What makes more sense for us to do. We are doing a walkout from the front of our house with a patio. We dont live on the lake but have a great view of the lake just off of it. We get very cold winters in Northern Michigan and the wind blows directly at our house from off the lake. We also have Clay beneath where the patio will be.....Does anyone have a suggestion. It has been my experience that the Slab always cracks, but I would like a professional opinon. Thank you
Ryan Dove
Few sources for professional info good for northern MI live outside northern MI.
Even if the slab doesn't crack if it goes out of level it's not so easy to fix. That's what happened to mine.
I recommend pavers, not bricks. I have brick walkways and a paver patio:
With pavers you can always pull them up, adjust and replace.
Concrete is an impervious hardscape and has a cold unnatural look about it. How about flagstone or some other natural stone? Bricks or pavers will work too, depending on the look you want. I prefer the look of natural stone because it blends in well with surrounding landscape. Don't use mortar though to anchor the stone. Instead use crushed granite or a similar natural material. This way your stone patio will not crack when your clay soil expands and contracts.
Go with a stamped concrete patio, a nice pattern will hide any cracks, and a good base should make any cracks a moot point in the first place also you don't have to worry about the pavers or bricks heaving around and making toe stubbing a common occurence.
Very beautiful patio/deck.
Thanks. 5 years later and I'm still happy with it, it's held up well.
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