New Build in north DFW - Deck slop question

[jimmythegreek]

That looks like regular paver sand. It will form the base over the crushed rock/sand mixture and end up locking in the pavers. They will use the polymer sand on the edges near the coping as well as on your skimmer surrounds. Some of mine washed away so I may get some more and put it in myself. It kind of turns into a sort of concrete once its wet and dries. They wont use that everywhere, you want the pavers to settle some and it also makes it easier for a repair when you crack one. Save a few once they are done if there are any leftovers. I have a stack of them in my garage after they were done. I personally like the ivory and it will be varied in color and clean up a lot after its on and washed off.

Definitely save extra pavers. I cant tell what it is from pics.
For reference paver sand amd such terms vary with areas. The national standard for pavers is from the ICPI and anyone can look at all the approved install methods. Concrete sand is like rice shaped amd locks together where play sand washes away when wet. And they should never use partial polysand it will not hold up. Either do the whole deck or none at all. A proper paver install should not settle, the base is compacted prior to simulate natural settlement.

 

[Green25]

@jimmythegreek - well now close up it doesn’t look as much like sand. This was added on top of the larger rocky base. I’ll ask our PM in a bit. I know they used a machine to compact it yesterday because my little guy couldn’t stand to be anywhere near it due to the noise. Pavers are ivory travertine.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Yup that's the right stuff

 

[Green25]

Decking was finished on Friday and we have been loving the patio space this weekend. To my amateur eye, I think the crew did a pretty good job, but there are two potential issues I’ve noticed.

1. We ended up switching from the concrete decking specified in the original contract to travertine pavers. The pavers were installed last week and are now above the equipment pad, creating a basin. We’ll address it tomorrow with our PM, but any ideas on how to prevent ponding around the equipment?

2. Final grading and drainage pipes were finished Friday and I noticed we now appear to have zero pressure, where we previously had pressure. I don’t remember the last time I checked it though. Is this normal??

 

[Jimmie48]

As for the pressure pretty sure thats because the paver guys opened up the skimmers. I think mine went to zero also after they did the pavers...at least from what I remember. The filter may not have had pressure for a while now and maybe you didnt notice.
Deck looks great btw...just a quick tip as someone who went through the same thing....if you have that red dirt sitting on those pavers for a long period of time it tends to settle in there. I had a heck of a time cleaning mine off as the PB did not do a very thorough "final clean" at all. So if it were me I would start hosing it off some with a very light shower spray just to lift that red dirt so you dont have to work harder later.

 

[Green25]

@Jimmie48 - thanks for the tip. My H has been out every day trying to water the foundation and spray off the leftover dirt from the grading. We also didn’t anticipate quite so many leaves from our neighbor’s tree. Lol.

PM said the equipment isn’t pressurized currently so zero pressure is okay. As for the ponding, he suggested cutting a notch in the pavers by the foundation to alleviate ponding. Doesn’t seem ideal, but not sure of other alternatives and I’m sure they’ll make it right either way.

 

[Green25]

The tl;dr version: PB screwed up the city paperwork and will have to pull up the pavers around the pool to expose the bond wire for the deck reinspection. Will this compromise the deck integrity?

We are now 13 weeks from dig day and decided in early June to switch from concrete decking to travertine pavers. The city inspector came out week before last and said everything looked great, but he was expecting a concrete deck. Since updated paperwork was never submitted to the city, we are now having to wait on approval to the updated construction plan before the deck inspection can be done. Either the deck or pre-plaster inspection will involve pulling up the pavers to expose the bond wire per PM and I’m afraid this is going to compromise the long-term integrity of the deck and cause issues down the line. Because this was a PB mistake, is it reasonable to ask for a longer deck warranty or is this really no big deal with pavers? Paver deck warranty is 5 years, but only includes leveling. PM of course is blaming the city.

 

[Green25]

Bumping this to see if anyone has any idea about how this might impact the long term integrity of the pavers around the pool. PB is pulling them up Monday for the deck inspection.

The tl;dr version: PB screwed up the city paperwork and will have to pull up the travertine pavers around the pool to expose the bond wire for the deck reinspection. Will this compromise the deck integrity?

 

[jimmythegreek]

It all depends on how much care is put into the compaction and re setting of the travertine. Anything can be done it just costs time amd money

 

[Jimmie48]

Man I am so sorry that happened but I think you will be fine in the end. I think they compacted the sub base already so really all they will have to do is most likely set the pavers back in some paver sand and re-level. They most likely will not have to pull up the whole deck...trust me they did not want to do this as it costs them a lot of money out of their pocket to pay that subs that did your decking. FYI after ours was done I found a couple of cracked pavers the next day and they came by and pulled each one up with a screw driver...laid a little leveling sand and replaced them pretty easily and they look great. Can you imagine if this happened with a concrete deck? Trust me pavers saved you a lot of headache and they will make it right! Good luck to the finish!

 

[Green25]

@jimmythegreek - thank you for this. I trust your opinion and am hoping it will look as good as new when they’re finished.

@Jimmie48 - We love the patio and pavers so far and have used it nearly every day. I know the PB is swamped, but their internal coordination on several items and communication has become an issue and I’m ready for it to be DONE.

 

[Green25]

We are finally ready for plaster tomorrow!!

But I still have questions lol. Is this a normal slope off of a travertine deck? None of the pool designs depicted a slope, nor was one mentioned, although I would have expected a slight elevation for drainage purposes. As it stands we can practically see into our neighbors‘ yard now. I’m afraid the soil and deck will start to erode quickly if we don’t do something with it as soon as possible. We had planned on grass, but I’m not sure that is sufficient now with how extreme the slope feels. Any thoughts on how to keep the soil/deck in place?

 

[joepaiii]

We are finally ready for plaster tomorrow!!

But I still have questions lol. Is this a normal slope off of a travertine deck? None of the pool designs depicted a slope, nor was one mentioned, although I would have expected a slight elevation for drainage purposes. As it stands we can practically see into our neighbors‘ yard now. I’m afraid the soil and deck will start to erode quickly if we don’t do something with it as soon as possible. We had planned on grass, but I’m not sure that is sufficient now with how extreme the slope feels. Any thoughts on how to keep the soil/deck in place?
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There isn’t a standard slope. It’s just what is there when they build the pool. If there is slope there then it has to be somewhere either backside of pool or the deck/house side. I don’t think you will have problem with growing grass there.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

As Joepaiii indicated, there isn't really a 'normal' to the slope. It is whatever will fit in the space. Obviously if there was a greater distance between the fence and the deck, the slope would be more gradual. I would sprinkle grass seed over it, water it regularly and get the grass to root before winter. I don't see any issue getting grass to grow there.

In my case, I had about a 12" rise within 8" of my fence. Way too drastic to grow anything on. I had to build a small retaining wall along the back side of my pool decking, so that it wouldn't wash out, and I didn't bury my chain link fence in dirt. Eventually will move the fence out a few feet, but that project is wayyyyyy down the list.


--Jeff

 

[Jimmie48]

So your deck has a zero line where your house and pool deck have to be level so obviously there will be some drop off now that you put a level deck where you probably had a gradual slope. You probably knew this before but it makes it very dramatic when you see it in person. I see it as an advantage for your deck and draining. Only thing I would worry about is when we get those massive rains and water pooling between your neighbors fence and your grade....Grass will help but if you have concerns about it I would bring it up to the PB because you dont want a new problem to pop up that was not there before. Good luck with your plaster!