[scottmk]

Hi,
I'm building a patio approx 100sq ft with pavers. The patio will butt up against a foundation, so I want to make sure to slope it away from the house. Currently, there are no issues with poor drainage away from the foundation. We don't get that much rain where drainage would be a major issue, but I could see it being perhaps a minor issue.

My question is this. I understand that I should excavate with a slope away from the house (i.e., dig deeper further away from the house). I will be doing the standard 6" dig - adding gravel and then sand. When I put the gravel in, should that be level? Or, should the gravel maintain the same slope as the excavated site? Finally, should the pavers also have the same slope away from the house?

I guess what I don't understand is why the gravel, sand, and pavers couldn't be leveled as long as the bottom layer (clay) was deeper away from the foundation. It seems water would still drain properly.

I appreciate the feedback and just want to do the job right and understand the concept. Many thanks.

[jshilan]

Even though it is a little more work you typically do need to pitch the base so that you can pitch the paver's. Around here contractors typically pitch the patio 1" per 10' or 1/8" -1/4" per foot as a guide.

Contrary to what you may think (and what a lot of people think), very little, if any, water percolates through the paver's. Most, if not all, of the water runs over the surface and will never even get close to reaching the clay.

A couple of thoughts (without seeing your space).
1. 100 SF is a small patio for most uses. If you can go bigger I would.
2. Find out what base materials are used in your area. Gravel and sand are not really ideal (we use either quarry process or recycled concrete for the base and then level with stone dust).
3. You should also excavate closer to 8". 4" for the base. 1-1/2" for screeding and 2 3/8 " for the paver's.

Good luck with it.