patio questions?

Question

I want to hire someone to build a small patio for me, There are so many options out there -- brick pavers, poured concrete, stamped concrete, stone pavers, etc. I live in the Chicago area, and am wondering if anyone out there has any advice for me. I know that I do not want brick pavers, but other than that, I`m lost. I have the choice of a sand base, cement base, etc. Also what questions should I ask the contractor, in respect to cost etc. I need to have the ground excavated also, and am wondering if it would pay me to have each part of the job individually itemized. I have waited a long time for this patio, and don`t want to make any costly mistakes. Help!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks

Answer 1

Whatever style and amenities you choose, there are some things you need to do before you sign a contract with a contractor. Check out their references and contact other people that they have worked for. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau:

http://www.bbb.org/

The following website offers contractor ratings and reviews by actual customers:

http://www.angieslist.com/angieslist/SiteMap.asp

If you are lucky, several people will have offered ratings on the contractors you are considering.

Make sure your contractor is covered by liability insurance and carries workers compensation insurance on his employees. Make him furnish you a current Certificate of Insurance proving coverage.

Make sure all agreements are in writing and specifications are detailed.

Do not give the contractor more than 10% as a downpayment, and do not pay the balance until the job is done to your satisfaction. Once paid, you loose any leverage in getting him back to finish the job.

Good luck with your project.

Answer 2

I have lived in many homes and tried different types of patio/decking including concrete, pavers, aggregate stone, wood decking etc and I would have to say that I am very pleased with my current patio which is a stampcrete product. It is very versatile, you can pick out any number of patterns and colors to suit your landscaping theme, you do not have to worry about individual pavers cracking or grass growing up between. If you are creative it can be like a work of art and probably no two decks come out exactly the same. If you are in an area with any sort of ground settlement or movement I would suggest going with a 6 inch pour instead of the standard 4 inch. It is only a couple hundred dollars more (for a large 1000sqft patio) and is worth it for the peace of mind. You can make this patio look like flagstone, brick, pavers, or whatever, hundreds of options.

Answer 3

We just built a cobblestone paved patio.....it is more expensive, but looks great! and....the great thing about it over concrete is that it doesn't show debris like concrete...we live in a wooded area that has lots of pine trees and are always having to sweep our concrete sidewalks off so that they look nice, but the patio with the pavers are earthtones and it something falls on it, we don't have to spend all of our time cleaning and can enjoy just sitting around and enjoying ourselves. I don't think you would go wrong with the cobblestone pavers. Our patio was probably double the price of what it would cost for concrete......it is very time consuming with the excavating and all but I'm sure you will love it!

Answer 4

I went with stone pavers because it looks the best, was cheaper and generally has less problems than other options. Every poured concrete patio I've ever had cracked over time. I watched my neighbors who put in stamped concrete and they have had problems with it chipping off and it looks bad over time. I went with a sand base, again because it is cheaper and it allows me to take out the pavers if I ever need to (like I'm thinking of putting in a BBQ island and will need to run the gas line under it). I also don't have the drainage problems that I have encountered with poured concrete. I also used a weed barrier under the sand base so that nothing will grow up in between the pavers.

If I were you, I would hire some laborers to do the excavation, as that is the most back breaking, grunt work part of the job. I would also purchase the supplies yourself to save the mark-up. I went to Lowe's gave them a list of the item numbers of the merchandise I needed. They even helped me figure out how many pavers I would need, how much base sand, how many bags of fill sand, how much weed barrier, how long of edgers and how many anchor stakes. They loaded it all up on a truck charged me $55 for delivery and unloaded it for me. That way you are only paying for labor, too. It is a two day project. The excavation, removal of grass, site preparation and base leveling can be done in one day. Laying and filling the pavers another.

I think you will be as happy with the results as we are.

Answer 5

First, contact the Better Business Bureau for a reputable contractor...
(Though, Contractors "pay" to be on thier list, at least you will have some one who cares to be advertised with them, and you can check out if there were any complaints lodged against them also!)...

If you want patio furniture out there, then I would go with concrete, as pavers will have a tendency to sink or get uneven, and will "lift", with frost heave, and may not settle back evenly at times.

Make "sure" that the concrete will not be "grade level", with a door that you need to get out of, because if there is no "foundation", then it too, will lift with frost heave in the winter time! (I have a back porch that does this, and its concrete with bricks on top, and it heaves anywhere from an 1/8 to a 1/2 inch!!).

I personally like a sand base, as i will drain away any moisture and help in the provention of heave... (remember, if your grounding rods for the house is back there, I would reposition it, because you DONT want it beneath the pad, as it will "dry out" and you will have problems with your electric)...

I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 6

first thing is 1st i presume the decking will be suspended above the ground, if so then there shouldn't be a problem with leaving the broken concrete there. the things you have to consider when building this decking is that when digging the holes for setting the posts in the ground you will have to move some of this concrete. As well you can use some of this concrete as hardcore in your holes for your post that should get rid of some of it. on a safety note you have to make sure that there is reasonable ground for working on as the concrete can become a falling/tripping hazard, therefore i would lay planks across the concrete for walking/kneeling on if it is reasonably flat enough, if not you may have to move the concrete else where until your posts are in and some of the framework is built and then before putting the flooring boards down just put the concrete back in and then nailing or screwing down your floorboards.

Answer 7

I would recommend using an EP Henry certified, or reputable, contractor. There are many "Landscrapers" out there that will quote you a much lower price than a reputable company. Sadly, you get what you pay for. Beware of contractors that save you money by skimping on the base work.

Take a look at this site for finding EP Henry certified contractors:
http://www.ephenry.com/HomeOwner/FindAuthorized.asp

Even if you choose not to go with EP Henry products, the fact that the contractor went to effort to get certified is reassuring.

Check local companies to see how they do their job estimating. We are in a major hardscaping season (July-August), many places will offer free consults and estimates.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

Went to an outdoor expo an saw examples of POLISHED CONCRETE it was inspiring. They could do a lot of different patterns with it. Some examples looked like shiny marble counter tops. Punch in polished concrete on search engine and see if you find anything. I went cheap route and my own labor and used a plastic precast form to make a cobblestone design out of concrete.You could stained it a color or a few different colors per different stone. or wait for time to soften color of concrete like i did. I did do a neat trick this year and I put moss between "stones" And it looks really old now. Matches the old cobblestone house I live in kinda. Sand base should be fine.
Good luck

Answer 9

i would go with stamped concrete. its a little more expensive but ..Chicago weather is harsh in the winter and stamped concrete retains its looks over the years....GET three BIDS to do the work from contractors..also, check with your state agency or city or on Internet to detemine if they are licensed and bonded have a contractor's license... get an estimate of the materials and labor....take a measure of your patio by multiplying the length by width and 4 inches deep...convert the measurements to feet/yards and you will know how many square yards of cement is needed to do the job plus labor get knowledge of the work go to home depot ,talk to the contractors agent and buy a mag there on "patios and decks to learn the terminology

Answer 10

Hi KLST,
I agree with the "Stone Pavers", with a sand base people.
Two good reasons, they are: 1. The lest expensive and look great. 2. They will not raise your taxes from the assessors office!
They are removable, and therefore do not become a permanent asset on to your home, therefore no extra assessment taxes!
We all pay enough property taxes as it is, why give the town more !