Paver patio inset from rough dug edge?

Question

I have dug out the rough patio shape down to the required depth. Not sure of one thing, should I inset the patio some measurement from the rough edge or can I lay the patio up against the rough edge? Accounting for square of course.

I'm asking because I don't know if I need to account for paver edging or if the edging can be placed on the outside of the rough area. Also, not sure if patios expand and contract so perhaps this may be another reason to give it some "breathing space."

Thanks!

Programmer66 · Answer

The rough cut is not dug out to the exact measurement of the finish patio dimension. So you would not be laying pavers againt the edge of the roughcut. You still need the space to make laying the last row easy. After the pavers are laid, you just backfill the roughcut.

While you do not have to do this. the last row is laid in concrete to lock all the pavers in. Some of the concret is allowed to go up the side of the last row but still beneath the surface.  The other methods is to use commercial paver retainers which uses long spikes to hold the retainer strips in place. This prevents the pavers  over time from creeping outward leaving large gaps.  You would have seen this on older patios where the edge rows become uneven or moved outward where a blocking barrier was not used.

Paver patio inset from rough dug edge?

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