Tenants damage newly installed pavers

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by chibs, 3rd Jan, 2016.

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  1. Plucka

    Plucka Well-Known Member

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    Sorry but some poor advice here:
    Timber Sleeper in ground? No, even treated, it will eventually rot. You need a concrete haunch.
    Wet slurry (cement) is used when paving onto concrete. Sweeping sand between pavers is used when paving on roadbase/sand method, but using "gap sand" which has additives to make it bind. This has to be bone dry when sweeping in.
     
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  2. Plucka

    Plucka Well-Known Member

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    Coping is the name of edge paver, the concrete holding the edge is called haunch, or possibly just edge restraint.
     
  3. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    True, in WA the termites would be onto it in no time. I haven't seen timber sleepers to retain paving in WA. I have seen properly installed paved driveways that last for years. The drive at my house is 20+ years old and is fine, except it has sunk a bit where the wheels of the cars constantly drive. The edges are fine though. They have decent concrete haunching.

    For the record, here is one version on how this is to be done properly:

    Haunching the edges
    Haunching the edges locks the pavers into place to prevent them loosening or dislodging from their intended position. Dig a trench along the edge of the paving deeper than the bedding sand and road base. In a wheelbarrow, mix one 20kg bag of Concrete Mix with 2.5 litres of clean water with a shovel and using a trowel place the mixed concrete up against the side of the pavers in the trench you have dug. Angle the surface of concrete half way up the side of the paver and smooth the surface using a wooden float.

    How to Lay Paving - Cement Australia

    If you have a look at the examples given, there is no way there was a trench dug that was deeper than the bedding sand and road base (if there was even road base put down?). I have seen haunching done like that for a paved area underneath a clothesline. Where people just walk on it, it has been fine. It's completely inadequate for driving on though.
     
  4. chibs

    chibs Well-Known Member

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    Good to see it works out for you, Big Daddy,
    We got the contractor to put edge restraint, he suggested limestone, so that's what we put in.
    Paid more $ but it's necessary.
    Hope it holds up this time, time will tell.
    IMG-20160115-WA0002.jpg
     
  5. hobo

    hobo Well-Known Member

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    I'd still be concerned - that doesn't look strong enough to be driven over (which I'd assume is still going to happen). But I'm not an expert so could be completely mistaken.

    Edit: are those edges, larger limestone pavers that are buried, rather than smaller bricks just sitting on the surface? If so, how deep, do you know?
     
  6. chibs

    chibs Well-Known Member

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    hi hobo, yes correct they are buried. He said about 20 cm deep.

    It does seem that he didn't do a good job on the foundation. Looks like the sand wasn't compacted enough. Our fencing guy came in and called to say he digged a hole (to install the fence) and a lot of pavers gave way when it's normally only one or two.

    The ones that got misaligned has been fixed, but I'm worried it will happen again. It seems to me that the proper way is strip all the pavers and redo the foundation, but of course he's not going to do that. He only fixed it comestically and reapplied cement on the edges.
     
  7. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    The problem is, when someone does a job like this, they are not likely to do anything right, so any fix will have the same result, it needs re doing from step 1 by someone who will do it right.

    I think I said it already, but with all that sand, I would have paid for concrete with a proper base and steel that was engineered to easily cope.
     
  8. 158

    158 Well-Known Member

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    That will definitely still move. His 'suggestion' just gets him off the hook cheap (for now).

    And you paid more? You've been suckered.

    pinkboy
     
  9. hobo

    hobo Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I feel like you are going to have to pay to get this completely redone at some point much sooner than you should need to. Sorry, I hope I'm wrong. :(
     
  10. Plucka

    Plucka Well-Known Member

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    I can't see that new edging being good enough. whats holding the limestone in place, just 20cm of loose sand, again any car driving near the edge will push them out again. You can leave the limestone in place but I would dig a trench alongside it and lay a decent concrete haunching.

    As for the foundation if its just sand then it is guaranteed to sink. The proper foundation is roadbase/crusherdust at least 150mm thick (for vehicles) PROPERLY compacted using a plate compactor (given you're in WA and it seems as if your ground consists of sand this is even more important), then a layer of bedding sand (sharp/course sand) around 25mm thick. You should lift a couple of pavers and inspect the foundation. If you don't find this then the whole things needs to be redone. Given your poor ground probably would have been far better off just doing a concrete slab and pave on top of that.
     
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  11. MRTLR1000

    MRTLR1000 Active Member

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    It has a drop in it, I should have said treated timber...and paving on road base after whackered, you can add a mortar mix with white washed sand to create a slurry which will bind in between the joins of the bricks. coping or as you say haunch, will not work judging by the photo , its has to much height......of course the complete driveway is not pictured, so were going off a small part and doesn't show the slope of the land...it was just an idea based on the small amount of pic..or create a border at the end and hard mortar it in , like a brick edge or blocks....would be better to add support
     
  12. sanj

    sanj Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    You paid this idiot more money to fix his bad job??
     
  13. chibs

    chibs Well-Known Member

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    We paid to put the edge restraint, which wasn't there initially. He fixed the misaligned ones for free. He gave a 2 yr warranty, but I doubt it means much.
    It's just that at this point in time it's way too late to call someone else in. If it means we have to redo everything then the cost would have been too high. But we definitely won't use this guy again in the future, lessons learnt.