Brick Paver Patios in Troy, MI

A residential brick paver patio is a thick aggregate base, an inch of bedding sand screeded flat, the pavers themselves laid in a pattern, edge restraints anchored along the perimeter, and polymeric sand swept into every joint. That sequence is what holds the patio flat through Michigan freeze and thaw. Troy and the rest of Oakland County sit on heavy clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. A patio installed on 2 inches of base flexes with the clay, settles in corners near downspouts, and grows weeds in the joints. A patio installed to ICPI guidelines on 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate rides through the same conditions for 30 years.

The install has five parts that all matter. Step one is excavation: the old surface and topsoil come out down to undisturbed subgrade, sloped a quarter inch per foot away from the house for drainage. Step two is base prep: 6 to 8 inches of crushed limestone goes down, compacted in lifts of 2 to 3 inches with a plate compactor so the base locks together. Step three is the bedding sand: a single inch of coarse sand screeded perfectly flat off the screed rails. Step four is the pavers: laid in the chosen pattern (herringbone is the strongest for vehicle traffic, running bond and basketweave for foot-only), cut to the perimeter, and tamped down with a roller compactor. Step five is polymeric sand: swept into every joint, watered in, and left to cure into a flexible bond that resists weeds and washout.

The cheap version of this same job skips the base depth (2 inches instead of 6), leaves the edge restraints out, uses mason sand or polymeric sand of the wrong grade in the joints, and pours over native clay without compaction. Each shortcut costs the homeowner a few hundred dollars off the bid and a decade off the patio. The honest version costs more on day one and pays back over the next three decades by not needing a re-lay at year 6.