If you’re ready to put in a paver patio, one of the first things you should do is have any buried utility lines marked. Usually, you can call your utility company or city and they will send someone out to do this for you. You should have your electric, gas, and water/sewer lines marked before you begin any project that involves digging in your yard or potentially covering any buried lines.
Why it’s Important to Have these Utility Lines Marked
There are a few reasons why it’s important to have your utility lines marked. Fortunately, safety typically isn’t a factor when installing pavers because all pipes, wires, and cables should be buried further down than you will need to dig. However, if you are digging down fairly deep, hitting these lines may be a concern. The utility companies can usually tell you how deep the lines are so you will know if it’s a risk or not.
It Can Cost You Later
The biggest concern, then, is what happens if something goes wrong and you need to have electric or plumbing work done. If your paver patio was built over the area where these lines run, you’ll have to have at least a section of it taken up. This is normally done at your cost. The cost of putting the pavers back into place is also on you.
One advantage of using pavers here is that they are typically fairly easy to take up and put back down later. If you did a cement patio, you would have to have bring in jackhammers and have the area patched after the work is done. This patch is not going to match the rest of the cement, so you may elect to have the entire patio redone. With pavers, you can usually carefully remove the stones and then put them back down. You don’t have to buy anything new unless a paver breaks while taking it out. Since you’re reusing the pavers, they won’t look any different. You likely won’t be able to tell that any work was done at all.
Need some tips for putting down pavers so they’re easy to remove later? The team here at Island Block & Masonry Supply can help. Contact us today to talk to one of our experts.
