| Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Spoil to haul away (excavated soil) | 38.84 t |
| Non-woven geotextile | 104.9 m² (1,129.2 sq ft) |
| MG-20 crushed stone (0-3/4 in) for the base | 37.28 t |
| Edge restraint | 41 m (134.4 ft) |
| Edge spikes | 138 |
| Concrete sand for the bedding | 1.57 t |
| Pavers or slabs, cutting waste included | 51.2 m² (550.8 sq ft) |
| Polymeric sand (bags) | 6 bags |
The total and each step's time come from the same calculation as the estimator: the steps plus machine learning add up to the total. Planning steps (locate request, permits) keep the guide's fixed time.
The only layer you see, and the quickest to lay when everything below it is right.
If corners are cutMisaligned pavers and uneven joints. The cause is usually in the layers below.
WhyFills the joints, locks the pavers together, slows weeds and erosion.
If corners are cutPlain sand: joints wash out, pavers move, weeds move in.
WhyA thin layer, screeded level, that gives the flat surface. It does not fix an uneven base.
If corners are cutStone dust or too thick a bed: water stays trapped, the bed shifts and dips appear.
WhyThe heart of the job. It carries the loads, drains water and limits frost effects. It is spread and compacted in thin lifts.
If corners are cutA base too thin or compacted in one go: settling and frost heave.
WhyOn clay or silt, a fabric separates the stone from the fine soil so the two do not mix.
If corners are cutWithout geotextile on fine soil, the base sinks into the soil within a few years and loses its bearing capacity.
WhyThe soil is dug to the computed depth, sloped and compacted. The base does not go below the frost line: it drains.
If corners are cutDigging too shallow to save on the bin: the base is thin and the patio follows the soil's movements.
WhyThicknesses computed for: 41 m² (442 sq ft), unknown fill soil
A pool surround is a patio at the water's edge: splashing, bare feet, treated water. Three existing elements drive the work: the pool itself, with its wall, coping and lines; the enclosure that controls access; and the equipment with its power supply. The soil around an in-ground pool is often disturbed backfill, hence the cautious assumption in "Your project".
Measure the area to pave and draw it to scale, on paper or with the measuring tool.
Enter these values in "Your project": every quantity in this guide comes from them.
Note the coping shape, the surround width you want and where the enclosure, its gates and the equipment are. The side against the coping is cut, but it is not a free side.
Done when : The sketch gives the area, the length and type of each side and the drainage direction, and the same values are entered in "Your project".
Three existing elements drive the work: the pool, its enclosure and its equipment.
Done when : You have the maker's or installer's deck detail, the pool lines are marked on the ground, and you know whether the enclosure and equipment comply.
Safety : Do not touch any pool cable or electrical box: turn power off at the panel only if an electrician tells you to.
The base thickness depends mostly on the native soil. Sand and gravel drain well. Silt and clay hold water and swell when they freeze: they need a markedly thicker base and a geotextile.
Around a pool, the slope runs from the water toward the lawn, a drain or a channel: surface water must never flow back into the pool or seep behind the coping.
Done when : A soil class is chosen (or "I don't know"), every downspout has an outlet that misses the paving, and the surface drainage direction is decided.
In Quebec, a municipal permit is required to build anything that gives or blocks access to a pool, and the permit holder must control access during the work. Around a pool, most pipes and cables are private: Info-Excavation does not locate them.
Make a free request to Info-Excavation, online or by phone, before digging, even for a small area. The RBQ asks contractors to file it at least 4 business days before the work: allow the same lead time. The request stays valid until the stated end date, for at most 180 days.
Around a pool, most lines belong to you: pump and return pipes, lighting and pump cables, the bonding conductor, the heater's gas line. Find them with the installer's plans and dig by hand around them.
Done when : You have a request number, every network concerned has answered with ground marks or a clear notice, and the marks will still be visible on digging day.
Safety : Never dig by machine within 1 m of either side of a mark: expose the line by hand. If you damage a cable or pipe, move everyone away, do not touch it and call its owner; if you smell gas, call emergency services.
The provincial regulation requires a municipal permit to build anything that gives or blocks access to a pool. A new surround almost always touches the enclosure or its gates: apply before ordering. Municipalities may be stricter than the regulation.
Draw the final enclosure on your sketch:
Done when : The permit is issued or the municipality confirms in writing that none is needed, and your plan shows a compliant enclosure, its gates and no climbing aid within 1 m.
During the work, the permit holder must control access to the pool. An open work site around a full pool is a drowning risk for neighbourhood children.
Done when : At the end of every work day, the pool is surrounded with no gap, by the enclosure or a temporary fence, and the gate closes and latches by itself.
Safety : Never leave the site with the enclosure open, even for a few minutes.
Book everything at once so the steps follow each other without waiting.
