What distance can pavers be from weep holes?

[TimGeo]

I have just completed my deck and about to plan for my next task of building bluestone pavers in a stepping stone style. I planned to have the top level of the pavers at approx 150mm below the F.F.L of the deck which coincidently is the exact level of the bottom of the weep holes of the house as seen in the photo.

I will be using about 100mm thick of concrete pad per paver ontop of a base so I will be moving some of the existing material around to level it out at least so the base is on a somewhat level surface.

I haven't decided what material to back fill between the crushed base and the pavers to fill the gap, but essentially the substrate top surface will be 10 to 20mm below the weep holes.

I may even back fill most of the way with soil, and a layer of stones or pebbles to satisfy any ventilation issues with the weep holes, that way I can at least plant ground cover between pavers and still be freely draining.

I would like to know if this will be ok, and perhaps any tips, I know the minimum should be 50 to 75mm space but I'm taking drainage into consideration 

[TimGeo]

thanks for the tip, also would you recommend to drop in some reinforcement mesh in each pad?

[EricL]

Hi @TimGeo 

It's always a plus to put in reinforcement mesh. Just make sure to keep the mesh floating off the ground when you pour your concrete in. This will prevent it from rusting out too fast.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[TimGeo]

Just wanted to share an update on my paving project, just poured concrete today and I'm fairly happy with the result, I came up short a little bit on the last couple of pads, they are maybe 10mm low in areas, it seems my calculation was slightly off, and I didn't have enough waste gate, but I feel it's ok I can just add a little extra mortar on those couple and I shouldn't have any real issues, if it seriously is a problem then I might have to get a couple of bags and re-pour one pad

 

 

 

   

[Dave-1]

Evening @TimGeo 

Wow! That is some effort! When I first saw your post I thought it was for a solid pathway. This is far from it and man it should come up nice! It will be definently high on the style gauge What gave you the idea of doing the paving in this style? I really like the idea.

Dave

[TimGeo]

Always loved the stepping paver style and I always wanted to incorporate bluestone into the lanscape in a way that compliments the colour pallete and the brick, and hopefully I can pull it off and have super straight lines

you can always concrete or just do end to end paving with no gaps but I feel that's just an excuse to eliminate any chance of having a self sustaining landscape with ground cover or shrubs etc, it might be a little more maintenance but having a combination of straight lines with shrubs and greenery to soften the edges and have a liveable space that is a far cry from having lillydale toppings from end to end and full of weeds in my case lol

[EricL]

Hi @TimGeo 

Thank you so much for the update on your paving project. Your form work looks fantastic, I'm really looking forward on seeing what it looks like once you've taken them off and put in the blue stones. 

Keep the updates coming.

Eric

[TimGeo]

I have to admit, without the proper tools and good time management, its not an easy task!

a quick question about bonding though:

As the surface of the better concrete pads are a little rough and the ones that didn't fill up are even more rough (as they didn't meet the top of the formwork) I am starting to be a little concerned about improper bonding to mortar and the pavers...I had been given advice to use Bondcrete on the concrete and back of the pavers to bond to the mortar and create a stronger connection, however I am just wondering would I be alright in thinking that as long as the mortar fills all the space of the uneven surfaces and there's no loose concrete, then there's nothing to worry about and the bond will still be quite strong? or am I going to have to address the pads that didn't turn out so good and either use bondcrete and some more concrete to level them off, or take them out and re-pour the bad ones?

thanks

[MitchellMc]

Hi @TimGeo,

Using Boncrete is a common method when getting mortar or concrete to stick to concrete. Concrete doesn't contain any bonding agents, and without it the old dry concrete tends to wick moisture from the new and can prevent an adequate bond. Painting the underside of the pavers might be a good idea as well. Although you have a rough keyed surface, I feel the Boncrete should be used as reassurance that the two masonry surfaces will glue together. Check out the Boncrete applications methods for more information.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[TimGeo]

Thanks for addressing that for me, as least I can feel a bit more confident at doing this myself, as for the concrete which didn't quite measure up, will slapping down thicker mortar (I'm talking possibly 30 or maybe 40mm) compromise the strength? Or should I go ahead and add more concrete to level it off ?

[EricL]

Hi @TimGeo 

I'm leaning more towards concrete as you're not after a fine finish. The concrete will also have a rough finish at the top which will be ideal if you plan on putting anything above it.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric