That $90 pebble paver base broke my whole patio

I laid a 12x10 patio last spring using those plastic grid bases instead of digging out 4 inches of gravel. Paid 90 bucks for enough grids to cover the area and thought I was saving a weekend of labor. By August the whole thing had shifted and heaved under the rain, and one corner sank so bad you could trip on it. My buddy who does concrete saw it and just said 'yeah, that's what happens when you skip the prep.' Has anyone else tried the grid systems and had them fail, or did I just get a bad batch?

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rivera.holly3d ago

Tried the same thing on a smaller 6x8 pad and watched it turn into a wave pool by fall. Ended up pulling every grid out, renting a plate compactor, and doing the gravel base right. Took a full Saturday but it's been two winters now and you can't even tell where the joints are. The grids are fine for temporary stuff like a shed pad, but they're just not made for something you're going to walk on every day.