Paver Repair Costs?

[isriam]

I'm in the north Phoenix area, and I have a large patio/pool area with Turkish travertine pavers. It appears the ground wasn't set properly and they are all wobbly and uneven. The grade appears to dump into a puddle in the middle of the patio instead of out to the sides.

I've kind of been shocked by the prices I've gotten with regards to repairing this. Remove/replace seems to be around $5 a square foot and that's just for labor. Is it really that big of a deal to pull up a patio that's already designed, level the ground under it, and put the pavers back in place?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I'm in the north Phoenix area, and I have a large patio/pool area with Turkish travertine pavers. It appears the ground wasn't set properly and they are all wobbly and uneven. The grade appears to dump into a puddle in the middle of the patio instead of out to the sides.

I've kind of been shocked by the prices I've gotten with regards to repairing this. Remove/replace seems to be around $5 a square foot and that's just for labor. Is it really that big of a deal to pull up a patio that's already designed, level the ground under it, and put the pavers back in place?

If the grade is such that water pools in the middle of the patio, then yes, it is a lot of work. The pavers would all have to be pulled and the entire area regraded so that the proper drainage is established. Optimally speaking, you want to lay pavers on virgin, undisturbed soil that is naturally compacted. This ensures that the pavers will remain level. The previous installer may have just graded the area with loose DG fill and did some minimal vibratory compacting which is completely insufficient for the longevity of the grade (as you are now experiencing). So, in your case, the only options may be to dig down to undisturbed soil to get the level right and then either lay the pavers in a new sand base OR pour a concrete pan for the pavers to sit on....

 

[Geebot]

I'm in the north Phoenix area, and I have a large patio/pool area with Turkish travertine pavers. It appears the ground wasn't set properly and they are all wobbly and uneven. The grade appears to dump into a puddle in the middle of the patio instead of out to the sides.

I've kind of been shocked by the prices I've gotten with regards to repairing this. Remove/replace seems to be around $5 a square foot and that's just for labor. Is it really that big of a deal to pull up a patio that's already designed, level the ground under it, and put the pavers back in place?

Repair can be more complicated (and expensive) in some situations than the original install.

 

[isriam]

thanks. its a shock after thinking it would be a simple fix to put some leveling sand in.

 

[JayBauman]

Your quote of $5 per square foot is quite a deal. For a new installation paver job, you buy the pavers and pay the guys to prep the ground and install the pavers. For a paver renovation, you don't have to pay for the pavers, but you're still paying for ground prep and installation. The installation is the same in both cases. From your description, you need some major ground preparation, which could be similar effort to a new installation. Also, keep in mind that during a renovation, you're also paying the guys to demo the existing patio, which you wouldn't necessarily have with a new installation--especially since they need to protect the pavers (i.e. not thrown them around) during the demo.