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Landscaping DIY: Recycled, Pervious Patio

Since a part of green building is about site development and stormwater management, my Saturday DIY-patio project showcases how to correctly build a pervious patio out of 95% recycled/reclaimed materials.

Defining a Pervious Surface

Not to be confused with pervious paver products, a pervious surface is simply a hardscaped surface that allows water to drain through it. The best example is a brick surface. If you fill the space between the bricks with mortar, it is not a pervious surface. If you fill the space with stone dust, it is a pervious surface.

Clockwise From Top: Pavers, Excavated Soil, Fill, Crushed Stone, Clay

Step 1: Take Inventory

I collected all of my pavers from around my rental property. Pavers are the focal point of the patio, but what's underneath them is equally important. Soil is really the key to creating a pervious patio. After a little digging, I uncovered some crushed stone and fill (sand/dirt mixed with stone). These are the two ideal soil materials for building a pervious patio.

Why crushed stone? Crushed stone, even really muddy crushed stone like mine, creates a solid base layer and allows moisture to drain easily.

Why fill*? Fill is essentially rocky sand or dirt. The rocks help break up the substance to make it more permeable. But unlike pure crushed stone, fill can be packed more solid and graded to be a smoother surface for the pavers to be laid on.

*What I call "fill", another landscaper may not. This rocky, sandy soil mix can be called a number of different things. I know the Home Depot sells fill as "wall/walkway base."

Step 2: Site Preperation

Remove about 6 - 8 inches of earth in the area where you want the patio to be. My patio was going to rest against a wooden fence, so removing the soil that buried the bottom of the fence was necessary. This is actually good news for the fence, because now it should last longer by not being buried in the soil. As I excavated the area, the soil that I removed was rich in organic matter and dirt, aka, compost and topsoil. You DO NOT want lay a patio on this type of soil, so set it aside for planting. Underneath the good soil was a layer of clay and I used this as my base layer.

Step 3- Build the Foundation

Start with a layer of crushed stone. Pack it down. Pack it down some more. Pack it down even more. Once you have a solidly packed 2 - 3 inch layer of crushed stone, use the fill to, well, fill in the rest of the area. Spread the fill an inch or two at a time, and pack, pack, pack some more. You may want to wet each layer so it packs better. Repeat this process until the area is at the level to start placing stones. Finally, grade the area smooth so the pavers sit flat. The top side of a landscape rake, a 2 x 4, a garden hoe, or a trowel all make for good grading tools.

Left Image: Filled and Packed Pavers; Right Image: Finished Patio

Step 4- Laying and Filling the Pavers

This process is easy if your pavers are identical. As you can see by my eccentric collection of reclaimed pavers, I had a little bit of a challenge deciding how to lay them out and prepping the base layer since many of the pavers are different heights. The only rule I gave myself was to leave an equal amount of space between the pavers.

Once your pavers are down, start shoveling fill between the pavers. This process should be similar to the process above- shovel a bit of fill, pack down, repeat. You might have to get a little creative to pack the spaces between the paver. I used the end of a 2 x 4. Don't take this process any less seriously than the process above, because the pavers can shift and slide if the fill between them is not adequately packed. Repeat this process until the space between the pavers is filled 2/3 to 3/4 the height of the pavers.

Step 5- The Finishing Touches

The pervious, functional aspect of your patio is complete, so what material you choose to fill the remaining space between the pavers is up to you. This is the only non-recycled aspect of my patio. I spent a whopping $5.49 on a bag of river stones to finish it off. There are almost limitless possibilities for finishing materials, including other types of crushed stone, shells, mulch, and recycled glass or tires. After your finishing material is down, gently hose off the patio to see it in all its glory!

About the Author

Andrew Norris