So who has put down a stone patio? (1 Viewer)

[Beef Ravioli]

Giving our backyard and patio area a face lift this summer. I would like to put in some type of a paver patio. I will be doing the labor and will research it thoroughly but I wanted to get some opinions from some "non-professionals" that have tackled this type of project.

How did it go? Would you do it again? Happy with the end product? What kind of pavers did you use (I would like something natural looking versus the stamped out blocks)? What kind of base did you use? Etc. Etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jon_mx]

I had a profession do my driveway in pavers....he put down a sand base and compacted it. Having your borders anchored is important too, otherwise the pavers will spread out and you will get gaps.

 

[Jayrok]

I did my own patio in summer of 2012. It was a 12x12 foot stone paver patio just off of my cement pool deck in the back yard. Then put in a small slab and a gazebo for my grill just off of it.

It isn't difficult just a little time consuming. Got the pavers at Lowes. The hardest part is digging the square in the yard. I went down about 8 inches or so and tried to level it off as much as possible. Mark off your space and dig. Then a layer of small rocks/gravel. This allows rain water to drain through the patio. Works great.

On top of the gravel, drop some sand. Recommend getting the gravel and sand at a nursery or gravel seller so they can bring it in a truck to the house. The sand bags at Lowes would get very expensive.

Level the sand using one of those tamper tools. This works very well and flattening the sand so you can lay the paver. A rubber mallet can be used to tap pavers to get them level. I also put a track along the outside of the pavers to help keep them from sliding apart.

One thing to consider is to have the patio slightly inclinded so that water can drain to, say, a corner of the patio. Then it will just seap through the pavers into the sand/rocks. My patio never holds rain puddles. We have enjoyed our patio very much so far. I have a medium/large fire pit in the center and plenty of seating.

The digging is the hardest but you will feel satisfied with a job well done afterwards. Also, there are tons of video instructions on the web (youtube) for materials and technique.

 

[parasaurolophus]

When I bought my house I realized that underneath the dirt that was in the front and the back was all flagstone. So I excavated them one by one like I was finding something amazingly valuable. So I decided to use the stone to make a patio in the back. It looked like crap when I was done and I just really couldnt get it to be as level as I wanted. The stones were so big and varying thicknesses. I ended up removing it and putting in concrete.

So I guess my advice is whatever stone you pick, just make sure it is of uniform depth.

 

[bro1ncos]

Did a 15x15 paver patio last summer. I think it turned out fairly well. A few things I could have done better, but more of just things that only I notice unless I point them out to someone.

To save yourself A Lot of digging, I used the Brock Paver Base Panels http://www.lowes.com/pd_345420-26467-345420_0__?productId=3609858

Very pleased with how they worked and the ease of installation. Saved digging out an extra 8-10" of soil just to install paver base.

 

[rockaction]

It was the saddest day of my life. I was wondering when to get a new one soon afterwards.

 

[Johnny Bing]

Put down a 14x14 paver patio about 3 years ago.

Lessons learned:

- Spend the money to have someone skid load your pad. Digging it by hand took forever and the couple hundred bucks to have someone come in with bucket and 10 minutes is money well spent.

- I used packer on the 8" of clay/gravel sub base, but I would have preferred to pack the top layer of sand. Had to take out and add sand on about dozen pavers that settled. I think if I would have packed the top layer it wouldn't have done that.

- 2" PVC worked great to skreet the top layer of sand.

After all said in done, in the future I would just do a concrete slab with a stamp on it. Less work and cleaner finish.

 

[satch]

Will likely be hiring someone this Spring to lay a patio for us. It's a very large area, with some bends, walkways, etc and has to be blended into an existing winding walkway. As much as I'd like to do it myself, I just don't possess the know-how, or time, to ensure that it turns out the way it should, and I want to enjoy/appreciate the completed patio, not be annoyed by it's imperfections. Learning to recognize when a project is beyond my ability has been just as valuable as the DIY abilities I do have. I might buy the materials myself to eliminate the possibility of paying extra for the materials, but the money spent for a professionally installed, level, properly drained, structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing patio will be money well spent.

 

[DocHolliday]

Giving our backyard and patio area a face lift this summer. I would like to put in some type of a paver patio. I will be doing the labor and will research it thoroughly but I wanted to get some opinions from some "non-professionals" that have tackled this type of project.

How did it go? Would you do it again? Happy with the end product? What kind of pavers did you use (I would like something natural looking versus the stamped out blocks)? What kind of base did you use? Etc. Etc.

Thanks in advance!

