I completed six 12" diameter, 48" deep holes with the help of 2 friends last Saturday. I'm thinking of changing the way I would prep the base so I can save money on buying Quickrete. Previously, my plan is to put 6" of pea-sized compacted gravel as the base. Then put the 6x6 pressure treated post, plumb it, then pour the concrete all the way to the top. This was required by our village.

However, since I wanted to save money on purchasing more Quickrete, I would like to do it this way.


If you noticed, I added 1 foot of compacted CA-6 crushed stones. The 6x6 post will still be standing on 6" compacted pea-sized gravel. I still have tons of CA-6 crushed stones.

What do you think about this approach? Will it still be strong? I was thinking that it will still be strong since the pergola is heavy. Unfortunately, this area is not my forte.

Here is the latest shot.
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Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Neil

I'm no expert either, but I would think that reducing the depth of the concrete would tend to make the post susceptible to being rocked side to side. Like when the pergola has a strong wind pushing on it from one side. The post will act like a lever and that crushed stone will have more side to side give then if you had used concrete. Maybe no enough to cause a problem, but I dont know.

Thanks schreibdave. I've been thinking about it while on my way home. I decided not to put the crushed stones anymore. I remember one of the holes at 4ft deep, the clay was soft since it was wet. I'm worried that the crushed stones will lose its compactness overtime.

Thanks again.

Hi schreibdave,

I didn't follow my drawing above. Instead, I went with my old plan by using 6" of compacted pea-sized gravel, then concrete all the way to the top. I used 30 bags of 80 lbs Qiukrete, so 5 bags per hole. It was quite an exercise for my forearms, fingers and back.

My arms and lower back are so friggin sore too. Those 6x6x12 pressure treated wood posts are heavy, from unloading them from HD rental truck then all the way to the back.

Anyways, here are some updates. I'm very happy with the results. I think I'll be able to complete the pergola this week.

Sept 26 update
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Sept 27update
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looking very nice i cant wait to see it all done. when to you think you will be able to set the patio stones?

Thanks! I'm guessing I will be able to put the stones mid October.

More pics during the start of the build. My 10 year old boy took these stolen pictures, hehehe. I'm so glad I have something for memories.

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simpson,

I'm almost done with the pergola. All that is left is to nail the remaining rafters and it's complete. I'll work on the pergola once I complete the patio.

Today, I leveled the crushed stones that I spread 2 weeks ago but I haven't compacted it yet. If I get home early tomorrow, I'll manually compact it. If it's still bright, I'll do my best to put more crushed stones that are still on my driveway. I still have 7 tons of CA-6 crushed stones to transfer. Once all the crushed stones have been transferred, this is the time I'll rent the 150+lbs vibratory plate compactor from Home Depot.

Here are my latest pictures
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By the way, how long was the pipe that you used for screenings?

That is looking really great. I used two 6 foot 3/4 pcv pipe and a 3 foot 2/4 to screen it. once you get a section don pull the pipe out and lightly fill the void with sand and use a trowel to smooth it out. Once you start laying pavers you can then walk on them a do bigger sections of sand at a time. If you get the base stone work right wit no lumps and bumps and everything flows away from the house. The faster everything will go. Laying the pavers is the fastest part. Do you have a drawling of how you want it to look?

Thanks!

It's going to look like something like this.
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Here is another one I just drew a minute ago.
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Those pillars and chairs are not going to be implemented this year. I don't have any extra bricks.

Very nice. I will take a picture of what i did to end mine. I used a 6x6 as a border around mine.

Please. It will help me how I would layout mine. Thanks!

Hi simpson, where you able to take a pic?

Today, I rented the vibratory compactor from home depot. I'm done. Later, I'm going to buy 2 cubic yards of screenings. Tomorrow morning, the crushed concrete base will be inspected by the village.

I'm so happy, it's looking like a patio now. hahaha

Just a quick update for today. I did the following

a. compacted the crushed stones
b. rented a truck then went to Lowe Concrete to buy 2+ cubic yards of screening
c. contacted the village to have the base inspected. They will come in tomorrow morning for the inspection

The pictures below are before compaction
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I thought you wanted your stone to be level with the ground? I am going outside to take some pictures for you now.

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I used a 6x6 stone to finish everything off. This way you have a full stone on the edge and not some small sliver to fall out. It jeeps everything tight and in place.

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simpson wrote:I thought you wanted your stone to be level with the ground? I am going outside to take some pictures for you now.

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That's what I was planning but it didn't happen. Looks like I didn't dig enough. I got tired digging when I reached the clay. It wouldn't want to be dug.

So your edge is being held by the dirt in place? In my case, should I just use an edging material?

I used a edging also the dirt just goes right up to the edge. Yes you are going to have to use a edging and then bring in some top soil to back fill.

The edging I found in home depot cost $21-$24. It's 2 piece of 6'8". Is this the one you used?

No that is not the one I used only because my patio was going to be round. Once I changed all my cuts to straight that would have been the better choice. In other words I wish I went with the one you looked at at home depot. It is taller stronger and I think better to work with. Look around online you might find it cheaper. It can be cut to go around rounded edges also but is more work.

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I forgot to stress to you that you need your base to go 4-6 inches past where you want to stop your stone. You can not stop your stone on that ledge or it will never stay.

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