Plan how the machine and wheelbarrows will get in without leaving the enclosure open, and protect the coping and liner during deliveries.
Done when : Delivery, rental and disposal dates are booked, the unloading spot is ready and the locate covers the whole duration of the work.
Grades start from the coping: the finished surface meets it at the height given by the pool maker's detail, then falls away. Along the wall, dig by hand and without a machine: the soil against the wall is part of what supports the pool.
Mark the outline with paint. Drive stakes a little outside it and stretch strings at the height of the finished paver surface.
Take levels from the top of the coping and slope the surface toward the outside of the surround.
Done when : The strings are set at finished height, the level or laser confirms the planned slope along the whole length, and the painted outline includes the extra base width.
First remove the sod and topsoil and set them aside: they will finish the edges later. Then dig to the excavation depth shown in "Your project", which adds up the paver, bedding and base thicknesses, over the full width of the base.
A 1.7 t mini excavator fits most yards. With narrow access, you dig by shovel and wheel the soil out, which can roughly double the work time.
Along the pool wall, dig by hand and keep the machine away from the edge. Do not remove more backfill against the wall than the maker's detail allows.
Done when : Under the strings, the measured depth matches the planned excavation depth everywhere, the bottom follows the surface slope, and no loose soil or roots remain.
Safety : Keep the machine at least 1 m from locate marks and away from the pool edge. Never leave an excavation open without an enclosure around the pool.
A surround's base follows the patio row of the table, with careful drainage. The backfill around an in-ground pool often settles over the years: compact it carefully in thin lifts, and stay cautious against the wall.
Rake the bottom even. If it is sand or gravel, compact it with the plate. On clay or silt, remove soft pockets, do not soak the soil and compact it only if it is dry enough. Techo-Bloc also suggests amending clay with lime and crushed stone before compacting it.
Then roll out a non-woven geotextile on the bottom and up the sides, with generous overlaps (about 30 cm, estimate), so the fine soil does not rise into the stone. On silt, clay or unknown soil it is required; on sand or gravel it is still useful.
Done when : No soft spots remain, your footsteps leave no deep prints, and the geotextile covers the bottom and sides with overlaps, without folds or tears.
Spread the MG-20 stone in thin lifts and compact each lift before adding the next. Your project's number of lifts is in "Your project".
Near the wall, work in thin lifts with a light plate or a hand tamper, and follow the pool maker's detail; as a precaution, never bring a heavy plate close to the wall or the coping.
Done when : A 3 m straightedge laid in several directions shows no gap over 10 mm, the slope is right and the plate leaves no more marks.
Safety : Wear hearing protection, safety glasses and steel-toe boots. Never compact frozen ground and never use frozen stone: wait for a full thaw.
Install an edge restraint on every side that does not bear against the house, a step or existing paving.
The side against the coping gets no edging if the maker's detail has the coping restrain the pavers. Install edging along the whole outer perimeter.
Done when : The edging is continuous, lined up with the string, sitting on compacted stone rather than soil, and every spike is fully driven.
Safety : Wear safety glasses when driving spikes.
Laying starts at the coping and moves outward. The pool's curves need many cuts, and the pool water must stay protected from dust, cutting slurry and sand. Nothing reopens before the enclosure check.
Lay two pipes of 1 in outside diameter on the base as rails. Pour concrete sand between them and pull it level with a straightedge, following the slope.
Done when : The bed is uniform, about 25 mm thick, with no footprints or dips, and the rail grooves are filled.
Start from a square corner or along a fixed line, then lay the pavers by hand, tight together, moving forward on the laid pavers rather than on the bed.
Start along the coping and work outward. Choose a textured surface and ask the maker whether the product suits a pool surround, especially for a salt-water pool.
Done when : The whole planned area is covered with full units, joint lines are straight to the string and isolation joints are in place along fixed elements.
Safety : Lift with your legs, back straight, and wear knee pads and gloves. A pallet of pavers is heavy: do not move it by hand.
Mark the cuts with a pencil along the string or the curve, then cut with a diamond saw or a guillotine.
Cut away from the pool, with the pool covered, so dust and cutting slurry do not fall into the water. The coping's curves multiply the cuts; "Your project" accounts for them.
Done when : Every edge is closed with well-fitted pieces, without chips or slivers, and the edge restraint touches the pavers everywhere.
Safety : Dry-cutting concrete releases fine dust that harms the lungs: cut wet or with a vacuum and wear a well-fitted mask, safety glasses, hearing protection and gloves. Hold the saw with both hands, feet clear of the blade's path.
Pick a dry day with no rain forecast for the period stated on the polymeric sand bag.
Do not run the plate over the coping. Sweep the polymeric sand outward, never toward the water, and blow the excess away from the pool before wetting.
