoyed it 👌🏻 and I’m glad you enjoy the videos. I watch Victory’s videos all the time. Love it! ✌🏻

[@pristinegrounds]

Agree 💯

[@Eunapossecomisso]

Bro, nice to see the segment with your pops. It's great that he comes and visits you on the sites. God bless great relationships between parents and kids. Nice to see. Cheers !

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Thanks bro, I'm glad you enjoyed it. He is a huge part of my life and has always supported through good and bad. A lot of who I am came from him. And I totally agree that God blesses those relationships. We are supposed to honor our parents and when you do, blessings come in return. ✌

[@laurapalumbo353]

The interaction between you and your Dad, Kyle, is priceless. As a father of 5 boys, I appreciate that very much. He seems like such a good man, and you're both lucky to have each other. Keep up the good work, brother! John

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Hey John, I totally agree. I try to take advantage of every opportunity I have with him. Wouldn’t be the man I am today or be where I am today without him. I can’t even remember all things he has done for me… he’s my biggest supporter and I will always be grateful to him for that. Thanks as always for the feedback ✌🏻

[@ThatPainterGuyKy]

Ohh I can’t wait to see how this one turns out. I love that block. Great video as always my friend.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Me too man, Those pavers are mint 👌 Thanks as always for the comment brother!

[@leogonzalez8165]

one of the mexican fans 🇲🇽👋🏽👍🏽

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

😂nice man! ✌🏻

[@barbarasolomon5962]

Love watching the videos, you all go into detail about what you are using!

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Glad to hear it, I try to be as informative as possible! ✌

[@RFing22]

Dude thanks to your videos I’m in the middle of almost a 1000 sq/ft patio. We had to add a step because yard is sloped so I’ve hand shoveled 30 tons of stone already and ordering 20 tons more Monday in foxborough

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Damn bro, that's a big patio and a lot of work to do by hand. Props to you and I bet you are sleeping well because of it! Hard work pays off though man, you will be pumped when you can sit back and enjoy it. Glad the videos have been helpful ✌

[@garypill548]

Same here bro, doing 750 sq ft, 15 tons and a wheelbarrow 😅

[@tomalley798]

You always deliver with your vids. 👍

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

I try, glad you like them brother! ✌🏻

[@AQMasonryLLC]

Hey man! I’ve been watching your videos for a while now! I’m 27 Hardscaper in CT & your videos helped me out a ton! Thanks boss

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

That is awesome to hear brother! Keep on trucking man, it will pay off in the end. I love hearing from younger guys in the trade. Most guys your age couldn't handle a week of this work..LOL Good luck with your future bro! ✌

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Just checked out your channel, awesome projects man 👌 Keep up the great work!

[@hpain6261]

Same here. This guy gave me so much confidence. I now look forward to installing new patios on my flips.

[@markhuerta5730]

Nice quality work Kyle....I'm interested in talking about some projects that I have.

[@hpain6261]

Great job. The way you explain the slope is so simple and accurate.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Thanks man, simplicity is key for any kind of teaching in my opinion. Speak plainly so all can understand ✌

[@paulbodder3354]

Looks like quite a large sized job on this beautiful property, no doubt it will be an awesome project when completed.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

It was a big patio for sure... and that property was a pleasure to work at! ✌

[@Jasoos_Jasonda]

Man, your videos go by so quickly, because they’re so good!

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Great to hear man! They are blast to make and I love the work I do. So hearing feedback like this is very motivating, thank you ✌

[@matthewvalimont6547]

Love my 3/8 chip stone ! But you’re right , you learn something new on every job. I’m in my 3rd year of business. Always learning. I’m outside of Philadelphia , PA. This year has been the year of no access . Sucks , lol

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Heck yea, it is a game changer! Congrats on your 3rd year and that stinks about the tough access, I feel like that kind of thing comes in waves... LOL

[@KGSHEAMASONRY]

Looks like another great project guys!! playing catch-up here been watching all the last couple of videos great as always Another great job where you can get rid of the fill# win That’s gonna be biggin’ I’ve got a rotary laser level and sometimes it’s just easier to pull a line and put the line level on it. Can’t wait to see the finish on this one. It’s gonna be a beaut Clark

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Yes sir, this was a very fun one for sure! I love losing the fill on the property... The rotary lasers are cool without a doubt but just like you said, most of the time the string and string level works just fine 👌

[@MTriegs]

