Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Paver Patio

Hope this isn't too off topic for this forum, but I just saw a TV show where they layed pavers on the ROOF of an apartment building, directly on the concrete deck, in Chicago. Does anyone else see about, oh, 8 or 9 problems with this!?! I feel sorry for the people living below them when the next 2-3 ft snow hits. Just thought I'd share.

Makes you wonder if the building's liability insurance company is aware of what the owner did.

Actually, not a real unusual thing to do in commercial construction. I've done that in a few of my designs over the years. Assuming they did it right, if you saw them laying pavers directly on a concrete slab then the construction they didn't show probably went like this (from bottom up): Structural (load-bearing) concrete floor system, waterproofing system, insulation or protection board, concrete topping for protection of insulation and waterproofing and possibly a slope to drains, and, finally, the pavers. That's really simplified, but you get the idea.

That's a fairly expensive system, but it gives a way of providing an occupied space on an otherwise inaccessible roof. Those TV shows don't always show you everything. Obviously, a roof needs to be watertight and support the weight. Thats one of my pet peeves about some of those DIY shows, many times they show you just enough to get you in trouble or lead you astray.

Bruce

Your solution sounds better, but this was a bunch of designers (no offense) redoing an existing balcony on an old condo building. They made no mention of consulting an engineer, local codes, etc. They also showed repeatedly people laying pavers directly on concrete ,and mentioned using about 10 tons of pavers, stone, and building material. Sounds like trouble to me.

You may be looking at the situation from a DIY standpoint (no offense) where you are usually dealing with short term construction like wood that is really designed "to the edge" from a code, structural and deflection standpoint.

TV shows do not get into the details or codes, etc, since it is assumed that these are complied with since it is the requirement. When is the last time the Bob Vila went to jail for a violation? - Martha Stewart is a different story.

The fact that is an "old" building has no importance except that an older building with a concrete deck and patios in not a typical new, minimum standards building. A lightweight wood structure probably would not have such features. It is designed to fulfill a purpose and not be as minimal as possible (which is represented by current codes).

The process you saw has been done repeatedly in most of the advanced world (U.S. included) on structures that are designed adequately.

The building probably has more than one balcony with pavers in the upgrade. Just to put things in perspective, the 10 tons of pavers on a 100 x 100 area would probably be much less than the snow load.

Its no big deal - it just shows how products can be used on different applications. Often, pavers are used to hold down roofing materials.

Dick