As seen in

Words: Frank Gardner Photographs: Gregory McBean
Styling: Suzanne King Diagrams: Stephen Pollitt

Been putting off paving that patch of dirt? Now you can tackle it confidently with Handyman by your side. Smooth, very smooth!

The original backyard of this suburban home looked like a construction zone, with leftover building materials and debris scattered about after the recently completed extension. See our photo above for all the proof you’ll need. With the arrival of a new baby, it was time to make this zone safe for the soon-to-be toddler as well as a functional entertaining area for the adults.

Planning

With a park at the back fence, the need for a lawn area was not a priority, so it was decided to create a low-maintenance, hard-wearing entertainment area in the form of a paved courtyard. Paving a courtyard is well within the capabilities of most DIYers, whereas working with concrete can be a lot tougher and unforgiving if an error is made.

Begin by drawing a plan, preferably to scale.

Consider:

• How much hard surface area you’ll need for any furniture.
• Traffic lines (steps, paths or ramps).
• Garden beds or areas of lawn.
• Views, sightlines and the movement of the sun.

When deciding on the layout and style, remember that paving should blend with the architectural style of the home. Also, straight lines in paving create a formal style, while curved or meandering paving creates a more relaxed and inviting atmosphere. (For more on initial courtyard planning, see the HandymanMay/June ’03 issue.)

Our plan consisted of a paved rectangle (5 x 8m) flanked on two sides by an existing 1800mm high lush screen of lilly pilli. In the western corner, stepping stones lead to the back of the garage, and on the eastern side are two pathways providing access to the gate in the back fence and to the narrow side of the house. Abutting the eastern side of the courtyard is a small area of lawn and the footing for a future water feature (Diagram 1). The courtyard has a northerly aspect that receives full sun. It is a great place to relax on a winter’s day but will require the protection of an umbrella on a summer’s afternoon. 

DIAGRAM 01: COURTYARD PLAN



Click to view enlarged version

STRETCHER

STAGGARD BASKETWEAVE

BASKETWEAVE

STACK

HERRINGBONE (SQUARE)

HERRINGBONE (DIAGONAL)

Types of pavers

Pavers can be made from clay, concrete, granite, limestone and sandstone and come in a variety of shapes, textures and patterns. A wide variety of materials means a wide variety of prices, so you’re sure to find something to suit your budget.

When purchasing pavers, consider the laying bond that is going to be used. Square pavers are restricted to two paving bonds – either stretcher or stack bond – but these bonds can be laid square or on the diagonal. Smaller housebrick-sized pavers (230 x 115mm) are symmetrically perfect for a variety of patterns, which include stretcher, stack, basketweave, staggered basketweave and herringbone (square or diagonal) (Diagram 2).

Calculating area

To order pavers, calculate the surface area to be paved. Square or rectangular shapes are easily calculated by multiplying the length by the width of the area (eg 10m x 4m = 40m2). Triangular areas can be calculated by multiplying half the base length by the height. Circular areas are calculated using the formula pi times the radius squared.

The best way to calculate difficult, irregular shaped areas, is to draw a plan and break the area up into 1m x 1m grids. Once the surface area has been calculated, you can use the answer to calculate all the materials needed for the job.

 Ordering materials

Pavers are sold by the square metre and range greatly in price. We selected a 400 x 400 x 50mm Austral clay paver called ‘Riviera’ in the colour ‘Imperia’. If the selected bond pattern requires lots of cuts, add an extra five to seven per cent to the order to allow for wastage.

Base materials are restricted to concrete or roadbase. I always use concrete as a base around swimming pools and in driveways to guarantee against sinkage. Some concrete companies now provide a cheaper mix to go under paving. This mix has less aggregate in it, making it easier to screed. For this courtyard, we placed and compacted a 100mm-thick bed of roadbase.

To calculate the order, we multiplied the surface area by the depth to get the cubic metres needed, eg 48m2 x 0.1m = 4.8m3.

We ordered 5m3 to ensure we had enough. If you need to convert it to tonnes, simply multiply by 1.5. Therefore, 5m3 x 1.5 = 7.5 tonnes.

Bedding sand like roadbase can be ordered by the tonne or by the cubic metre. To calculate the order, multiply the surface area by the depth of sand (usually 25mm) to get the cubic metres needed, eg 48m2 x 0.025m = 1.2m3.

