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1. Outline the patio with a garden hose. Then mark 6 in. beyond the perimeter with spray marking paint. Also align adjoining paths.
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2. Tie a string line to stakes driven at each end of the patio so it stretches in the best drainage direction. Use a line level to adjust the string until it’s level. Then lower one end of the string 1 in. for every 10 ft. of length to establish a sloped reference line.
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3. Dig out the patio area to a depth of about 10 in. below the finished patio level. Measure from the string to gauge the depth. Hold a level on an 8-ft. straightedge to check areas on both sides of the string.
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4. Cover the ground with landscape fabric after tamping it with the plate compactor. Then spread a 2-in. layer of gravel over the top.
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5. Wet the gravel and compact it with a rented plate compactor. Make two passes around the perimeter. Then compact the center, first working one direction, then a second pass at a right angle to this. Finally, make two diagonal passes.
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6. Set a 3/4-in. iron pipe on a 1-1/2 in. thick mound of gravel placed directly under the string. With a tape measure, align its height with the string. With a level, align two other pipes parallel to the first, about 8 ft. to each side.
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7. Spread a third layer of gravel, 1-1/2 in. thick, between the pipes. Pull a straight 10-ft. 2x4 across the top of the pipes to level it. Pull out the pipes and fill the trenches with gravel, using a trowel to level it with the surrounding gravel. Compact this layer like the previous one.
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8. Establish the patio height with strings stretched across the edges of the patio. Set the strings parallel to the gravel base and at a height equal to the thickness of a brick (not a stone) plus a 1-in. sand bed plus an extra inch for clearance. Spread a layer of sand. Set a perimeter stone onto the sand bed and wiggle it down into the sand until it’s sitting 1 in. below the string. Add sand to raise the height of the stone if necessary. Continue adding stones, assembling them like a jigsaw puzzle.
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9. Level the stones that aren’t directly under the string with a 4-ft. level held at a right angle to the original center string line. Tamp high stones down with a rubber-coated hammer handle.
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10. Set 3/4-in. Iron pipes in long mounds of sand using the same procedure shown in Photo 6. Set the top of the pipes high enough so that when the bricks are set on the sand bed, they’ll protrude above the stones about 3/8 in. Dump sand between the pipes and drag a straight 2x4 across the pipes to level it. Remove the pipes and fill the trenches. Use a trowel to level the sand in the nooks and crannies around the perimeter.
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11. Snap a baseline onto the sand. You’ll use it to align the rows of brick across the patio. Mark the rough center (A) and snap a line at right angles using this method: Measure out an equal distance from the center and make two more marks (B and C). Cross two tapes at the same measurement (length BD = CD). Snap a chalk line from point “D” through point “A.” Then snap a second line half the width of a brick from the first.
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12. Lay a row of bricks along the baseline, aligning the end of the first brick with the perpendicu-lar layout line. Butt them tightly together. Lay another row, aligning the end of the first brick with the second line. Continue laying bricks until one section is complete. Then work out from this section to complete the patio.
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13. Mark bricks for cutting. Hold the brick in position and eyeball down to the stone below to sketch the line with a permanent marker.
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14. Saw along the line with a water-cooled masonry saw. Set the brick on the sliding bed and slowly push it forward while you guide the blade along the line.
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15. Chip the cut edge of the brick with a brick hammer so it blends with the rough edges of the used brick.
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16. Cut 12-in. strips of landscape fabric and fold them up against the stones around the outside perimeter. Pack soil firmly against the stones and fabric.
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17. Tamp down the bricks with the compactor to embed them in the sand. Work in a circular pattern from the outside to the center.
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18. Spread dry sand over the stones and bricks and work it down into the cracks with a broom. Tamp with the plate compactor. Keep spreading sand and tamping until the joints are full.
Copyright ©2005 Home Service Publications, Inc.
Starting a patio this weekend. Very detailed and very helpful. Nice job.