Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Brick patio plans, good or bad?

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View Full Version : Brick patio plans, good or bad?


nolanday
06-04-07, 02:47 PM
My back "yard" is an area of just about 500 sq feet. It's enclosed by the house itself, the garage opposite, and pressure treated wood fence on the two sides. The fences are very overbuilt, with 4x4 rails across the bottom at ground level.

Currently, the patio area is part old concrete pad (about 60%), and part clear ground (40%). All of this is well-drained and shaded. What I'd like to do, if possible, is fill in the whole area with a brick patio, by framing the entire base perimeter with pressure-treated wood, and then following the normal steps with landscaping fabric, compacted crushed rock (which would be about 6" to raise the patio to the desired level), sand, and bricks, to come up to the level of the perimeter boards.

Are there any major flaws with this plan that should make me reconsider?

Thanks in advance. I'm fairly experienced as a DIYer, but other opinions on this plan would be greatly appreciated.

JC


Tscarborough
06-04-07, 08:11 PM
Other than your choice of edging material, it sounds like a plan. Why would you use a containment material with a shorter lifespan than the patio?

nolanday
06-04-07, 09:59 PM
The choice of edging with pressure treated wood was mainly because the stone foundation of the house isn't totally vertical, so bricks against that might not be stable, and I wasn't sure about bricking directly up against the fence bottom rails. Perhaps just substituting some of the artificial deck lumber would be longer-lasting, and not cost prohibitive just doing a perimeter border.


AxlMyk
06-05-07, 12:26 PM
You could also consider using crushed slag as opposed to crushed rock.. It compacts very well.. I don't know what price difference there would be..