# Need Help - Failed Patio in Sand Install



## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Have pictures?
How much of a slope are you talking about?
Is there any sort of a retainment wall at the base of the hill or at the end of the pool area to give stability?

I have a feeling that your issue is overall settlement of the entire hillside that's been disturbed - not just the bedding that the pavers are nested in. So, you can fix and fix the bedding - but as the underground continues to settle or slide downhill then your problem will continue to grow.

Lack of a retainment wall will permit the hill to shift - the entire hillside, or sections, will slide downhill.
Untamped, or partially tamped earth will settle naturally - a retainment wall won't necessarily help this, this is just compression of the soil.

I'll let other's dive into your possible solutions - I don't have much experience in that area.


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## lews (Apr 14, 2010)

Somehow my reply didn't get posted. I'm pretty certain it is not the whole thing moving downhill. The slope of the hilll is modest and the rough grade is conservative - ie, the slope of the downhill side of the patio fill is gentle. Also, the settling is spot settling, not the whole side (although there's a lot of spots).


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## lews (Apr 14, 2010)

Here are some photos


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## GardenConcepts (Jan 21, 2010)

From the pictures it look likes the pavers have settled below the edge of the pool coping. It also sounds like the fill around the pool is the culprit. If you use fill to build up an area intended to hold a patio, it must be a compactable fill, and compacted extremely well- using a double drum vibratory roller. Even then, the fill should be checked using a proctor test (checks for density) prior to installing the pavers.

In my opinion, you need to pull up the pavers and use a vibratory roller to further compact the base and fill. I would suggest contacting an engineer first. You'll need to be careful not to damage the pool when compacting.


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## lews (Apr 14, 2010)

Okay. Thanks for the advice.


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