Apr 17, 2011

Elevated Patio Repair and New Extension in Canton

Many Elevated or Raised Pavers Patios in Canton need attention

This homeowner in Canton purchased this home a couple of years ago and inherited this elevated paver patio that needed immediate repairs. The paving stone surface and outside retaining wall & caps pitched back to the house, causing puddling and water in the basement.  The flexibility of interlocking pavers & modular retaining wall systems allow for the reuse of products to keep the overall repair cost affordable.

This raised paver patio had been in for over 10 years and it was obvious from the consistent settling that the original builders backfill along the foundation had settled.  Knowing the history of Canton through the building boom 10 years ago, I am sure this paver patio & landscaping was installed that Summer and the backfill was not allowed to go through a winter frost for proper settling.

While repair to the paver patio was going to be performed, the homeowner also wanted to expand the usable patio space to allow for a fire pit & sitting area.  After deliberating some options I supplied, the homeowner decided to save on the cost of us installing a block fire pit and use this cost to make the paver sitting area larger.  Today there are many creative & functional options for buying pre-made fire pits & chimineas.

We began by "shooting" the level of the brick patio with a transit so we could determine the exact spot where the brick pavers & walls and caps pitched back to the house.  We removed the pavers and wall blocks carefully, compacted the existing base materials, and added additional base so we could set the proper heights. Meeting 2 set points and making them appear natural is always a challenge with repair work.
The wall blocks & caps were installed first and feathered into the remaining walls and then the paving stones were reinstalled.  The sunken paver step at the doorwall was also re-installed for added safety and appearance.  We were able to achieve a positive pitch away from the house while giving the overall paver patio appearance its original natural look. The brick paver walk leading from the driveway to the patio needed some dips reset too.

After completing the patio repair, we then began the installation of the new fire pit sitting area. We located the same paving stones & colors at Fendt so we could best match the existing paver patio & walk.  The new fire pit sitting area will stand out from the new color but the layout facilitated this look.

The homeowner was ecstatic to regain the usable, functional, and beautiful appearance of their pavers patio while gaining some additional outdoor living space to enjoy a weekend fire & marshmallows. 

Interlocking pavers & modular retaining walls & caps are versatile and if serviced by an experienced brick paver contractor, it can be achieved at an affordable price.