We ordered 1.5m3. To order by the tonne, repeat the procedure as for roadbase. Bedding sand materials are usually coarsegrained products. They can be natural, such as washed river sand, or manufactured, such as packing sand, which is a by-product of quarry crushing processes. The best bedding sands have no clay content. Check the Yellow Pages for your local landscape supplier to find out what products are available in your area.

Grouting sand needs to be fine-grained so the sand falls easily into the joints between the paving blocks. We used a beach sand called ‘Sydney Sand’, and two full wheelbarrows were more than enough to grout the entire job.

You can also buy dry, fine-grained grout sand in bags from landscape supply centres and selected hardware stores.

The starting point is to establish the finished height of your paving. Ours was determined by the height of the pre-existing steps.

Tie taut perimeter stringlines to the set-out pegs at the finished height marks. Use a spirit level set against the stringlines to double check fall is in the correct direction.

Set a taut stringline across the roadbase from the perimeter lines. Check the depth of the roadbase off this line. Fill any low spots and remove any high ones to achieve a level surface.

Bed the rails below the stringlines by the thickness of a paver. The paver should protrude above the stringline by 5-8mm. This will allow for hand or machine compaction later on.

Use steel floats to help tamp and level the surface of the bedding sand. Remember, if you want the paved surface to look level, the bedding sand must be screeded off level.

Set up laying lines square to one another at both ends of the area to be paved. To do this, use the builder’s square or the 3-4-5 method (see Diagram 4).

Lay one row of pavers at each end of the area to be paved. Remember to leave a 5mm joint between all of the pavers.

Fill the screed rail channels left in the sand. Use a steel float to tamp and level the surface of the sand where the rails had been.

Position three or four taut stringlines from end to end to create laying lines across the area to be paved. These lines will ensure you get a professional-looking finish to your job.

Measure the gap to be filled, then transfer the measurement to the face of the paver. Number the edge of the marked paver and its corresponding position on the adjacent full paver.

Sweep dry grout into all paving joints. Repeat the process until all the joints are completely filled.

And that’s about it. Our handymen, Ed Frendo (left) and Frank Gardner, down tools and head for the golf course after a job well done!

DIAGRAM 3: EXCAVATION DEPTH


TIP: If your roadbase is going to be deeper than 100mm, compact it in a series of layers to
ensure a stable foundation for your work. Lightly hose the roadbase before compaction to
bind it together and keep the dust to a minimum.

Setting out (Photos 1-4)

Peg out the corners of the area to be paved. On the pegs, mark the finished height of the paving. The transfer of these marks from peg to peg can be done with a dumpy level, a spirit level and straightedge or a water level. Consider how much fall is needed and where any water go, as you don’t want to flood your neighbour’s yard. We allowed 15mm of fall per linear metre. To complete the setout, stretch stringlines between the pegs around the perimeter of the paving area. Set them at the finished height marks on the pegs.

Base work (Photos 5-8)

This is the toughest part of the job and really gets the sweat level up. To ease the pain of mattock and shovel work, consider hiring a bobcat from a hire centre like Kennards. At just over $400 a day, it is money well spent to get a large site excavated and the roadbase in place. Excavate the area to a depth of 175mm below finished stringline height (Diagram 3). This allows for 100mm of roadbase, 25mm of bedding sand and 50mm of pavers. To check the excavation depth is correct, measure down from the set-out lines.

HINT: Identify water, gas and telephone line locations before commencing any excavation and, if you’re unsure, dial 1100 (Dial Before You Dig) nationwide for assistance.

NOTE: This service may need to carry out searches with some authorities, and will have the information posted out to you, so it’s best to call them a week or so before you plan to start work. With the excavation complete, it is time to bring in the roadbase. This stuff is hard to shovel and heavy to move so, if possible, get it tipped straight into the excavated site. We had to move ours from the front of the house to the backyard so we used a bobcat – “thanks bobby!”

Spread and level the base before compacting it with a plate compactor – available from hire centres. After you finish compacting, check that there are no soft or spongy spots in the base. If there are, now is the time to dig them out and fix them to avoid sinkage problems later.

