Choosing pavers is the fun part of a patio and the part that matters least. What decides whether it is still flat in ten years is the excavation, the sub-base and the edge — three things that are completely invisible the moment the last stone goes down, which is exactly why they are the first place a rushed job cuts corners.
It starts with digging deep enough. Topsoil is organic; it compresses and it moves, so all of it has to come out before anything goes back in. Under a patio in this climate that usually means a good deal more depth than people expect, and more under a driveway that has to take a vehicle.
Then the sub-base goes back in as crushed stone, in layers, compacted in stages rather than all at once — a thick layer dumped in and rolled over the top stays loose underneath and settles later in patches. Compaction is also what makes the base shed water instead of holding it, which is the whole game in a freeze-thaw climate: water that sits under a patio and freezes lifts it.
Edge restraint is the last piece and the most often skipped. Without something holding the perimeter, the outer course creeps outward every year, joints open, sand washes out, and the failure works its way inward from the edges. It is a small part of the cost and the reason patios stay tight.
None of this shows in a photograph, which is why it is worth asking any contractor what their base build-up is before you compare prices. Two very different numbers for the same patio usually differ right here.
Planning a patio, walkway or paver driveway? Call God's Gift Masonry at (914) 996-5344 for a written price.
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