Done when : The joints are full, no paver moves underfoot, the surface is clean before wetting, and the height difference between neighbouring pavers is no more than about 2 to 3 mm.
Safety : Hearing protection and steel-toe boots for the plate. Polymeric sand is dusty: wear a mask while sweeping it.
Before removing the temporary fence and reopening the pool:
Done when : The enclosure is at least 1.2 m high from the finished surface everywhere, no opening exceeds 10 cm, every gate closes and latches by itself, and the temporary fence is gone.
Put the topsoil and sod back along the edges to hide and protect the edging. Pick up offcuts, spikes and packaging; return deposit pallets if any.
Inspect the work after wetting it: water must run off without puddling. The finished surface sits slightly above drain grates, never below.
In the first spring, walk around it: a paver that moved, a joint that emptied or an edge that is opening is easier to fix early.
Rinse the paving with the water running away from the pool, then check the filter and the pool water after the work.
Done when : After wetting, water runs off without puddles, no unit moves, the edging is covered and the site is clear.
The vibration and pressure of a heavy plate pass into the backfill that supports the wall. The wall of a vinyl or fiberglass pool can deform, and the coping can crack or shift.
Follow the pool maker's detail for the zone against the wall: thin lifts, a light plate or a hand tamper, and no machine near the edge.
Rainwater carries soil, sand and debris into the pool and seeps behind the coping, where it wets the backfill that then freezes against the wall.
Give a slope of at least 1.5% to 2% running from the coping toward the lawn, a drain or a channel, and mirror it at the bottom of the excavation.
A child can walk unsupervised into an open site around a full pool. The permit holder has a duty to control access, and an owner in breach faces a fine.
Put up a temporary fence before opening the enclosure and check every evening that the pool is surrounded and the gate latches by itself.
A low wall, fixed bench or raised planter that is too close becomes a step for climbing over the enclosure, which makes it non-compliant and ineffective.
Keep any fixed structure that could be used to climb at least 1 m from the pool wall or enclosure, as the regulation requires.
Paving higher than the old ground reduces the enclosure's effective height, which can drop below the 1.2 m minimum without anyone noticing.
Measure the enclosure height from the finished surface and adjust the enclosure or the grades before reopening the pool.
Polymeric sand's binder hardens on contact with water, and cutting dust clouds the water and loads the filter. The coping and liner can stay stained.
Cover the pool during cutting and jointing, cut away from the water and sweep the excess outward before wetting.
Pool pipes and cables are often shallow and missing from the Info-Excavation marks. Tearing them out causes leaks, outages and an electrocution risk.
Find the lines with the installer's plans, dig by hand within 1 m of their route and leave any electrical repair to a CMEQ electrician.
The binder activates too early: it sticks to the surface and leaves a haze that is hard to remove, and joints stay hollow or crumbly, letting water and weeds in.
Wait until pavers, joints and bed are completely dry, sweep off all excess before wetting and pick a period with no rain forecast.
Without a restraint, the edge pavers creep outward, joints open, sand washes out and the whole surface loses its interlock within one or two seasons.
Install plastic, aluminium or concrete edging anchored on the base along every free side. Do not use timber.
Stone dust holds water. It saturates, freezes and pumps up through the joints: pavers sink in places and joints get dirty within the first seasons.
Use clean, coarse concrete sand for the bedding. Stone dust is still common in Quebec, but public specifications refuse it.
