That neighbor who told me my paver sand was wrong actually saved me $200

I spent a whole weekend last summer laying down a 10x12 patio in my backyard using regular play sand between the pavers. Everything looked great until my neighbor Bob walked over and said 'you know that sand is gonna wash out in the first rain, right?' I kinda shrugged it off at first cause I thought he was just being picky. But then it poured that Wednesday and sure enough half my joints were empty and pavers started shifting. I had to pull up about 30 of them and redo the whole thing with polymeric sand. Cost me another $60 and a whole Saturday but that stuff hardened up like concrete and has been solid for 8 months now. Has anyone else had someone point out a mistake mid-project that saved them from bigger trouble later?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

verar213mo ago

Bob saved you $200 and a future headache, cheap lesson for a weekend warrior.

7

the_cole3mo ago

$200 is nothing compared to what a real pro would charge to handle a full gut job on a bathroom, which is easily $5k+ before materials even enter the picture. You're paying for their speed, their ability to catch problems early, and the warranty that comes with knowing a pro did the work. So yeah, the guy saved him a little cash today, but probably cost him way more in the long run when the homeowner has to call a real contractor to fix the half-done work.

2