Screeding the bedding sand
(Photos 9-12)

Keep the sand to a minimum depth and screed off to create a smooth, level laying surface. To do this, set taut stringlines off the perimeter stringlines where the screed rails will be positioned. Position the screed rails beneath the stringlines and set them at the correct height.

We used two lengths of galvanised water pipe as screed rails. Ensure any sand beneath the rails is packed firmly so the rails won’t dip when the screed board slides along them. Once the rails are in place, screed off the sand using a straight screed board. If the board is longer than 2m, work with a partner to do the screeding.

Progressively move the rails across the area, resetting them to the correct height each time until the screeding is finished. Remove the rails and fill in the empty rail channels with the sand, using a steel float.

Laying the pavers (Photos 13-18)

Set up two square laying lines to work along. Use either the 3-4-5 method (see Diagram 4) or a builder’s square to ensure the lines are square. We used the back of the house verandah as our first line and pulled a taut stringline square off this as the other line.

Lay a single row of pavers at each end of the paving area. Set taut stringlines between the two ends, creating lines to lay to. When laying the smaller 230 x 115mm pavers, use a grid system of stringlines. Start at one end and lay in turn, each complete row of pavers following the set lines. Ensure a joint width of 5mm with the large 400 x 400mm pavers. Never allow the pavers to butt against each other, as the corners will chip.

HINT: Take pavers from several packs at the same time to ensure a blend of colour. With these particular pavers, the extrusion holes should all run in one direction.

Every two or three rows, position a taut stringline along the edge of the laying face, to ensure the lines are perfectly straight. If a kink or bend develops in the laying face adjust it immediately, to prevent it getting progressively worse. Complete the laying of all full pavers.

Marking and cutting (Photos 19-21)

When all the full pavers have been laid, gaps will invariable remain, requiring pavers to be cut. Either position a paver over a gap and mark it or use a tape and measure the size of the gap then transfer this to the top of a full paver and mark with a permanent marker. Remember to allow for the 5mm joint tolerance when marking.

HINT: Save any chipped or damaged pavers for marking and cutting, as you may be able to cut off the damaged area. Pavers are always most easily and quickly cut on a wet bricksaw using a diamond-tipped blade. (We hired ours from Kennards, but remember to ask for a suitable blade to match the product you are cutting.) Complete all the cuts and place the pavers in position.

Grouting (Photo 22)

Make final adjustments to the joint lines of the paving before spreading the grouting sand over the entire surface.

HINT: We used a screwdriver to adjust the lines of the joints for a neat finish. A grout that will set firm and help restrict weed growth can be made from fine-grained washed beach sand and cement in a ratio of 6:1. Alternatively, just use a fine-grained sand. Spread the sand or the sand/cement mix over the surface and allow to dry in the sun before sweeping it into the joints. When the joints are completely full, sweep off the excess. To finish, slowly and carefully hose the surface with the nozzle set on fine spray. Make sure no cement residue is left on the paving surface. When the grout dries, it will set in the joints. If using just beach sand, there is no need to hose the surface, just sweep the surface clean.

Compacting

The paving can now be compacted by hand or machine. To compact by hand, use a straight length of timber and a lump hammer. Lay the timber on each row of pavers and strike it several times along its length with the hammer. Repeat on each
row of pavers. Alternatively, tap each paver with a rubber mallet so it is level with its neighbour. For a better result, hire a plate compactor. We used the same one that compacted our base. Run the plate compactor sequentially over the entire paved surface to achieve a level finish. To soften the bounce on the pavers and prevent any possible chipping or cracking, lay a piece of carpet over the pavers or tie-fix a square of carpet to the base of the compactor. When compacting the edges, have two helpers hold a length of timber against the edge to prevent any outward movement.

Edging (Photo 23)

To edge the paving, place a 45° buttress of mortar mix against the edge of the outside course. We used our bedding sand mixed with cement in a ratio of 4:1. Cut any bedding sand down to the roadbase level on the outside of the pavers. Mix the mortar and roughly shovel it into position. Use a steel float to work the mortar into a 45° angle, keeping the top edge 10-15mm below the surface of the pavers. Once the edging is set, it can be covered with soil and/or lawn.
Our paved courtyard is now ready for some serious entertaining. But first, time for golf!

MATERIALS LIST

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