The Savannah, Georgia, home of Kim and Jody Lanier is undergoing a backyard renovation. New features include the installation of a paver walkway that will link the brick patio to the back deck, a tall fountain that acts as a focal centerpiece for the courtyard and new benches and landscaping.
With the walkway perimeters marked off with landscape paint, it's time to dig (figure A). The depth of the new walkway is approximately 7-1/2" deep. If your new walkway is going to meet existing steps from a patio or deck, make sure the top of the walkway is the same distance from the last step as the other steps are to each other; otherwise you risk creating a walking hazard in your backyard. Here the rise of the upper steps is 5-1/2" (figure B). Using the laser transit, and measuring from the 5-1/2" mark at the base stair, a measurement is made at the top of the patio floor of 3'9". Next the transit is moved up 7-3/4" to find the level of the excavation, bringing the measurement to approximately 4'5". This point is set on the transit. Now the transit can be moved around the excavation site and it will electronically alert if the site is too low or high in depth during the digging process.
Once the excavation is complete and at an even depth, wheelbarrows filled with stone are unloaded into the excavated site (figure C). The stone, along with sand, will act as the foundation for the pavers. A 4" base of stone is spread over the area and compacted down with a plate compactor (figure D).
With the base gravel in place and checked for level, and following the building guidelines for paver walkways, a laying course of 1" of sand is poured over the stone (figure E). Concrete sand, sold in gravel and stone stores, is recommended for paver foundations because it has a bigger aggregate (granule) size than fine mortar sand, letting it pack down but still allowing moisture and water to drain away from the path.Dean uses an easy trick for leveling the sand base: Lengths of 1" metal pipe are laid the length of the walkway; the sand is poured to the height of the pipes; and a 2x4 board is pulled down the poles, pulling away extra sand and leveling the sand base, a process known as screed (figure F) (figure G). As the sand is leveled, the poles can slide to the next area of the path; just fill in the pole depressions left in the sand, being careful not to walk on the screed sand.
In historic Savannah, river rock and cobblestones were often used as paving materials. In keeping with this tradition, old-style paving bricks are used for the path (figure H). Placing them in a basketweave pattern (an easy pattern to duplicate) continues the look of the cobblestone paths seen throughout the city.Before beginning the path, the center point is marked on the stoop (figure I). Bricks are then placed on either side of this point, with the pattern working out from the point while staying within the walkway borders and always on a screed path (figure J).
RESOURCES :
Black and Decker tools
Website: www.blackanddecker.com
Black & Decker, Inc. (Corporate)
Website: www.bdk.com/main_bd.htm
Porter-Cable Tools
Porter-Cable Corporation
Website: www.deltaportercable.com
Irwin Industrial Tool Company
Website: www.irwin.com
Ames True Temper Tools
Ames-True Temper
Website: www.ames-truetemper.com
Sealants
OSI Sealants, Inc.
Website: www.osisealants.com
Paving stones
Pavestone
Website: www.pavestone.com
American Society of Landscape Architects
Delta Tools
Deltak Power Tools
Website: www.deltamachinery.com
Plants provided by Skinner Nurseries Inc.
Skinner Nurseries Inc.
Website: www.skinnernurseries.com
Fountain provided by Al's Garden Art
Al's Garden Art
Website: www.alsgardenart.com
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