New home - patio project...

[Scott B.]

I close on my first house in just under a month and already have a project in mind for the summer. The house has a deck off of the dining area but I would like to create more room for the grill, hammock, lawn furniture, etc. The back of the house is setup great for a 10x20ft brick patio. I have looked online about building a patio and this seems like a realistic project. What special techniques need to used in area that repeatedly freezes-thaws during the winter months? Should I stick with the 6-8" crushed stone base topped with 2" sand that I have seen mentioned elsewhere? Is keeping sand in the pavers a problem during frequent snow, rain, wind? Any advice, or links to advice, for a paver stone patio would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, SAB

[NorMinn]

I don't know how it works where the ground freezes, but pavers and stone are easy and not too expensive. We have two areas, similar but not the same. Laid down landscape cloth, place pavers and mow edger, river rock between the pavers. This is Florida. Easy to clean off with blower, spot spray if a few weeds take hold. Landscape cloth (NOT plastic tarps) is water permeable, blocks weed growth, allows water to drain, and comes in different grades (5 yr, 20 yr?).

[Joseph Meehan]

In short YES. Laying the brick/pavers in sand means even if there is problems with the weather, it is easy to fix. It is not unusual to have a problem or two, but easy to fix and after a few years the problems all get fixed. If you do a good job and don't cheat on that foundation and compact it properly with good drainage, I doubt if you will have any problems.