LESLIE: Neal, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we help you with today?
NEAL: Yes, I would like to replace my driveway. It’s about 120 feet long.
LESLIE: OK.
NEAL: Then on each side of the driveway my wife would like to have some pavers.
TOM: OK.
NEAL: Just for aesthetic value. Now the question is do you put the pavers down in sand or do you have to put them in concrete?
TOM: No, you put them in sand. You would go ahead and build the driveway first and then after the driveway was built you would create a sand bed; you would excavate down probably about six inches or so. You’re going to push some crushed gray gravel. You’re going to level that out. You’re going to put a little bit of sand; place the pavers on top of that bed and then use some more sand to fill in the gaps in between.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: But you don’t need to put them on top of concrete. And, in fact, if you do there’s going to be no way for that paver section to drain properly.
LESLIE: And you know what, Neal? Rent a tamping machine from the home center. Not only are they super fun to drive around but they make quick work out of leveling everything uniformly and easily.
TOM: Yeah, the most common mistake is to not tamp that surface properly, Neal, and that’s when you get in situations where you see the walkways are all sort of roly-poly with weeds coming through.
LESLIE: Wonky.
TOM: Yeah.
NEAL: (INAUDIBLE)
TOM: Make sure you have a really good base. The pavers are the last thing you do. It’s what everybody wants to get to but it’s the last thing you do. Make sure you have a great base and that walkway will stay like that for a long, long time.
NEAL: OK, thank you very kindly.
TOM: You’re welcome, Neal. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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