Question
We have unistone between our pool and the house.  When it rains, the water pools in this area.  We usually go out with a broom and push the accumulated water towards the grass.

We were thinking of pulling up some unistone bricks, installing some kind of pipe to lead the water off to the grass area, put all the bricks back except one that would be replaced with a drain.

Is that feasible?  Any other suggestions?

Answer
Hello,

First,if settlement of the pavers has occured,you might want to think about having them reset. Sounds like settlement may be the cause for the water not draining or perhaps the pavers were just not set to a steep enough pitch to allow for water drainage. Settlement of pavers is a common problem and can result from inadequate compaction of the base,unsuitable base materials,inadequate edging,frost heave and water penetration.

Experience,judgement and skill are necessary to achieve a good paver installation and these days that is often hard to come by. Installing monolithic paving such as concrete or asphalt can often compensate for this since less settlement occurs with this type of pavement

A catch basin or smaller sized direct drain could solve the problem but that will need a suitable outlet for the water. The grass you mentioned may or may not be one,depending on how much water will be deposited on it.

Another possibility could be a retention area under the pavers. The existing pavers would have to be replaced,at least over the inlet area,with permeable pavers or an open gridwork with spaces to admit water. Good luck.

Mark Harshman


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