“just a little settling” turned into trip hazards or drainage issues after a couple seasons
- I get what you mean about the long-term hassle, but sometimes patching is all you need—especially if you’re not planning to stay in the house forever.
- Spent a weekend patching my old brick walkway every spring for years. Never had a big issue, and honestly, it gave me an excuse to get outside and mess around.
- Not everyone wants to tear up the whole backyard for a patio that’ll outlast them. Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough, at least for now.
Not everyone wants to tear up the whole backyard for a patio that’ll outlast them. Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough, at least for now.
That’s fair—sometimes you just want it to look decent and not trip over loose bricks every time you grab the mail. I’ve found that if you tamp down the base and use polymeric sand when patching, it holds up a lot better, even if it’s not a permanent fix. Curious—has anyone tried using gravel under bricks instead of sand? I’ve heard mixed things about drainage but never tried it myself.
Title: Digging Up The Backyard: Found More Than Just Dirt
I get the appeal of “good enough,” but I’ve seen too many quick fixes turn into bigger headaches down the line. Gravel under bricks can work, but it really depends on the type—pea gravel shifts a lot, which means your bricks might start wobbling after a season or two. Crushed stone is better since it locks together, but you still want a layer of sand on top for leveling. I once tried skipping the sand layer to save time... ended up redoing half the walkway after the first big rain. Sometimes those extra steps are worth it, even if you’re not aiming for a forever patio.
Crushed stone is better since it locks together, but you still want a layer of sand on top for leveling.
Couldn’t agree more about the crushed stone. Pea gravel’s a nightmare for anything load-bearing. Here’s what I usually do: dig down at least 6 inches, lay 4 inches of compacted crushed stone, then an inch or so of coarse sand. Set your bricks, tamp them down, and sweep more sand into the joints. Skipping steps just means you’ll be fixing it later—learned that the hard way after a shortcut patio turned into a rollercoaster after one winter.
Crushed stone really does make all the difference—pea gravel just moves around too much, especially if you’re dealing with freeze-thaw cycles. I usually go a little deeper, closer to 8 inches, especially if I’m worried about drainage or heavier loads. The point about compacting is huge. I’ve seen folks just dump the stone in and skip the plate compactor, figuring it’ll settle on its own, but that’s asking for trouble. One winter and you’ll have bricks popping up like whack-a-mole.
That said, I’ve run into situations where the soil underneath was way softer than expected—almost like clay soup down there. In those cases, even with a textbook base, things can shift. Sometimes geotextile fabric helps, sometimes you’ve got to dig out even more and backfill with extra stone. Not the most fun job, but better than tearing things up later.
Curious if anyone here has run into weird stuff buried in their yard during these projects? Last summer I found a bunch of old bricks and what looked like a chunk of concrete foundation about a foot down. Had to haul all that out before I could even start the base. Makes you wonder what else is lurking under there... Anyone else ever find something strange when digging out for a patio or walkway?
