Stone Paver Patio

~ Caitlin Lawniczak

Life is better on the patio

Before & After

Of all our house projects, the stone patio we installed in the front of our house is most certainly my favorite! Since the install almost a year and a half ago, we have spent countless summer days and made numerous memories on the patio. Sitting on that patio, sipping on a cool beverage, waving at neighbors, and watching our poodle play in his pool is just about the best scene I can imagine. For all the enjoyment we have gotten from the patio, it’s crazy to think that it only took a weekend to install – a rare occurrence to be sure! Not only was it a relatively quick project, it was actually quite straight forward and something I think just about anybody could do at their own home!

What you’ll need:

Steps:

  1. Remove any old landscaping, plants, or grass and choose design/pattern for pavers
  2. Determine final height for pavers along the house foundation and mark height with a stake
  3. Using a downward pitch of 1 inch over 4 feet, place additional stakes, at height, every 4 feet or as needed along the outside edge of the area
  4. Tie string to stakes in a continuous loop so that the height of the string marks the final height of the pavers at all points
  1. Determine the height difference between the final height markings and the ground – Keep in mind that edge pavers may be a different thickness than the base pavers
MaterialThickness
Thickness of Paver*2-1/4”
Leveling Sand1/2”
Paver Base Panel3/4”
TOTAL3-1/2”
*will depend on the paver selected
  1. Dig down until the difference between the string line and the ground is equal to the height difference calculated
  2. Compact the dirt using the tamper, maintaining the correct height difference between the string line and ground
  3. Because our edge pavers were thicker than the base pavers, we needed to dig a little deeper along the edge of the sidewalk
  4. Add 1/2” leveling sand only where the edge pavers will go and tamp down until compact
  5. Place edge pavers in place – Note: due to the natural slope of our sidewalk, we have a slight step up to the patio towards the driveway which was accomplished by layering the edge pavers and securing them to each other with construction adhesive
  6. Install landscape fabric over the remaining area, overlapping edges by 4 to 6 inches, and securing with staples
  1. Use scrap pieces of wood that are 1/2” thick and lay on top of landscape fabric in several places parallel with the natural slope of the area
  2. Spread a layer of leveling sand over area
  3. To level the sand, use another straight scrap piece of wood placed on top and perpendicular to the previous planks – Pull the plank down the slope, on top of the 1/2” planks, pushing sand into lower areas
  4. Starting on a straight edge of the patio, place paver base panels, fitting the tongues together – Be sure to offset the seams of panels in every row
  1. Begin placing pavers according to chosen pattern, using a 1/4” spacer between pavers
  2. Cut pavers as needed along edges using angle grinder with a diamond blade – Run a hose over the cutting area while working to reduce dust
  1. Once entire area is complete, use a broom to sweep polymeric sand into all gaps between pavers – Use hand tamper to settle sand and add more as needed
  2. Use a leaf blower to remove any polymeric sand remaining on the surface of pavers
  3. Put hose on shower setting and gently wet the pavers until the joints are saturated and no longer absorb water
  4. Wait 24 hours before foot traffic and protect from heavy rain with plastic cover for 72 hours

Finally time to enjoy! Though the number of steps may seem overwhelming, it truly only takes a bit of muscle and a weekend to complete and it really is worth it! Our patio has become our mini vacation site at home in between work and house projects, something even more useful during this pandemic. Now we are off to enjoy a warm, summer evening watching the sunset on our patio!

Thanks for reading!

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