Tearing out a deck out and replacing it with pavers

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

We have a decent sized deck off the back of our house, about 4 feet off the ground, which is getting on a bit in years. I was thinking about tearing it out and having the area hardscaped with some adjacent grass and and such into a huge patio. Obviously, we will need to have stairs put in off the slider from the 4 season room, and I was wondering if anyone else had done this. Satisfied? Look weird? Tips/warnings?

 

[Rifler]

Pavers are nice until they start to move, and all pavers will eventually move.

 

[yoshi121374]

I wouldn't do pavers, as they will move and sink etc. Best choice is a concrete slab or low deck with trex.

 

[PedMaller]

I wouldn't do pavers, as they will move and sink etc. Best choice is a concrete slab or low deck with trex.

Pavers look nice, but they move & you have to redo the binding sand (& re-seal) every few years. Too much work.

I put a stamped concrete pad in my old house & much preferred that. Shouldn’t crack if they pour & cut correctly.

 

[QChawks]

I bet you have a small deck

 

[BelemNole]

Pavers are nice until they start to move, and all pavers will eventually move.

Really depends on where you live and the soil you have. I've had pavers for more than a decade and they're fine.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

Pavers look nice, but they move & you have to redo the binding sand (& re-seal) every few years. Too much work.

I put a stamped concrete pad in my old house & much preferred that. Shouldn’t crack if they pour & cut correctly.

Thanks boyz - appreciate the wisdom.

 

[Gibbs_dontbanmetom]

As others have stated. Don’t go the paver route.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

Really depends on where you live and the soil you have. I've had pavers for more than a decade and they're fine.

We are in Iowa where soil likes to heave and move.

 

[BelemNole]

We are in Iowa where soil likes to heave and move.

Just be aware that stamped concrete looks great - for about 6 months.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

I wouldn't do pavers, as they will move and sink etc. Best choice is a concrete slab or low deck with trex.

I like the low deck idea. We have kind of a tricky back yard where we have a pool with decking and a low retaining wall, where the patio would extend to beyond the footprint of our current elevated deck. I like the idea of being able to have a level trex deck from the house to the pool without having to slope concrete away from our house for drainage purposes...

 

[RollingballofButcherKnives]

Hey, you need advice on a retaining wall?

 

[jimneffer]

We are in Iowa where soil likes to heave and move.

if you install it correctly, the pavers should be better when it comes to heaving. there's a lot more flexibility than a concrete slab.

the pavers will move. the concrete will crack/split.

i also just think concrete (even stamped concrete) just doesn't look as good as a good paver patio.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

Hey, you need advice on a retaining wall?

Already have one which would be tied into, unless this is a joke that is flying over my head. If you have a landscape company in the DSM area, let me know. Probably won't do anything for a year or two, just trying to develop the right plan for when we execute.

 

[RockyMtNole]

Are you sure you don’t already have cement steps underneath the deck?

 

[kidmike41]

We have a decent sized deck off the back of our house, about 4 feet off the ground, which is getting on a bit in years. I was thinking about tearing it out and having the area hardscaped with some adjacent grass and and such into a huge patio. Obviously, we will need to have stairs put in off the slider from the 4 season room, and I was wondering if anyone else had done this. Satisfied? Look weird? Tips/warnings?

My parents did that awhile back, I think you will be happy. We don't have 4 season rooms in SC. What exactly is that?

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

I bet you have a small deck

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

Are you sure you don’t already have cement steps underneath the deck?

Yeah. We replaced the deck about 12 years ago so I'm familiar with what is under it. We are in this house for the long haul so I am just trying to optimize every square foot of our little slice of paradise in the back yard. The current shape and configuration of the deck just isn't optimal for what we have done with putting in a pool. Going to wipe the slate clean.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

My parents did that awhile back, I think you will be happy. We don't have 4 season rooms in SC. What exactly is that?

It is an addition to the back of our house where the walls are all basically windows, but it is a conditioned space so you can use it year around. This not our house but our 4 season room looks a lot like this one:

 

[kidmike41]

It is an addition to the back of our house where the walls are all basically windows, but it is a conditioned space so you can use it year around. This not our house but our 4 season room looks a lot like this one:

We call that a sun room.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

We call that a sun room.

Well, we do too. Couch/sofa, sun room/4 season room, etc. I guess one thing I would add is that 3 season room looks just like the 4 season room, but there isn't a PTEC unit to cool and heat the space. Those suck. Not sure what you would call that in the south, but I think I have heard them referred to as Florida rooms.

 

[kidmike41]

Well, we do too. Couch/sofa, sun room/4 season room, etc. I guess one thing I would add is that 3 season room looks just like the 4 season room, but there isn't a PTEC unit to cool and heat the space. Those suck. Not sure what you would call that in the south, but I think I have heard them referred to as Florida rooms.

We would call that off limits in the summertime. It would be way too hot.

 

[RockyMtNole]

Yeah. We replaced the deck about 12 years ago so I'm familiar with what is under it. We are in this house for the long haul so I am just trying to optimize every square foot of our little slice of paradise in the back yard. The current shape and configuration of the deck just isn't optimal for what we have done with putting in a pool. Going to wipe the slate clean.

Gotcha
In our old house I put in a paver patio while others built the standard decks. I liked the lower patio - you could see the entire yard (no drop off) and made the yard look bigger.

 

[lucas80]

We are in Iowa where soil likes to heave and move.

Yeah, come to my back yard. The concrete patio portion is fine. The section with pavers around the fire pit has sunk about an inch.
There used to be a concrete guy around here. Reach out to him.

