Hi
Am I expecting too much to expect my new uniblock patio not have 1/4 to 3.8 inch puddles 4-5 feet in diameter? The contractor did quality work except he built it pretty much level and the low spots fill up and take 45 minutes to an hour to drain. Also the walk that connects to the patio acutally funnels water onto a part of the patio that does not drain well. Changing this will create a mess and the contraqctor just says it is no problem. I am also concerned about freezing. Ice on the surface and or frost heaving. The base is 12″ of what we call item 4 and is very solid.
Thanks for any info
Jim
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Flat is always a poor idea.
How flat did your contract call for?
There was no spec for "flatness". I assumed that it would be done to Unilock's specs.
I'm not sure what you mean? Are the puddles 3.8 inches deep or 3.8 inches in diameter?
If pavers are installed with superb workmanship there should be very little puddling. There should be none at all when the pavers are newly installed, though after a number of years some settling could occur.
But small puddles probably occur in the average job. Average would not be acceptable to me, but I'm not the type to demand expensive fixes. I would be disappointed with myself for not selecting a better contractor.
If the puddles drain in a reasonable time, and they don't get worse, you probably have a typical paver patio. My wife laid 875 SF of pavers over a 6" sand and gravel base. We used a laser to set the slope and levels and compacted the heck out of the base before a single block was placed. Three years later the patio looks great but there are a couple of places where water puddles enough to see it standing in a hard rain. It's probably 3/8"-1/2" deep and it drains away in five minutes. If I want to get her goat I'll comment about how it's proof of substandard work -- then I duck!
My concern is these puddles last upwards of an hour and I am concerned about repeated freezing and thawing during the winter
Well, since he says it is no problem for him to make a mess and take care of it, then hve him do so.
IMO, any patio or deck like this should have a min 1/8" slope in a foot and 1/4" is better. Especially in any location where there is freezing! He should know better. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the GC to oversee him aand make ssure to catch things like that
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There is that GC thing again. HUH.Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Have it reset.
If it's draining that poorly in the summer, it'll only be worse in the winter.
And yes, a poorly draining base will lead the base holding water and possible heaving during freeze/thaw cycles.
Mongo