Camillus · Pavers and steps

Patio and Walkway Pavers on Camillus Slopes

Camillus yards roll, and a patio that ignores the grade will fight it. Pavers laid on a proper base shed water and stay level through the winters.

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Narrow paver walkway leading from a public sidewalk to a white-railed front porch

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When pavers and steps fits a Camillus home

A back door with a drop to the lawnA single step or a short landing leads out to a patio that sits level with the grade below.
A walkway worn into the lawnFoot traffic from the driveway to the door has already chosen the line, and pavers can follow it.
A sloped yard that needs a flat spotSeveral of the larger soil units in town sit on 3 to 15 percent slopes, so a seating area may mean a cut and a step.
Stone steps where the ground changes heightNew stone treads can handle a grade change between a patio and the yard beyond.

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Questions about pavers and steps in Camillus

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Will a slope make a paver patio cost more in Camillus?

It can. Leveling a bench, building up fill and adding a step or edge all add work. The contractor sets the price, so describe the slope and have photos ready.

How deep should the base be?

Four inches of compacted base is the minimum the specification gives for patios on well-drained soil, and wetter ground needs more. Ask the contractor to state the depth for your yard.

Do pavers need a frost-depth footing?

Often not for a patio on a compacted base, but ask the office. Steps or a wall attached to the house may need one, and New York leaves that depth to the local office.

Pavers and steps in Camillus homes

The soil map for the Town of Camillus is kinder than most. About 57.5 percent of the mapped ground is well drained, and just 14.2 percent is poorly, somewhat poorly or very poorly drained. That helps a patio, because water leaves the base instead of sitting under it. The catch is the slope. Several of the biggest soil units are Ontario soils on 3 to 15 percent slopes.

Grade first, then base

On a slope the first job is making a level bench for the patio, and that means cutting on the high side or building up the low side. Fill has to be compacted in lifts, and the finished surface must still fall at least 1.5 percent away from the house. Ask the contractor how the water will leave, and where it will go once it does. A patio that drains onto a neighbor or into a basement window well is not finished.

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For a patio over well-drained soil the paver specification calls for at least four inches of compacted base. Pockets of Camillus silt loam in town can hold more water, and in cold climates wetter soils need a thicker base. So ask for the base depth in the quote, and ask if it varies across the yard.

Before any digging, New York requires a utility mark-out request at least two working days ahead. Walks and steps may also touch the Town of Camillus Code Enforcement Office, or the Village office inside the village. Confirm any footing depth for steps with the right office before a footing is dug. Poured concrete steps and slabs are a different trade.

Basis: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO), Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes

Here in Camillus

Camillus soils are mostly well drained, but several of the largest map units sit on slopes of 3 to 15 percent, so grade changes decide the patio plan.

Permit notes are on the Camillus page.