Pavers and Leveling

[pattybenpatty]

Hello, folks.

Apologies if this has been covered. I poked around for about an hour and kept getting lost on tangentially related topics but didn't find anything that answered my question. Which is: can I use pavers to increase the height of a significant area under the pool?

This is what I'm working with:



The blue area from 12-3 is about 8-10 inches or so on average lower than the average of the rest of the surface. I have TONS of pavers lying about. Can I level that low area, herbicide it, place the pavers just in that section, and then level the rest to the height of the pavers?

I'd then herbicide the rest, and then either go with a sand or foam foundation for the entire area. I'm leaning towards foam.

I'm guessing this approach, if valid, would reduce the amount of soil I need to remove by 60-80%.

EDIT: I'd also be using pavers under all the legs... level with the surface, and cutting the foam (if I go that route) away from those leg support pavers.

 

[Texas Splash]

Can I level that low area, herbicide it, place the pavers just in that section, and then level the rest to the height of the pavers?

Not normally how we see leveling accomplished, but if it helps to fill the void I suppose you can try. As you may already know, be sure to have the perimeter of the pool where the paver post supports will go 100% level as that will determine your overall waterline. Good luck with your install.

Welcome to TFP!

 

[pattybenpatty]

The armchair engineer in me thinks the design is sound but I decided against this. The paver installation was an example of a potential time saver that would require far more precision and planning than just digging. Sometimes it isn't just about the time spent, but rather the total effort both physical and mental.

Now I'm stuck on whether to use foam panels or anti-fatigue mats, and whether to bother with sand under whichever of those I choose. Anti-fatigue mats are more expensive, but interlock together. I've read a few posts about foam separating, and allowing the liner to slide about resulting in wrinkles.

 

[zea3]

I'm glad you decided against stacking the pavers. You need to either dig down to the lowest point and level the site from there, or build a large wooden box approximately 6-12" deep and fill it with 1" compacted layers of crusher or decomposed granite to make a level pad for the pool. This box should be 2' larger around than the diameter of the pool. For example an 18' round pool should have a 20' square box. All pavers must be recessed flush with the leveled ground. The bottom of the pool must be in full contact with the ground when full of water. You cannot have the liner suspended above the ground when full. You can place a layer of sand or foam under the pool for padding after the site is leveled and pavers set.