Brick Paver Patio: Likes, Dislikes ... Cost? (Yikes)

[Missoutandabout]

Hello. I'm the owner of an ugly deck. It's like owning a lonely heart but more needy. The deck needs to go away... or be burned to the ground. However, since I don't want to get arrested for arson, I've been looking into brick paver patios...

Sexy Brick Paver Patio Owners' Questions:

• Do you likey?
• Anything about it that you don't like? Or can recommend against?
• ... and most importantly, though I realize this will vary by region, how much did you pay for it (if you don't mind sharing, of course)?

Danke, cheers and sank'ya very much.

 

[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Hello. I'm the owner of an ugly deck. It's like owning a lonely heart but more needy. The deck needs to go away... or be burned to the ground. However, since I don't want to get arrested for arson, I've been looking into brick paver patios...

Sexy Brick Paver Patio Owners' Questions:

• Do you likey?
• Anything about it that you don't like? Or can recommend against?
• ... and most importantly, though I realize this will vary by region, how much did you pay for it (if you don't mind sharing, of course)?

Danke, cheers and sank'ya very much.

Just put in a few weeks ago and like quite a bit. I think $2500 or so

 

[AKL_Megs]

My MIL has one and hates it. It ALWAYS has weeds no matter how much she sprays, it has since settled and some of the pacers have cracked, and patio furniture scratches the tiles.

 

[Diznotyzed]

My dislike is specific to our wet climate. Our pavers were installed with sand in the cracks between them, and not cement. Within a year we had moss growing between all the pavers, which looks awful and has to be pressure washed out.

 

[lsyorke]

My MIL has one and hates it. It ALWAYS has weeds no matter how much she sprays, it has since settled and some of the pacers have cracked, and patio furniture scratches the tiles.

Exactly what I'm dealing with. Done 10 years ago and it's been a pain in the butt since, despite doing all the proper prep work. It looked great for the first year, but now it's a sea of green stuff growing in every nook and cranny.

When I get the money I'll be replacing it with stamped concrete.

 

[Missoutandabout]

Just put in a few weeks ago and like quite a bit. I think $2500 or so

Thanks. How big was the patio? I'm clueless as to how much to expect from the guys coming to give estimates. I'm preparing myself for some sticker shock.

My dislike is specific to our wet climate. Our pavers were installed with sand in the cracks between them, and not cement. Within a year we had moss growing between all the pavers, which looks awful and has to be pressure washed out.

Great advice. And now I'll know what to ask the companies coming to do estimates -- the one guy I've spoken with so far mentioned they used some solidifying material (didn't say cement) to fill between the pavers. Which brings me to the next reply...

My MIL has one and hates it. It ALWAYS has weeds no matter how much she sprays, it has since settled and some of the pacers have cracked, and patio furniture scratches the tiles.

Since we live in a hot/cold area, I can completely see the cement or whatever they might use between the bricks getting cracks and us having to deal with non-stop weed attacks. Thanks for the info!

 

[AKL_Megs]

Exactly what I'm dealing with. Done 10 years ago and it's been a pain in the butt since, despite doing all the proper prep work. It looked great for the first year, but now it's a sea of green stuff growing in every nook and cranny.

When I get the money I'll be replacing it with stamped concrete.

FWIW, our friends have a tri-level stamped concrete patio and they lve it!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My neighbors put one in last year although it was not brick, it was some fancy stone paver.

They were meticulous with installation and it looks fantastic. Granted they did one at their other house as well so they have BTDT.

They paid about 7000 for it.

They have nothing in between the stones, it is solidly together one after the other with no gaps at all.

 

[AboutTheMouse]

We are going through this decision right now, too. And we live in the same geographical area.

We have seen several contractors for both concrete and brick paving. Our project is larger and includes a new driveway and garage floor in addition to walks, a front porch and patio.

The concrete guys say concrete is the way to to. The brick guys say brick is the way to go, of course. We looked at the stamped and colored concrete yesterday and I'm intrigued. However, if you are going to get a crack, the whole stamped concrete slab will be cracked and not easily repaired. With brick, you can pull a few out and replace just those. No one that we have talked to will warranty the concrete work due to the freeze and thaw cycles of the Chicago area weather.

With brick paving, we have been given two different build approaches. We are looking to add a brick front porch to out home and replace the concrete front stoop. This may also apply to your patio, depending on how high it is above ground level. Approach one is to build it from scratch, with a crushed limestone base (it would be about eight inches above ground level). Approach two is to lay the porch with concrete and face it with brick. The overall height would be the same since the concrete pour would be lower than normal. But again, what if the concrete cracks? The contractors are split 50/50 on which approach they use.

