Paver hot tub pad installation

About this project

We built a 118 x 118 in paver pad for a hot tub at a vacation house in South Lake Tahoe, CA. We started by excavating the area, then set boards around the edge to hold the gravel and pavers in place, then laid geotextile fabric and filled it with gravel in layers. Each layer was compacted with a vibratory plate until the base was solid and level. Then we set the pavers on the base and swept polymeric sand into the joints. The sand hardens after wetting, which keeps the pavers locked together and helps stop weeds and washout. A hot tub is heavy when filled and in use, and Tahoe has snow and freeze-thaw cycles, so the base matters more than the pavers on top. Fabric keeps the gravel from mixing with the soil underneath, and compaction keeps the pad from settling.