What it is
A patio or walkway in stone — flagstone, bluestone, or clay paver — set with a real base under it. Two methods. Dry-set on sand or stone screenings over compacted base, joints filled with polymeric sand or planted moss. Mortared on a poured concrete slab, joints tooled like any other masonry joint. Dry-set looks softer and is easier to repair. Mortared reads more formal and lasts longer in heavy use.
When you need it
- A new patio, terrace, or pool deck
- A front walk being replaced or extended
- Garden paths, stepping stones, or stepped grade changes
- A pool surround or hot tub apron
- Outdoor kitchen or fire-feature floor
How we do it
We start with the base, which is the only part of the job that matters once the stone is down. Excavate to clean subgrade — six to eight inches below finish grade for foot-traffic patios, deeper for vehicle loads. Compact in lifts. Lay landscape fabric to separate base from native soil. Build the base with three-quarter washed stone, then a leveling course of stone dust or coarse sand. Set the stones — laid out dry first, cut to fit, then set in the leveling course. Joints get polymeric sand or, on a mortared install, packed mortar tooled to a clean profile.
Materials and methods
- Pennsylvania bluestone — full color or thermal, full-range or selected
- Wisconsin lannon stone and Indiana limestone for ledgy regional looks
- Clay paver — Belden, Pine Hall, Whitacre Greer — when a tighter pattern is wanted
- Cobblestone and granite setts on heritage-style installs
- Three-quarter washed stone compacted base, never just sand on dirt
- Polymeric sand joint fill — locks the stones, breathes, weeds out
- Edge restraint — buried plastic, concrete curb, or steel — wherever the patio meets soft ground
We grade for drainage. A patio should fall away from the house at a quarter-inch per foot. Done right, it’s invisible. Done wrong, you’ll have ice at the back door every January.