Brick does require more maintenance - sealing and crack filling with sand are the two that I know of. Concrete, not so much - just a good power wash every now and then. But you can seal the concrete, too to help with longevity.

The stamped and colored concrete can look just like brick if it is done right. We learned that you need to find a contractor that will mix the color into the concrete and not just sprinkle it on top. Then if it chips, you will have the same color through and through.

I'm waiting for a couple of bids to still come back so I can't comment on the cost differential. If you would like the name of the contractors that we have been talking to, send me a PM and I'll send them on. We have seen some good and some bad. Check the Better Business Bureau and Angie's List if you are a member.

Good Luck!

 

[DrCavin]

I have had pavers & stamped/colored concrete. I will not do pavers again, they look great but move/settle after a few years. Stamped/colored concrete is not maintenance free either. On a driveway you will probably need to reseal it every year. Patio probably every couple years depending on quality of sealer & environment its exposed to. All concrete cracks, that is why they cut joints into it. If done correctly it will crack in the joints. Colored concrete if it chips, will still be noticeable, the color is duller than the finished surface color & will not have the "stamped" look.

My neighbor has a brick porch, it lasted 4 years until the brick started to break apart. They used the same brick as the house, so water gets into it freezes/thaws & wham it starts to break apart. It is too porous to be used on a horizontal surface, so make sure if you want a brick porch they use a brick that is not very porous.

I haven't priced pavers/concrete for 4 years, but at that time pavers were $10 sq ft & stamped/colored concrete was $9 sq ft. Lots of variables can increase the cost pretty quickly for either product.

IMO if I were going to do either again, I would do the stamped/colored concrete patio.

 

[Pakey]

We put pavers in at our rental home. My husband is very handy (and I was the pack labor, lol). We took an entire summer doing it, we were very meticulous. It's gorgeous. We used the quickset sand for grout and we have had no weed problems in the 2 years it's been in. We were very thorough in the base preparation and there has been no movement.

The covered patio is 9 x 13, the firepit patio is 10 x 10 and then there is the sidewalk that goes from the back to the front. We spent about $5000 on materials.

I love it so much that I wish we had it at our house instead of the stamped concrete that we have.

 

[shortbun]

thanks for the question, OP. We're putting in a deck with a ramp onto a patio and are discussing patio materials. DH, who lays brick, says stamped concrete. He says we can make it any color, any pattern and make it look like pavers.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

thanks for the question, OP. We're putting in a deck with a ramp onto a patio and are discussing patio materials. DH, who lays brick, says stamped concrete. He says we can make it any color, any pattern and make it look like pavers.

I put in stamped concrete at our last house around our pool. It was OK. I felt it was not worth the money though. It is still concrete afterall.

This house we did the plain ole' concrete because it is just sitting in a backyard next to the deck and the setting just does not warrant getting something upgraded. Plus we put in a sidewalk to the driveway. It looks great!

I hate to say it but I would prefer pavers over stamped.

It really boils down to personal preference and if the "look" is necessary. You don't want it to look out of place.

 

[Missoutandabout]

Here I was, expecting this post to get buried as soon as I submitted it! Who knew patios would be such a hot topic. Thanks for the responses, everyone. It helps to hear different points of view and what works/what doesn't -- it'll also help me know what to ask of the next few guys coming to take a look-see...

We are going through this decision right now, too. And we live in the same geographical area.

...

I'm waiting for a couple of bids to still come back so I can't comment on the cost differential. If you would like the name of the contractors that we have been talking to, send me a PM and I'll send them on. We have seen some good and some bad. Check the Better Business Bureau and Angie's List if you are a member.

Good Luck!

Hello almost-neighbor. Will be PMing you to get the low-down on the contractors you're dealing with, thanks muchly.

I've been in touch with a couple-few so far. Yesterday, I got my first estimate back with a design (for Unilock pavers). The design is gorgeous and spot-on for what we would ideally have in terms of layout ... now if we could only hit the lotto to pay for every little nuance he built into the plans (including lighting and landscaping). The contractor suggested that we could do it in stages depending on what we could afford -- might be the way we need to go.

 

[daughtersrus]

We're also in the same general area. We took out our brick patio a few years ago. It had shifted with the freeze/thaw cycles that we get.

We went to a flagstone patio instead and we LOVE it. If something gets uneven, it's easy to re-level the stone. I wanted a look of something between the stones so I planted sedum and thyme between them. They are low growing "steppables" with small flowers.

As for price, I know many people have been able to negotiate price on pretty much all of their home improvement projects with the economy like it is.

Once last thing, there may be a difference in permits required by your town/village. Some don't consider brick or flagstone to be permanent like they do concrete.