Posts Tagged ‘Unilock’

Christoph Gross, Owner/Manager & Megan Moynihan, Architect

We are working on the outside – landscaping, paving the driveway and laying the permeable paving stones in the parking area. Saturday we laid the  2″ binder course of asphalt and next spring we will come back and lay a top course.

Permeable paving stones allow for water to be absorbed directly into the ground and greatly reduce the need for underground drainage systems or retention ponds.

Establishing the grades, setting the permeable pavers, and laying the asphalt are critical and we are fortunate to work with Morrone Excavation, Grandscapes, and Ed French & Son Paving.  In the picture above Owner/Manager Christoph Gross and Oyster Works’ architect Megan Moynihan check out the progress.

This weeks’ 100 year storm broke all records and brought devastation to much of Rhode Island.  We were concerned about what would happen to our site with open foundations and no way to channel the water.   How did it look?   Great!

Thanks to the careful work by Morrone Excavation the grading and gravel base was sufficient to handle nature’s worst.  Look at the pictures – no standing water, no mud, no problem.  And, as a bonus, the existing package store, which always flooded after a heavy rain, was dry as a bone.

Of course, once we build the building and install the driveway and parking areas we will have to channel the water and make provisions for it to be absorbed back into the ground.  We are committed to handling all of the water and runoff on site.  Our site plan, developed by On-Site Engineering, calls for an underground detention area to handle the roof drains and for permeable pavers in the parking areas and on the side walks.   The permeable pavers will allow the water to penetrate into the underground gravel base and be absorbed into the earth.

Preparation of the base is critical as the pavers are set in small stones (no cement to hold them in place) and can’t move or shift with the weight of cars and changes in temperature.   We asked Matt Foley, of Unilock, to meet with Mike Morrone, and Steve Richardson of New England Hardscapes.  We want to take advantage of Unlock’s experience and make sure that we are installing the pavers as per the manufacturer’s specifications.  Our plan calls for a 6″ subbase of 2 1/2 stones, then a 6″ base course of 1″ stones, and a 2″ bedding course of 3/8″ stones.  Morrone Excavation will put down the base and subbase and New England Hardscapes will lay the bedding course, install the granite curbing, and set the pavers.

Will our plan handle the next hundred year storm?  We hope so!