I’m installing a raised paver deck and I need to know what do I do up against the house. I have vinyl siding covering a concrete block home. It looks like I’ll be covering two rows of siding at the most. Do I need to remove the siding or can I leave it up. Also, do I need to put any barriers beetween the fill and sand that will be under the pavers and the house? This is my first attempt at this so any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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You need a moisture barrier between the paver bed and the house. I assume your vinyl siding is installed over a standard frame construction. If you butt the paver and substrate against the vinyl or the material under the vinyl you're giving moisture a pathway into your house. I would probably build the bed so it stands free of the house, with an airgap of 1/2 - 1" between the bed and the siding. You'll also need to consider a drainage path for moisture that comes down between them. Keep the water moving away from the house or you'll have problems. Good luck.
Before anyone answers that they are going to need to know where you are located at. If it is someplace whre it snows, you are going to have to worry about frost heaving next to the foundation. My vote is to remove the siding to within 6 to eight inches of the ground, and install a sub- surface drain along the foundation to carry away any moisture that may (and will) accumulate
I hope you don't mind Rick, but I'll reply to both of you here. I live in Michigan so yes, I will have to deal with snow and Rick, the house is made of cinder block on the exterior so I'm not sure if that will change your answer or not.
Dave:
Remove the siding. Put in a moisture barrier. You do have drainage around the foundation, right?
Be careful when you do the tamping, the slag can put a lot of preasure along the block. The block is basement wall, right?
I'm not sure about the foundation drainage. I'd have to check with the builder. The house is built on a crawl space with a concrete slab floor, quite unusual. The cinder block is used for the entire wall, not just for the crawl space. If the foundation has no drainage, would I need to install drainage by the foundation, or could I get by with something just below the deck?
I am in Michigan too. There should be drainage already there, how old is the house? Do you have a sump pump or does your property slope away from the house (even if only 1 side, could be gravity drain)? Also ask yourself if you have ever had problems or can see any sign of problems on the inside of the crawl space. If everything seems good you could probably pave right up to the house, make sure you slope the pavers away from the house so rain water washes away, and stay down several inches from the siding. Again be careful when you tamp the slag sand, it needs to be done but carefully, you could put enough preasure on the wall to damage it.