u/tkohhhhhhhhh

This was a long time coming, but I finally finished my DIY paver patio (and patio cover) install.

This is in the California central valley (so no freezing). Area is roughly 280 square feet. Method for the pavers is as follows:

1. Excavate to depth
2. Add 3 inches of Road base and compact
3. Add 1 inch of concrete sand
4. Lay pavers
5. Compact pavers, add poly sand

Lessons learned:

• Digging in this part of California SUCKS in the summer. It's not bad in the winter (when we get rain).
• 3 Yards of road base was not enough for 3 inches depth after compaction. I wish I had half a yard more, but instead had to compromise my depth slightly near the house and the edge of the circle in order to get 3 inches by the post footers.
• A tile saw was absolutely worth the purchase cost. I can't imagine making all of these cuts dry with dust flying everywhere.
• After cutting with the tile saw, it's important to rinse the pavers off with fresh water before installing. Otherwise you end up with discoloration where the saw sludge dries.
• I wish I had planned to do the sailor course around the entire circle.

This was a LOT of work (you can see from the timestamps how long it took). I have no regrets though, as I ended up spending about $8,000 for the whole thing: a little more than $4000 for the pavers, and a little less than $4000 for the cover.