Patio Irrigation Question

newkitchenny55

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hii,

We finally finished a big reno inside, and now we need to add a new patio. Any thoughts on which option is better:

1) put the patio on sand/gravel to make it porous, and use pop outs for the leaders from our gutters

2)put the patio on cement and create a drywell

We're getting conflicting info. Seems like the price difference is about 3K with drywell more expensive but given how expensive it all is over, which is the theme these days I'd rather go with whichever will be the better option

Featured Answer

3onthetree

4 years ago

An overall plan for site drainage would have to be looked at. It is fairly easy to understand - water flows downhill, and the simpler the solution the better your long-term success. Too many people say "drywell" as a first reaction to water mitigation and have no understanding of it's use or how to do things otherwise. If you are required to have underground storage then you must have a tight property. If not, detention can occur with just a grassy area too. It all just depends on your site, which should be considered with your patio design anyway. If you are just over the line in exceeding the impervious calcs, maybe holding back a bit on patio size may negate some headaches. A good landscape contractor (not landscape maintenance) should be able to guide you.

For a new paver install on top of a concrete slab consider this: that the concrete slab may actually need it's own base of gravel if the soil is unstable; then the cost of concrete material, the forms, reinforcement, and finishing (the act of screeding and surface floating); that you need to core holes in the slab to allow water to drain; that you then need a geotextile to keep the bedding sand from draining through those holes. Not the same price and does not give you a better foundation for a typical paver install. And if the purpose of a slab is to mortar the pavers in a flat horizontal plane in NY, that is just a maintenance nightmare.

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Comments (6)

3onthetree
4 years ago
The type of patio material you choose will determine it's foundation - whether you want to walk on pavers that happens to be over a sand and gravel base, or just walk on an exposed concrete slab.

The water mitigation is specific to your project and goals of it and your climate. But in most circumstances, having a drywell or pop-ups is a separate decision from what kind of patio you want for outdoor living.

Can't make complete sense of your OP, but it seems that the information you have received thus far is not good.
newkitchenny55 thanked 3onthetree
newkitchenny55
Original Author
4 years ago
@3onthetree thank you! We are going for pavers for the patio. The original mason said he prefers to put the pavers on a concrete slab base, but then we need a dry well, as per the local building code because too much of our property would be paved otherwise.

We asked about putting the pavers on sand/gravel base to make it permeable but still have an issue of where the water from the leaders go, since they would just run onto the patio and discolor the pavers, hence the pop up.

We can't seem to get an answer on which type of base is better and if its better to have a dry well.
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WestCoast Hopeful
4 years ago
We have pavers and they are over sand. The ground was levelled and stamped down somehow, don’t know technical term.
newkitchenny55 thanked WestCoast Hopeful
3onthetree
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
First, you do not dump your downspouts onto a patio. You pipe them and discharge them elsewhere. Second, I don't know anybody who installs pavers after installing a concrete slab. You are essentially paying for 2 patios (hence a new boat for the mason which is why he prefers it that way). Also, a mason is not required to be the tradesperson to be laying a patio, and doesn't mean they have more knowledge about patio construction, but they certainly have a higher pay rate than a landscaping company, which you will probably have to hire for other sitework associated with the patio anyway.

If you have impervious calculation conflicts and have to provide detention, it wouldn't matter what the base of the pavers are made from anyway. Detention should happen as far away from the patio as possible, and it doesn't have to be solved by a drywell, which is a poor solution in freezing climates anyway.
newkitchenny55
Original Author
4 years ago
@3onthetree thanks! Yes, we can pipe the downspouts unter the patio and use a pop up, or we can pipe to a drywell. Those have been the 2 options people have mentioned. We've spoken to a mason who was recommended, as well as a landscaping company and price was comparable. The Mason is also saying it is the same price to put the patio on concrete as on sand/gravel. Can I ask what other options we have for detention? Nobody seems to be able to give us many answers. Our architect has mentioned the dry well, but we're in NY so it is definitely a freezing climate.