Paver patios and a fishing deck

The original patio just didn't quite cut it. It was a small square of brick tucked against the house, and once you set a couple of chairs and a fire ring on it there was nowhere left for fun!

So we pulled it all out and got down to dirt. The old base was about 2 inches thick. That is less than half what a patio wants here, and it is exactly why one ends up wavy. I put in a very thick base instead. Because of the location, I wanted to make it "driveway durable," just in case a moving truck decided to pull up to the back door. A little extra effort goes a long way. I know that they won't be calling me because their pavers moved out of place.

Then it was laying pavers, cutting the edges in, and sweeping the joints. The new patio runs the whole back of the house with room for a fire pit, and the sod went back up tight against the border.

This customer liked their new patio so much that they wanted another tiny patio by the pond. That one became the fishing deck, a little paver pad right at the water's edge with a table and chairs on it. Hard to argue with that view.

The customer told me the first weekend on the new patio was college kids playing beer pong. That warms my heart...

Small original brick patio with red Adirondack chairs and a fire ring behind a green craftsman home — The original patio just didn't quite cut it!

Old patio removed down to bare soil, with string lines and grade stakes set for the new base — Step 1: Remove the old.

Thick crushed gravel base over fabric being compacted with a plate compactor before pavers go down — Step 2: The most important part of a paver job! Install a good base. The old one was about 2" thick! Not good. This is a very thick base for a patio. Because of the location, I wanted to make it "driveway durable," just in case a moving truck decided to pull up to the back door. A little extra effort goes a long way. I know that they won't be calling me because their pavers moved out of place.

Concrete pavers being laid in running bond over screeded sand along the back of the house — Step 3: Lay the pavers.

Finished paver patio with a round block fire pit running the full length of the house — Step 4: Sit back and enjoy the view!

Grassy pond bank with a gravel landing at the water's edge before the second patio — This customer liked their new patio so much that they wanted another tiny patio by the pond.

Small paver patio at the pond's edge with a bistro table and four blue chairs — The new fishing deck!

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