What does this segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering subgrade and base, edge restraint and drainage, bedding layer, pavers and setting. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The GC's superintendent walking the base with the hardscape foreman before setting begins.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the base is compacted and screeded and before pavers cover it, because base thickness, compaction and slope cannot be checked once the surface is laid.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 15 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in inspection?

Aggregate base placed in one thick lift and compacted from the top, leaving the bottom loose so the surface settles later. Edge restraint set after paving instead of before, so the field has already crept and the perimeter courses won't line up. Bedding sand screeded thick to bury a low spot in the base, which then consolidates and dishes the finished surface.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Segmental pavers and hardscape

Segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in inspection checklist

Segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against ICPI guidance, the project specifications. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Subgrade and base

Subgrade compacted and to grade
Subgrade proof-rolled or tested, no soft or pumping spots, cut to a grade that leaves room for base and pavers at final elevation.
Aggregate base thickness and compaction
Base placed and compacted in lifts to the specified thickness, checked with a probe or measurement, firm underfoot with no movement.
Paver section for each area confirmed from the drawings
Conventional or permeable section, base and subbase materials, and paver thickness for pedestrian and vehicular areas read off the drawings before the walk.
No photo
Base surface checked with a straightedge before bedding
Straightedge run across the base in several directions, deviations within the specified tolerance, highs cut and lows filled with base material, not bedding.

Edge restraint and drainage

Edge restraint installed and secured
Restraint set against the compacted base before paving, spiked or anchored per the detail, continuous around the field.
Slope to drain established across the base
Base surface pitched to the drainage points shown, no flat or reverse-fall areas that will pond once paved.
Finished paver elevation marked at every tie-in
Paver top-of-surface marked at thresholds, walks, curbs, drains and castings so base and bedding leave the pavers flush where the drawings show.
Underdrains and base outlets placed as the section details
Where the section includes underdrains, observation wells or outlets from the base, pipe, cleanouts and outlets in place at the locations and elevations shown.
No photo

Bedding layer

Bedding sand screeded to a uniform depth
Bedding course screeded to a consistent thickness, not thickened to make up for base irregularities.
Geotextile placed where specified
Separation or stabilization fabric present and lapped per the detail where the specification calls for it under the base or bedding.
No photo
Bedding material checked against the approved submittal
Bedding sand or chip delivery ticket or stockpile matched to the approved submittal for type and gradation, with no screenings or stone dust substituted.
Screeded bedding left undisturbed ahead of the laying face
No footprints, wheel ruts or rain-washed areas in the screeded bedding; disturbed areas raked out and rescreeded before pavers go on.

Pavers and setting

Paver pallet tags match the approved submittal
Product, color, size, thickness and lot on the pallet tags checked against the approved submittal, with pallets staged to blend units from several at once.
Laying pattern, orientation and string lines set
Pattern and its orientation to traffic taken from the drawings, starting point agreed with the foreman, control string lines pulled square off the reference edge.
Delivery and forklift routes kept off screeded areas
Pallet drops and machine routes agreed with the super so loaded equipment stays off screeded bedding and unrestrained edges until the field is laid and compacted.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Aggregate base placed in one thick lift and compacted from the top, leaving the bottom loose so the surface settles later.
Edge restraint set after paving instead of before, so the field has already crept and the perimeter courses won't line up.
Bedding sand screeded thick to bury a low spot in the base, which then consolidates and dishes the finished surface.

Verified against

ICPI segmental paver standards

Common questions

6 answers

What does this segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering subgrade and base, edge restraint and drainage, bedding layer, pavers and setting. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The GC's superintendent walking the base with the hardscape foreman before setting begins.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the base is compacted and screeded and before pavers cover it, because base thickness, compaction and slope cannot be checked once the surface is laid.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 15 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a segmental pavers and hardscape rough-in inspection?: Aggregate base placed in one thick lift and compacted from the top, leaving the bottom loose so the surface settles later. Edge restraint set after paving instead of before, so the field has already crept and the perimeter courses won't line up. Bedding sand screeded thick to bury a low spot in the base, which then consolidates and dishes the finished surface.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 15 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.