What is the recommended depth of the 3/4” under the fabric for the base? Looks thin but hard to tell! Love your explanations of the process throughout. Just bought a house and can’t wait to build my own paver patio using your method! Thinking of doing one around (or under?) an above ground hot tub.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

That thin layer is 1-1.5 inches. Just enough to compact into the subsoil and make it tight. Glad the videos are helpful and good luck with your projects! ✌

[@roblescurbappealconcrete]

I’m a concrete guy, but I really enjoy watching and learning from you. You do excellent work and you explain yourself very well. Thank you. Do you have a video in how you go about pricing or bidding the job. Keep up the solid work and videos. 🤙

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Great to hear man, I try to be as detailed as possible for anyone trying to learn. I don't have any bidding / pricing videos. Maybe someday ✌

[@tbonesells3714]

Love your channel. One question… I’m building a fire pit in my backyard. I have it all graded and ready. I put number one stone down. And then I was going to put some Geo textile fabric down and then traffic bond as my base layer for the bricks. Should I have put the fabric down first? Or is it OK to use it after the number one stoned and the traffic button on top?

[@delt19]

Benny has such value to the business now just from the small interactions that Kyle reports his value under intagible assets on the business balance sheet.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

🤣👌

[@user-zu6vn2rd9t]

You should make a video on how you estimate, find the correct cubic yard of fill and pavers you need.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

I get this comment somewhat often, I will make a video on that someday. Just not sure when...

[@dswift5074]

Question on grading I’m just about done excavating (by shovel) and how flat do I need the soil to be before adding the actual gravel? I’m a little OCD about this type of thing but don’t want to waste a bunch of time trying to get the absolute perfect slope on the dirt when it could be done from the gravel instead. Thanks!

[@AnticipatedHedgehog]

That front walkway with the circle is neat cant wait to see that as well! When is the merch going to be available? Also have you ever done a paver driveway here in MA? If so how has it held up to the snowplow.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

That walkway was very cool, unfortunately it was installed on bad base material or it would have lasted much longer… I have done a couple driveways and when done properly, they will hold up great with winters and plowing. ✌🏻

[@armandocortes8719]

sorry. a. ask. is. normal. put 4 loads of gravel on it. a pavers patio or. I need to put more than 4 inches on it. ...very. good job. many blessings

[@joemillay9758]

would you ever buy a 1-ton dump truck then use your skidsteer to scoop material out while the bed is raised?

[@4TheFamily12]

So I’ve been excavating my walkway. I have so many boulders it’s ridiculous. I feel like I can’t go any deeper. Will the 3/8 clean crushed rock be ok to level off the huge imperfections.

[@monkeybutler90]

I'm doing a 16x16 patio and I dug right at 16x16 and didn't think about over digging for the sides. I have it filled with about 5 inches or less near being done to height of the 3/4 stone. Should I make the patio smaller than what I originally wanted or do you think I could dig some around it still and fill in with rock? It won't be near the 10 inch base (for the 3/4 material) that I was already doing but I hope it would work still. I'm doing all of this in clay.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

I would recommend excavating further and adding more stone unless you are ok with a 15'x15' patio to give you an extra 6" on all sides.

[@Ul-ln7ks]

Do you always put a drain pipe in is it absolutely necessary?

[@suneetdixit7904]

Hello, I'm building a Paver Patio which is 14' x 14'. I live in Ottawa, Canada. So we do get snow here. I just finished digging the ground and I have a gradient which is sloping away from my house and away from my neighbors foundation as you can see in the picture attached. From what I read/watched, the ground should have a gradient, so I made sure to have a slight slope. Corner 1 is at the highest point and corner 3 is at the lowest point. So it is obvious that water is going to get accumulated in corner 3. Is that good? Will the water just drain into the ground from there? Ideally, with the pavers and polymeric sand, all the water should run off the surface of the pavers and into the corner 3. Is that what I should be hoping for, that no water will be below my pavers in corner 3?

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Hey there, sloping the sub soil is important but as long as the soil is a well draining soil type, you will have no issues. Any water in the base will permeate and drain right down into the soil. ✌

[@Anithapaleti-ee6dz]

Great job, you do not slope the excavated soil correct. You just slope the 3/4 and then the 3/8 + pavers. Correct?

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Thank you, we do slope the sub soil. it may not be sloped as perfect as the base stone but we always make sure the subsoil near the house / structure is higher than the subsoil away from the house / structure.

