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A section of my backyard (13.75 X 15.17) is paver stones that have sunk. The pavers abut the house so when it rains, too much water is draining towards the house. I'd like to remove the pavers entirely and replace with grass. I looked under one of the stones and all I see is dirt. My questions are: 1. Should I look to see if it's only dirt? (which would prob explain the sinking) 2. Once the pavers are removed, how do I figure out how much dirt I will need to replace the pavers (including how high I should lay the dirt)? 3. Will I need sand? 4. How do I lay the dirt to prevent draining towards the house?

Thank you so much for your help!

Allison
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You are probably right, the reason those pavers 'sunk' was because of a poorly made paver bed. Just take those pavers up...store them, they are worth putting somewhere else or making paths out of them. I would get rid of all growing stuff, regrade so that that entire area has at the very least 2% grade AWAY from your foundation. How high is the back of your yard in relation to your foundation? You might have to make a swale to capture excess water and allow to reenter the soil and water table. Be careful where this swale directs excess water. Anywhere off of your property could make lots of trouble. There is also the solution of making 'dry wells' to collect excess water yet still allow lawn to grow above. NO sand at all is indicated! Just slope that surface away from your foundation! Good call btw. Talk about reducing the value of your home!

I would replace with sod. Remove only soil to get water flowing away from your foundation. That soil can easily be thrown on top of plant beds or used to beef up or make new plant beds. No soil whatsoever should be brought in. Cut equals fill...is a big time rule. A swale is a gently sloping 'ditch'...if the property behind your home is higher than your foundation. Provide more information, there are also solutions to include trench drains and the like but you have to remove those pavers and soil until every drop of water that lands near your foundation is directed away from your foundation. Please send a picture because I am assuming an awful lot.

stormy
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  • UGH, I had a whole post that disappeared. I will take pics later. I removed a few more pavers and found dirt and rocks underneath. It looks like the pavers were laid on the ground with a rubber border surrounding it. Is this something an amateur can even do? We have a landscaper coming in to do stuff I cannot (remove dead trees) and I'd like to do what I can to defer costs. Thank you so much! I hope you can tell me more once I post pics. – Allison May 08 '17 at 19:31
  • That happens to me all of the time, grrrr. One thing to know is that the more you ask your contractor, the less it will cost than done in bits and pieces. Talking about bids and costs is easier and you'll get better prices done in person ON your property BEFORE he starts on those trees. Ask him for what he'd charge to remove the pavers, tell him where you want them stored. Figure the square footage of your paver area width X length (10'X20' for example) equals 200 sq. ft. divided by 81 will give you 4" of soil to install. Divide by two for the yardage of soil for 2" of soil. 1 1/4 YARDS – stormy May 08 '17 at 19:47
  • Keep this information to yourself. This will help 'test' your contractor. If the soil of your sod is at the same height as the bottom of your pavers you do not need more soil. Figure the amount of soil necessary for 2" average (deeper at the top than at the bottom of the slope) that should be compacted and fit perfectly with the level of your lawn's sod bed angled at a slope AWAY from your foundation. Your 13.75 X 15.17 equals 208 sq. ft. divided by 81 = 2 1/2 yards of soil for 4" or 1 and 3/4 yards for 2". Or close. You might not need any soil at all. Get him to write up a bid. – stormy May 08 '17 at 19:59
  • Ask him to break his bid down so that you know what his steps will be; removal of pavers, storing them on site not far away, lawn bed preparation, get a bid for SOD, not seed. This small of a space is suitable for sod. Not seed. In fact a contractor will give you a lower price for sod as seeding takes more work and is far less reliable. Send the bid to us to see! – stormy May 08 '17 at 20:02
  • You are freaking amazing!!! I have pics and will try to post tho I don't see a way to attach pics. booo! There is a bit of rock under the pavers so won't I have to remove the rock? I'll call the landscaper and see what he says. Dang, don't think I can post a pic. – Allison May 10 '17 at 20:31
  • I bet you can...ask a bud to send a picture from your phone. Forget about removing rock except for stones larger than your fist. It would be good to pull up those pavers and allow the soil to dry out a bit. Ugh, I know. Do you have clay soil? Messing with wet even damp clay soil is a no -no. Explain later. Please ask a friend to send a picture a picture in your phone. Heh, heh, that is what I do! That's a great thing to give to hubby to do...any questions, you know the drill! – stormy May 11 '17 at 05:07