I love building patios. They look fantastic. My friend and I build patios/walkways as a side business. Last year we put in a 26' x 46' raised patio with a 40' walkway and a 14' x 22' patio with a 25' walkway. The raised patio has a couple of sitting walls and a bar made out of stone columns. The materials cost a little over $7K. We use the stamped pavers and 304 road base.

Buy your materials from a local masonry supply. Go there to view and choose your pavers. They will deliver your materials and can also provide instruction/help.

Rent equipment or pay someone to dig it out if you are building a large patio or are in a hurry. Digging out a hole for a large patio will take time. Rent equipment to move the road base or have it dumped next to the hole.

A very important part of the job is screeding the sand. After you compact the road base to the desired level using a walk-behind tamper, you must screed the sand perfectly level but sloping away from the house. Once you have the sand screeded you are done with the tough work. You simply drop the pavers in place on the sand and then finish the project with joining sand.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Not a stone patio, but a patio stoned.

 

[Vike Me]

I did my own patio in summer of 2012. It was a 12x12 foot stone paver patio just off of my cement pool deck in the back yard. Then put in a small slab and a gazebo for my grill just off of it.

It isn't difficult just a little time consuming. Got the pavers at Lowes. The hardest part is digging the square in the yard. I went down about 8 inches or so and tried to level it off as much as possible. Mark off your space and dig. Then a layer of small rocks/gravel. This allows rain water to drain through the patio. Works great.

On top of the gravel, drop some sand. Recommend getting the gravel and sand at a nursery or gravel seller so they can bring it in a truck to the house. The sand bags at Lowes would get very expensive.

Level the sand using one of those tamper tools. This works very well and flattening the sand so you can lay the paver. A rubber mallet can be used to tap pavers to get them level. I also put a track along the outside of the pavers to help keep them from sliding apart.

One thing to consider is to have the patio slightly inclinded so that water can drain to, say, a corner of the patio. Then it will just seap through the pavers into the sand/rocks. My patio never holds rain puddles. We have enjoyed our patio very much so far. I have a medium/large fire pit in the center and plenty of seating.

The digging is the hardest but you will feel satisfied with a job well done afterwards. Also, there are tons of video instructions on the web (youtube) for materials and technique.

All this about sums up my adventure about 4 years ago. I remember the digging and getting everything level the most difficult part.

Agree with the sand comment, wish I knew because at the time I just got 50 lbs. bag after bag after bag of sand to lug from my drive way all the way to backyard. Wheel barrel helped.

 

[Caesar]

I did my own patio in summer of 2012. It was a 12x12 foot stone paver patio just off of my cement pool deck in the back yard. Then put in a small slab and a gazebo for my grill just off of it.

It isn't difficult just a little time consuming. Got the pavers at Lowes. The hardest part is digging the square in the yard. I went down about 8 inches or so and tried to level it off as much as possible. Mark off your space and dig. Then a layer of small rocks/gravel. This allows rain water to drain through the patio. Works great.

On top of the gravel, drop some sand. Recommend getting the gravel and sand at a nursery or gravel seller so they can bring it in a truck to the house. The sand bags at Lowes would get very expensive.

Level the sand using one of those tamper tools. This works very well and flattening the sand so you can lay the paver. A rubber mallet can be used to tap pavers to get them level. I also put a track along the outside of the pavers to help keep them from sliding apart.

One thing to consider is to have the patio slightly inclinded so that water can drain to, say, a corner of the patio. Then it will just seap through the pavers into the sand/rocks. My patio never holds rain puddles. We have enjoyed our patio very much so far. I have a medium/large fire pit in the center and plenty of seating.

The digging is the hardest but you will feel satisfied with a job well done afterwards. Also, there are tons of video instructions on the web (youtube) for materials and technique.

This is everything I would have said. Great advice.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I did one a few years back (roughly 12x10) with 12x12 blocks

Whoever mentioned the screed is right...I skipped that part and I definitely have some flateness issues with high corners on some blocks...it's held up well but you occasionally get a wobbly chair or table

 

[Usual21]

Did a 15x15 paver patio last summer. I think it turned out fairly well. A few things I could have done better, but more of just things that only I notice unless I point them out to someone.

To save yourself A Lot of digging, I used the Brock Paver Base Panels http://www.lowes.com/pd_345420-26467-345420_0__?productId=3609858

Very pleased with how they worked and the ease of installation. Saved digging out an extra 8-10" of soil just to install paver base.

Used these this past summer. Best thing I ever did. Patio looks great, and it was so easy.

 

[msommer]

It's sad, but when it breaks a tile, you gotta put it down.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

 

[Johnny Bing]

One last thing to add, is if you are going to do the brick firepit off the patio or in the center. Make sure to leave gaps in the bottom or second to the bottom row for air. You will be surprised how much better the fire burns if it can get air between the block.