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Hi all, I have been excavating an area on my backyard in preparation to lay pavers as an outdoor entertaining area. After removing the top layer of grass, I have hit a large slab of sandstone as shown in the attached images.
My question is this, do I/should I remove the sandstone down to the lowest level so everything is the one level? Or can I leave it and 'fill in' the lower areas with road base and bedding sand?
Sandstone marked with red
Sandstone in red again
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @daneskin. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about levelling an area.
It looks like you're currently undermining the retaining walls, given the height of the bottom sleeper. It’s likely that this area was originally designed to be filled to match the height of the lower retaining wall on the right, which aligns with the bottom of the larger retaining walls. Removing the sandstone entirely would not only be impractical without professional help but would also require modifying the base of the retaining walls to prevent soil erosion beneath them.
Was there a specific reason for lowering the area? Perhaps to match the level closer to that of the lower section near the house? If that's not a necessity, the most practical solution would be to fill the area back up with soil and then with road base, compact it thoroughly, and then lay your paving over the compacted surface. This approach will maintain the structural integrity of the retaining walls while providing a solid foundation for your pavers.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
