My wife and I are trying to come to a conclusion on which way to go. Concrete seems like the best value but I know it crack. I like pavers but for the size we are looking to do I could have a built Flyin' Miata engine in my car. As for stone I love the look but I am worried about the cost.
Since you guys seem to know everything about all thing, which would you do?
Thank you for your time and thoughts. RS
Where is the GRM Strong Arm when you need her?
Not specifically patio, but I went from this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/skinnyg/Misc/DSC004472.jpg
To this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/skinnyg/Misc/DSC004532.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/skinnyg/Misc/DSC00454.jpg
Which includes a "patio-esque" section:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/skinnyg/Misc/DSC004552.jpg
Doing the charcoal brick inlay was a piece of cake compared to the wall and steps. Once you have your perimeter sorted out, the rest is pretty easy. If your ground freezes/thaws/settles at all, stones will move with the ground and it won't really look noticeable.
I've been in physio for the past two years over this walkway.
Much will depend on where you live; how you're going to use the patio (next to a pool?); walk barefoot a lot on it; heavy or light foot traffic; going to have heavy furniture (conrete?) outdoor furniture/built-in grill on it; light or dark color; type of soil--or how much $$ to prep the ground for the patio; and, is there a cesspool or sewer that will be covered by the patio? That last one can be a huge and expensive surprise if work is needed. And, are you going to do this yourself or hire someone? You can sometime save $$ if you're willing to make the patio from used brick, and pick it up yourself from a construction site/someone getting a new patio, or a building being refurbished. My 2 cents.
Thx for the input! Skinny G you do great work.
The ground is compacted sand as it is an old river bed. In other words the ground is very stable and drains well. We are putting down compacted 5/8" minus gravel. We plan on light use unless I get really fat then we might have load issues. We are doing all of the prep work with the help of a friend landscaper.
Also the total are is about 1000 square feet. Thanks again!
We did a stamped, colored concrete patio behind my house. I love the look but it's cracked and is starting to heave because the guy I hired did a crap job of prepping the base. If I had to do it again I'd do stone pavers like SkinnyG - friends have a similar patio and it still looks great several years in.
My wife and I put down a brick patio in our back yard a few years back. We dug down about 12", leveled everything, filled most of the way with 3/4" gravel, topped with stone dust, and then finished off with some bricks our friends gave us when they were moving. Our patio is 12X12, and it was definitely a good chunk of hard work! All else being equal, with 1000 square feet, I'd try picking something that was a decent size to make things easier. Would concrete reinforced with rebar prevent cracking?
I vote pavers. My dad and I put in our patio using pavers and it wasn't too bad, the only hard part is renting a brick cutter and cutting the oddly shaped ones. Just dig 12 inches down, put in 8-10 inches of sand, then 4 inches of the pink base stuff, then the pavers. Done!
It's time consuming but it is definitely worth it! Enjoy and post pictures when you start the project!
Fer cheap I would scrounge Craigslist or the classified ads for used antique bricks. If you could show a picture of the sight you want to pave it may be helpful. What is your material budget?Does your landscaper friend have machinery(compactor,skidsteer) or will you have to rent? Pavers are the way to go but it is very labor intensive and tedious to get a good job. Skinnyg may give you an idea of that project cost, bet it wasn't cheap. Very nice work though. Elevation changes add another layer of complexity.
In reply to dj06482:
There's rebar in my cracked patio...
I think I was into the whole thing for about $7000CDN (or less) in materials only, 2 years ago. But you gotta understand this is a lot more than just a patio. 51,000lbs of measurable material moved by my wee pipes. I think I had 6 tons of gravel delivered. Wore my spade out shoveling it, too. Each one of the big blocks is 77lbs.
I rented a masonry saw for two days to do all the pavers (hoofed it to try and get it done). I had bought a Princess Auto brick breaker (still have it), but the cut quality was inconsistent. I had also rented a packer for a solid month as each layer of steps had to be compacted before you could build the next one.
I'm also a rookie at this - this was the first one I've ever done. I spent a LOT of time here: http://allanblock.com/ and am largely self-taught.
I like concrete but 1000 sq. ft. is pretty large.
This might help tho:
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/slabs/controljoints.htm
There is no such thing as a concrete slab that does not crack, rebar and compaction or not. A good job simply manages the cracks in a manner that is acceptable (relief cuts, stress joints, etc).
I like pavers for a different reason. With 1000 SF of area, you are impacting the ability for water to be absorbed fairly significantly. Pavers will permit the water to leach into the soil, a slab will create runoff.
If you are going to use concrete, at least look into water permeable concrete.
Used bricks and pavers have more chance of heave than concrete if you are in an area where freeze-up is an issue. I'm not a big fan of used bricks for a floor surface. If you ever throw the kind of a party where ladies might show up in heels, used bricks are aggravating to walk on in heels.
You can decide for yourself if that comment came from personal experience or not. 
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