Selecting a contractor for building a brick paver patio

Selecting a contractor for brick paver patio I interviewed about half a dozen contractors to install a new brick paver patio in my backyard. To the right, you'll see a photo of the former brick patio that I had. As you can see, many of the bricks have disintegrated or sunken into the ground and the red brick just doesn't go well with the house. I wanted to make a space in the backyard for having get togethers and replacing the old brick patio seemed like the way to go. What you can't see is the never ending battle I had with weeds growing between the bricks. I would use Round Up on a regular basis but the war waged on.

Foundation - the most important part of the patio The reason so many bricks were sinking into the ground is because whoever built the previous brick patio did not lay a proper foundation. When interviewing contractors, ask them what their thoughts are on a proper foundation for the brick patio. If they say just a couple inches of sand then move on to the next contractor. You need 7-8 inches of gravel for your brick patio foundation. This is where many do it yourselfers as well as contractors skimp. Without a proper foundation, the patio will start to sink only after a couple of years.

Planning your brick patio design Many of the contractors that I interviewed had a design in mind for my new patio. They had probably always built either one or two different designs for every house they've ever worked at. The contractor I selected actually sat down with me for about an hour and we planned out the best use of space for the patio. Since people really didn't stand right up against the house, we used those areas for flower beds. We eliminated bringing the patio around the air conditioner and made a walkway from the back door to the patio instead of making that a complete patio area. We also added a transition area from the driveway to the patio with a walkway as the patio was a bit higher than the walkway.

Brick Paver Patio - other concerns I picked the flagstone color and design as it stood out but still blended well with the exterior of the house. A lot of do it yourselfers would prefer to build their own patio but not many have access to the equipment necessary including a bobcat, trucks to haul pavers, gravel and sand. If you skimp on this equipment than you are likely skimping on the foundation of your patio which is the cornerstone of any good patio design.