Hardscape preparation involves some digging, mud, and mess. But you’ll be glad you did when spring arrives and you can enjoy your new outdoor space.
Had enough?
We’re talking about winter.
It’s cold. Snowy. Icy. And it’s cold some more. And it lasts for weeks, slows down and then gets worse again.
We’ve had enough. We suspect you have, too. Everyone’s ready for spring and when it comes – and it will – you will want a place to go when you fling open your back door.
Might we suggest a clay paver patio?
Top photo shows work-in-progress in Concord, MA, where Roots & Rocks Landscape Artisans finished with the beautiful results above. Photo by Dan Gladu, Roots & Rocks Landscape Artisans.
“Right now is the time to be thinking about it,” said JB Brown, owner of Burlington, NC-based Quality Landscapes. “Thinking about it now gives you some options.”
Brown points out that homeowners need to plan to book clay paver patio installations between December and February, to have the patios done in the April to June time frame.
The reasons for building an outdoor room are numerous. New hardscape projects provide an increased level of happiness as long as homeowners stay in their homes, as well as providing a good return on investment when they do decide to sell, according to recent research findings by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP.)
The 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, which was released in March 2023, and represents the most recent research in the field, examines why homeowners complete outdoor remodeling projects, the value of undertaking these enhancements and homeowners’ increased happiness after completing an upgrade.
Quality Landscapes job in Burlington, NC, reclaimed a steep-sloping backyard with a patio and seatwall. Photo by JB Brown, Quality Landscapes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way Americans use their homes for daily living, relaxation and entertainment,” said Dr. Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research, in a prepared statement. “Homeowners have embraced their outdoor spaces — transforming them into oases with pools, patios, plants and greenery. These outdoor features are embraced by the homeowner and can also attract buyers if the owner wants to sell.”
The research covered the typical cost of 11 outdoor residential projects as estimated by the National Association of Landscape Professionals and the estimated cost recovery, defined by REALTORS ® as the amount homeowners can recover on a project upon selling a home. It also measures the experience that consumers had, including a Joy Score, or a measurement of how happy they were with the improvements.
Demand: patios, not wood decks
The research showed that compared to all 11 projects examined, patios were among those that were most in demand, especially following the pandemic.
Landscape professionals saw the most increased demand for a new patio (55 percent) an overall landscape upgrade (61 percent) and landscape maintenance (58 percent). Conversely, they saw the least increased demand for a new wood deck (15%), an in-ground pool addition (25%), and tree care (29%).
In terms of enjoyment, rated on a scale from one to 10, patios ranked high, at 9.9, alongside inground pools and outdoor lighting, which were scored at 10 out of 10.
Getting started in time for summer
In Concord, Massachusetts, Dan Gladu, a co-owner of Roots & Rocks Landscape Artisans, said that right now is absolutely the best time to get started with a patio installation this summer.
“With smaller companies like ours, it helps us to get the design process started in winter,” he said. “We have more free time, especially in the Northeast. There is quite a bit more thought that we can put into it, and there is more time to line up the product so you will have everything ready to go when the time comes.”
Gladu said that increasingly, he is recommending permeable pavers, like Pine Hall Brick Company’s StormPave, because the water is absorbed into the ground. No water means no ice and no ice means no slips and falls.
Additionally, Pine Hall Brick Company’s permeable pavers, especially those made of clay, aren’t affected by freeze and thaw cycles the way other materials are and therefore last longer; and because they are of consistent sizes and thicknesses, they’re much easier to install.
Above, terraced patio in Kalamazoo, MI, by Space/Craft Landscapes. Below shows close-up of pavers. Photos by Jake Grevenstuk, Space/Craft Landscapes.
Jake Grevenstuk, owner of Space/Craft Landscapes in Kalamazoo, Michigan, said that starting a project now will indeed pay off later.
The idea for homeowners is to spend time, right now, to look online and in places like Pinterest, to figure out what they want; and then to make an appointment for this spring and summer to get the job installed. One suggestion is to search through the Pine Hall Brick Company website to see what kind of pavers would work well with your home and landscape
“We are in the ideation phase right now,” said Grevenstuk. “I am working with customers to see what they are thinking, and what I am thinking, and we are solidifying our plans. You can look in your yard and you can look online and get outside on a warm day. You can mark out rough ideas as far as the appropriate sizes of things. It’s a great time right now to be indoors and online.”
You will also want to figure out how big you will want your patio. A rule of thumb is to take patio furniture, a grill, etc. into an area in your backyard and then circle the items with a garden hose on the ground to figure out the size and shape of your patio.
Whether you do it yourself or hire a contractor, call 811 to check on the location of underground utilities before you dig.
To do it yourself, you dig down seven inches, compact the soil, put in four inches of crusher run gravel (also known as ABC, ¾ Minus, Road Base), compact the gravel base, and then you put in one inch of sand. The pavers go on top of the sand – and it’s all pulled snug with edge restraints and fastened down with landscape spikes.
(Two important points here: You don’t have to do all of this in one day, or even in one weekend. You can get a tarp and cover up the project, then come back to it later. In addition, there are a number of videos online to show you how it’s done.)
The advantage to a paver patio for DIYers is that it is forgiving, as long as you are willing to put in the effort. Dig the hole too shallow and you can dig some more; dig it too deep and you can throw some dirt into it. It’s not like a deck, in which you can cut and cut and cut a board and it will still be too short.
Click here for some directions.
If you decide to hire a company to install your patio, ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. The company should have pictures of projects that are similar to yours – along with references from satisfied customers.
Expansive water permeable hardscape in Chapel Hill to comply with local stormwater abatement codes. Photo by JB Brown, Quality Landscapes.
Mark Tiernan, vice president of sales and marketing for Fred Adams Paving in Morrisville, N.C., suggests making certain that the contractor carry liability insurance and worker’s comp. And make sure it’s done right – the base layer, for example, should extend six inches past the edge of the pavers so that the spikes will be firmly in the base and not in the soil. Once installed, the patio should slope one inch for every four feet.
Get a range of pricing for the exact same job; if you are looking to put in an eight-by-ten patio, each company should quote you a price based on installing an eight-by-ten patio. And then you should choose the one that appears to be the best, not necessarily the one that’s the cheapest.
And look at their qualifications carefully.
“You don’t want to get somebody who is not qualified,” said Brown. “You want the best that you can get.”