Hot take: I built my entire paver walkway on 4 inches of base and I still think most people overdo it

Michael Barnes · 2026-09-17T21:20:04.254258+00:00

Two summers back I tore out a cracked walkway behind my garage in Boise and laid new pavers on 4 inches of crushed base. Every guide I read said 6 to 8 inches minimum with fabric and edge restraint, and I skipped the fabric because I was rushing before rain came. My neighbor watched the whole thing and said I would be redoing it in 2 seasons flat. Fast forward to now and it has not heaved once, not even after the freeze thaw cycles that wrecked my old slab. So now I am stuck between two camps: the folks who say base depth is everything, and the folks who say it mostly comes down to drainage and compaction. Was I just lucky, or is the 6 inch rule overkill for a walkway that never sees a truck? Anyone here gone shallow on purpose and regretted it or not?

💡Thought Shares

Loading…

Hot take: I built my entire paver walkway on 4 inches of base and I still think most people overdo it | Backyard Renovations - Thought Shares