 

[PalmettoTiger1]

Nd Pavers are nice until they start to move, and all pavers will eventually move.

Pour a 4 inch pad and lay the pavers on that
Flat level or slightly sloping surface

on the pavers always use full body pavers where the flat pad ends so to make maximum contact to flat concrete surface. Will contain better

Use polysand and sweep while really dry

I did 30,000 foot patio by myself so I know about DIY. LOL

And pool house. And cook shed with appliances

and had swimming pool installed

Pavers beat wood all day long as far as I am concerned

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

Pour a 4 inch pad and lay the pavers on that
Flat level or slightly sloping surface

on the pavers always use full body pavers where the flat pad ends so to make maximum contact to flat concrete surface. Will contain better

Use polysand and sweep while really dry

I did 30,000 foot patio by myself so I know about DIY. LOL

And pool house. And cook shed with appliances

and had swimming pool installed

Pavers beat wood all day long as far as I am concerned

30,000 foot patio?

 

[RollingballofButcherKnives]

Already have one which would be tied into, unless this is a joke that is flying over my head. If you have a landscape company in the DSM area, let me know. Probably won't do anything for a year or two, just trying to develop the right plan for when we execute.

That landscape company is @WDDT

 

[PalmettoTiger1]

30,000 foot patio?

yes huge area

have 11 acres for my house

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

yes huge area

have 11 acres for my house

Your patio is more than a half an acre?

 

[LiveFreeOrDie97]

When I lived in Iowa, I put a 300+ square foot patio in with pavers and it was perfectly fine up until the time we moved (14 years) with no signs of movement. The key IMHO was the 12 inch base I dug out. Overkill? Maybe. But the results speak for themselves.

 

[AFM22]

I wouldn't do pavers, as they will move and sink etc. Best choice is a concrete slab or low deck with trex.

This. We have a paver patio and it’s fine but when I replace it I will put a concrete slab.

 

[Moogy]

We have a decent sized deck off the back of our house, about 4 feet off the ground, which is getting on a bit in years. I was thinking about tearing it out and having the area hardscaped with some adjacent grass and and such into a huge patio. Obviously, we will need to have stairs put in off the slider from the 4 season room, and I was wondering if anyone else had done this. Satisfied? Look weird? Tips/warnings?

Those claiming stamped concrete is better are idiots. First, it's ugly. It's trashy. No one wants stamped concrete if they can avoid it. Second, pavers actually are BETTER for dealing with movement and heaving, and last longer ... AND can be fixed/replaced more cheaply if something does go wrong. You just need to have them installed correctly (deeper base, retaining materials, polymeric sand, etc.).

 

[Moogy]

Pour a 4 inch pad and lay the pavers on that
Flat level or slightly sloping surface

on the pavers always use full body pavers where the flat pad ends so to make maximum contact to flat concrete surface. Will contain better

Use polysand and sweep while really dry

I did 30,000 foot patio by myself so I know about DIY. LOL

And pool house. And cook shed with appliances

and had swimming pool installed

Pavers beat wood all day long as far as I am concerned

4 inches isn't enough ... that's why your wife had to step out on you.

But, seriously, in harsher, more variable climates, 6 inches is the minimum acceptable. 8 inches preferred, and you can go deeper still.

And, no, you don't have a 30,000 foot patio. 30,000 SF is 2/3 of a football field.

And it's not a concrete pad under pavers.

You seem confused.

 

[WDDT]

Well, we do too. Couch/sofa, sun room/4 season room, etc. I guess one thing I would add is that 3 season room looks just like the 4 season room, but there isn't a PTEC unit to cool and heat the space. Those suck. Not sure what you would call that in the south, but I think I have heard them referred to as Florida rooms.

Maidrite/sloppyjoe.


You going to knock this bad boy out yourself?

 

[WDDT]

yes huge area

have 11 acres for my house

You poured a 175x 175 slab?

 

[WDDT]

4 inches isn't enough ... that's why your wife had to step out on you.

But, seriously, in harsher, more variable climates, 6 inches is the minimum acceptable. 8 inches preferred, and you can go deeper still.

And, no, you don't have a 30,000 foot patio. 30,000 SF is 2/3 of a football field.

And it's not a concrete pad under pavers.

You seem confused.

I took it to mean he poured a slab and inset pavers. Like this idea:

( maybe so the edges were all finished.) Either way. Almost zero chance he poured a 175 fr square unless by he he means he had a concrete company do it.)

 

[LiveFreeOrDie97]

4 inches isn't enough ... that's why your wife had to step out on you.

But, seriously, in harsher, more variable climates, 6 inches is the minimum acceptable. 8 inches preferred, and you can go deeper still.

And, no, you don't have a 30,000 foot patio. 30,000 SF is 2/3 of a football field.

And it's not a concrete pad under pavers.

You seem confused.

Yeah, that boi is all over the place.

As I mentioned above, 12-14 inch depth was the key for me. When I do things, I tend to try to do it right and make them last a lifetime. That paver patio will be there flat and level until someone digs it up or the New Madrid Fault gives way.

 

[WDDT]

Yeah, that boi is all over the place.

As I mentioned above, 12-14 inch depth was the key for me. When I do things, I tend to try to do it right and make them last a lifetime. That paver patio will be there flat and level until someone digs it up or the New Madrid Fault gives way.

You are trying way too hard bruv.

 

[LiveFreeOrDie97]

You are trying way too hard bruv.

You’re not the only one that knows their way around a shovel homie! Built to last is my motto.

P.S. That tree is going to eventually topple your retaining wall. You should have checked with me first.

 

[Tenacious E_rivals41982]

You going to knock this bad boy out yourself?