Paver Nightmare

[SunnyOptimism]

Another thought/comment/opinion -

The "I'm going to get an expert and go to court and sue" tactic will most likely not work and cause you wasted time, money and grief even with "free" legal advice. You'd be better off trying to strike a deal with whoever did the work as reputable builders typically carry warranties on their workmanship. Only high end contractors would be susceptible to litigation. Most medium to small contract outfits will simply fold up shop, declare bankruptcy and leave you hanging. That's why most of them setup their businesses as Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) - any suit you bring against them stops at the corporation not the builder personally.

I'm not trying to be a contrarian or rude, just speaking from experience with a past contractor job that went bad. When I pulled out the "I'm gonna sue you" line, the contractor laughed at me and said "go right ahead".


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[gwegan]

Travertine is a natural stone so no two loads are exactly the same. I'd get as much information on the stone as you can so you can have someone review it.

I would call several local structural engineers and explain your problem to them. You are looking for guys who have done forensic engineering and have testified in court several times. Ask them if they are competent to look at your issue or if they can refer you to someone who can.

I would also call several pool engineers. There are several firms in California and ask them for referrals to engineers re pool decks. That might be a wild goose chase but you never know.

Have you had any hard freezes? Any snow melt then a hard freeze?

The flaking in the center could still be caused by to tight an installation because the entire paver gets stressed.

Hope this helps.

 

[SunnyOptimism]

From what I've read about travertine pavers, it doesn't sound like tight installation (narrow grout joints) are an issue. It seems many installer recommend tight installation.

The biggest issue seems to be proper sand bedding of the pavers so that they don't buckle and heave over time. The high end installers all seem to use a poured concrete base (steel mesh reinforced approximately 4" to 6" thick) followed up with a mixed cement and sand bed for the pavers to set in. This method is more optimal than the gravel bed with sand as it keeps the pavers in place.

So, with that said, it seems like there could be both installation issues (poor bedding allowing the T pavers to move a lot) and/or bad starting materials (poor quality Travertine).

Any pictures or description of the installation process would be helpful.


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