Last summer I was at a party in a yard with a large multi-level patio, seating walls, steps, and a fire pit. A friend asked me if I built the patio. Imagine the shock in her face when I replied, "No, if I had we would rip it out and redo it".
She said, “Really, I think it is really nice”. So I pointed what I was seeing:
Look at the poor and uneven cuts along the edge of the patio.
Notice the crooked lines in the paving pattern.
See how the bricks are uneven and up and down.
Then look at the steps and the walls. The rows of block are not level and the capstones have uneven reveals (overhang of the cap stone).
She said, "You are right, the patio is not installed very well. I didn't notice the details".
This made me think. We spend a lot of time on the quality of our brick and stone patio installations. One thought was why? If people couldn't see or recognize the poor quality, is it worth the effort? Then I thought, of course it is. Quality is who I am and what my company is base on. Quality is one of the things that make me proud of our product. What makes a high quality brick or stone patio installation?
Design. The old question, form or function? To me, if a patio or space is not functional then why have it. But, if you can design a patio to be functional and give it form then you have done something special. I believe the first step in a quality patio is the design. You can read more about quality patio design by clicking here.
It's all about the base. The most important part of your patio you will never see, the base. The International Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI) reccommends the following.
Compact the subsoils following excavation.
For pedestrian surfaces such as brick paver or stone patios and walkways the gravel base should be a minimum of 4" thick.
Compact the base in 2" lifts with a mechanical compactor.
To read the ICPI Installation Basics click here.
Pitch or slope of the patio for positive drainage. Patios need to slope away from the house a minimum of 1% (1" of drop every 8'). I like to keep the slope less than 2% (1" of drop every 4'). A walkway can slope more than this.
Straight Brick Lines. Brick pattern lines need to be straight. Look at the picture above again and you see the straight lines. Some brick paver patterns involve varying size of brick pavers. The pattern still repeats and needs to be straight. Please look at the picture below and you will notice every second or third brick the lines line up perfectly
Great Cuts! Straight or curved, cuts need to be done perfectly. The pictures below say it all!
Polymeric Sand. Polymeric sand has a polymer in it. Some brands of polymeric sand also have portland cement in the sand. All polymeric sands when installed properly set up like mortar. They are available in a variety of colors. Some are even permeable to allow water to drain through. Polymeric sand has taken stone and brick paver patios to entirely new level for a number of reasons.
No more messy loose sand.
Near elimination of weeds.
Near elimination of ants.
I have gotten over the frustration of the patio from the party! I have determined a quality brick or stone patio installation is worth the effort, thought and execution. Quality is something I can be proud of. Quality is something our customers can be proud of. Because we install our brick paver and stone patios properly we offer a 5 Year Workmanship Guarantee to the standards set by ICPI. Please contact me so I can assist you in the installation of your quality brick paver or stone patio.