[@stevekissel3822]

When you laid out your rails to meet the deck stairs , had you used a line level or other to determine the finished height of pavers at the siding? In other words how did you know level wasn't going to be 3 inches up on the siding?..make sense?...Best, Steve USA

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Hey Steve, that benchmark by the steps was the most important to hit. I knew we were going to be above the siding a little but how much really was not a concern to me because we needed to stay above the lawn grade to keep water off the patio. So where I ended up wasn't going to change even if I did. So I sent it and it worked out pretty good. ✌

[@troyhickman8577]

@@TheChristianHardscaper Your videos are addicting and very much appreciated! I would highly advise everyone to never cover any portion of a house (siding, stucco, etc.). Consider doing a curtain French drain or modifying the lawn grade. In late 2019 we had a 1400/sf patio installed and they covered the stucco drip screed and stucco by about 2" along the house. It was catastrophic! Seasonal changes with heaving , water unable to freely drain down and away from the walls has caused the lower section of the stucco to develop horizontal cracking along with buckling of the walls. During the tear out of the stucco black mold was found as well. Come to find out code dictates 2 inches of clearance between drip screed and paved surfaces and 4" of clarence to non-paved surfaces. We have been in an ongoing lawsuit against the LLC and the owner. The owner because he physically was doing some of the work. I'm told It's called "piercing the corporate Vail". Otherwise, they can shut down the LLC and your judgment would be uncollectible. Again, great videos!

[@RiverValleyLandscaping]

Just make up an irrigation supply toolbox. You could repair and move those lines in an hour. It’s all simple stuff out past the valves. Cut the line and add in a coupler, put two pieces back together. No diferent than fixing a torn garden hose really.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Hey man, I have fixed quite a few lines and it really is very simple. But the customer wanted the line re run and they have an irrigation guy they trust a lot so they wanted him to do it. Plus I would rather spend my time doing something else...LOL But when I simply need to fix a broken line, I do that myself for sure. ✌

[@PitterPatter-ps8sf]

I’m installing a 100 sq ft patio extension using 12” x24” pavers that im going to pitch away from my house. Any recommendations on which type of paver base would be best? I’ve seen videos of people using the paver sand as a base then putting paver panels on that, but I think the pavers I have are too heavy for that method.

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

Hey there, I recommend this exact method for any paver application. The clean stone is the best way that I have ever seen. Awesome for drainage and stabilization.

[@PitterPatter-ps8sf]

Awesome, thanks for the response!

[@tristinstormblessed]

Why don’t you need to worry about grade before laying the base? For example, if the soil below is an extreme pitch, could that allow water to pool towards the grade on the dirt level underneath the patio?

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

When I say I don't worry about finding exact grades doesn't mean I have no idea. With the experience I have, I can get things very close before I need to find exact grade heights. If the subsoil is at an extreme pitch, I would notice that just by eye. It is important to slope the subsoil away from structures for sure but with well draining subsoils, you don't need to worry very much about water issues under the patio, especially with Open Grade Base like I use. ✌

[@tristinstormblessed]

@@TheChristianHardscaper amazing reply, thanks man! You’ve given me the confidence to tackle an open base paver patio on my own after watching tons and tons of your videos 🤙

[@MAC-ev9gu]

It doesn't surprise me that Benny is stretching out before going to work, he keeps himself in great shape. Hey Benny? What's the secret... how do you screed fat?

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

🤣 He sure does. Smoking cigarettes and eating once a day is the key from what I learned from him...LOL ✌

[@dannydangelo762]

👍😎✌️

[@TheChristianHardscaper]

✌

[@ginarios9442]

TUDaH RBaH (thank you very much, in Hebrew). // SHLM & HaB (peace & love). The Name of the Creator is Hayah Asher Hayah, as what He told Moshah (Exodus 3:14), preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures. There is a curse to the G-o-d name (Isaiah 65:11-12), preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures. All followers of the Messiah are to do the 7 appointed times (Leviticus 23), but no more animal sacrifices, following the Crucifixion of the Messiah. We are now of the order of MLK TSDQ (King, righteous), to Whom ABRaHM tithed. Ask the Messiah to be your personal Savior. He said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). ...for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Hayah (Romans 3:23). The wages for sin is death but the gift of ALaHYM is Everlasting Life through Messiah Yahushgh our Master (Romans 6:23). That if you confess with your mouth the Master Yahushgh and believe in your heart that ALaHYM raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9). He Himself is an Atoning Offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for all the world (1 John 2:2).