Any digging needs an Info-Excavation locate request at least 4 business days before starting, and hand digging within 1 m of the marks.[8, 11]
A surround that touches the enclosure, its gates or access to the pool needs a municipal permit, and the holder must control access during the work.[4]
Moving or changing lighting, a receptacle, the bonding or the pump's power supply is electrical work: hire a master electrician who is a CMEQ member. An owner may not do it themselves.[33, 34]
Before touching the coping or the backfill against the wall, get the pool maker's deck detail or hire a pool installer.[5]
Paving over an existing slab needs a sound slab and drainage holes drilled through it. Have a professional assess the slab before choosing this method.[3]
A surface higher than the existing ground needs fill compacted in lifts and often a low wall or retaining wall. A wall that holds back soil can fall under the Engineers Act depending on its function, the soil and the loads: see the walls guide and a professional.[35]
Paving over a roof, deck or garage adds load to the structure and affects the waterproofing: hire a structural engineer.[2, 19]
Below a 1.5% slope, water is likely to pond on the pavers. Have a professional check the drainage, or increase the slope.[2]
Permeable paving on silt, clay or unknown soil stores water in the base. If it does not drain before freeze-up, it lifts the paving: have the system designed by a professional.[2]
The residential pool safety regulation requires an enclosure around every pool whose water is 60 cm deep or more. The enclosure is at least 1.2 m high, stops a 10 cm sphere, offers no hold for climbing (chain-link mesh openings of at most 30 mm), and a hedge does not count. Every gate closes and latches automatically, with the latch on the inside at the top of the gate or on the outside at least 1.5 m above ground. Municipalities may be stricter.[4, 13]
Checked October 10, 2026
A municipal permit is required to build, install or replace a pool or to build anything that gives or blocks access to a pool. During the work, the permit holder must take temporary measures to control access.[4]
Checked October 10, 2026
Pool equipment (pump, filter, heater) is installed more than 1 m from the pool wall or enclosure, except as the regulation provides, and any fixed structure or equipment that could be used to climb is kept at least 1 m away.[4]
Checked October 10, 2026
Installations existing before 1 November 2010 must comply by 30 September 2027; replacing the pool triggers full compliance. An owner in breach faces a fine of $500 to $700, $700 to $1,000 for a repeat offence. Montreal and Quebec City both remind owners of this deadline.[4, 36, 37]
Checked October 10, 2026
Before digging, file a free request with Info-Excavation. The RBQ asks contractors to file it at least 4 business days before the work; it is valid until the stated end date, for at most 180 days. The construction safety code requires the employer to locate lines before digging. For an owner doing their own work, the request is strongly recommended even though that duty targets employers, and some municipalities, such as Magog, require it on their land.[8, 12, 38]
Checked October 10, 2026
Per the RBQ licence guide, landscaping on private land, such as private driveways, low walls and paver landings resting on gravel that are not attached to the building, needs no licence. Owners may do this work at their own home, except electrical and gas work, which always goes to a qualified contractor. If you hire, check in the RBQ register that the contractor's subcategories cover the other parts of the contract, such as excavation or concrete.[34, 39, 40]
Checked October 10, 2026
The Civil Code (art. 979) requires lower land to receive the natural flow from higher land, but forbids the owner of the higher land from making the neighbour's situation worse. A new paved surface that concentrates water toward the lot line can therefore make you liable.[7]
Checked October 10, 2026
Paver quantity calculator · Roof Observations
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Guide d'installation, Pavés · Techo-Bloc
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DTNI-3C, Mise en oeuvre des pavés et des dalles en béton ou en pierre naturelle sur lit de pose granulaire · Ville de Montréal
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Règlement sur la sécurité des piscines résidentielles, RLRQ c. S-3.1.02, r. 1 · Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)
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Installing a fiberglass pool on sand vs. gravel · River Pools
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Guide to Lot Drainage · City of Calgary
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Écoulement des eaux (rapports de voisinage) · Gouvernement du Québec
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Travaux d'excavation · Régie du bâtiment du Québec
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Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Demande de localisation · Info-Excavation
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Fiche technique 34, Protéger les services publics souterrains · APSAM (Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail, secteur affaires municipales)
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction, RLRQ c. S-2.1, r. 4 · Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Sécurisez votre piscine · Gouvernement du Québec
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
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Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
1.7 ton compact excavator, diesel (John Deere 17G) · Simplex
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
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Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Estimating for Mission Requirements (reproduces FM 5-434 Earthmoving Operations, Table 1-1) · United States Marine Corps, TECOM
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Guide d'installation 2024 · Permacon
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Coupe de fondation granulaire pour pavés de porcelaine (fichier installation-guide-celtik-step) · Permacon
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Installation de pavé uni au Québec : guide complet des prix au m² et pi² · Soumission Rénovation
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Experience curve effects · Wikipedia
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
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Published September 22, 2025Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Guide des prix d'excavation : tout ce qu'il faut savoir · Soumission Rénovation
Published May 7, 2026Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
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Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Basic Tech Guide / Project Planning Guide · Unilock
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
BNQ 2560-114, Granulats · Bureau de normalisation du Québec
Consulted October 10, 2026Paid standard: cited, never reproducedSource page
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TS 3.80, Construction Specification for Concrete Unit Pavers · City of Toronto
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Comment installer du pavé uni · Soumission Rénovation
Published April 17, 2026Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Installation guide, Walls and design charts · Techo-Bloc (hosted by dealer Stonewood Products)
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
How to install a durable paver driveway · Unilock (contractor site)
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Loi sur les maîtres électriciens, RLRQ c. M-3 · Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Travaux que vous pouvez faire vous-même · Régie du bâtiment du Québec
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Les murs de soutènement · Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
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Piscines résidentielles : jusqu'au 30 septembre 2027 pour se conformer · Ville de Montréal
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Mise aux normes des piscines existantes · Ville de Québec
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
Demande de localisation Info-Excavation · Ville de Magog
Consulted October 10, 2026Source page
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Vérifier la licence d'un entrepreneur · Régie du bâtiment du Québec
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First version, draft awaiting review by an experienced installer.