How to install French drain

Before adding a patio to your property, you must plan the patio drainage system. The patio drain will make sure the basement is safe from any water, prevents tipping shifting and post-frost heaving of the patio. A slope must be included in the design and if it’s done properly it will not only be extremely hard to see but it will also assure the patio’s stability and protect the house’s foundation.

Patio placement

To help the patio drain off rain water, it must be placed in contact with a wall and sloped half an inch every 9 linear feet. If you want to build a patio away from the house, you must find out if the lawn is sloped or not. If it isn’t, slope it half an inch each 9 linear feet. If it is already sloped, try making the patio in steps to avoid soil erosion. Plan everything else related to the surroundings (trees, gardens).

Measure and buy materials

Dig out the soil where the patio will be. Laying down sand and gravel will help stabilize the patio foundation and will also prevent weed and grass growing bellow it. Buy the gravel in cubic yards. To find out how much gravel you need to buy, multiply the cubic footage of the area where the patio will be by 0,037. Also, buy dry silicone bags of 55 lbs. Each bag can cover an area of 125 -150 square feet. Adding limestone on the base soil is also a good idea.

Preparations and laying the patio

First of all you must prepare the ground. Lay down gravel and level it, then lay limestone spreading it across the whole area. Using polymeric sand, which prevents weed and grass from growing efficiently, means you will need several 10 lbs bags. A 10 lbs sand bag will cover an area of 30 square feet. Don’t forget to fill gaps between the stones with this sand if you are using it.

Patio stone placement

The patio stones must be placed as close to each other and as snug as you can. Using a rubber mallet, tap the edges of the stones to position them snugly. Pour 1/4 bag of silicon sand or a whole bag of polymeric sand onto the stones then sweep them so that the sand enters the cracks. Lay new turf if you want to.

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