Raised Paver Patio is Restored after 17 Years

Multi-Level Brick Paver Patio in Canton restored back to original beauty and function!

After 17 years since being installed, this elevated or raised brick paver patio needed some immediate attention to restore the enjoyment the homeowner experienced for so many years.  Brick paver repair, cleaning, and sealing can restore outdoor living spaces like patios, walks, driveways, etc.. to their original beauty & function.

The homeowner admittedly ignored the need for repair, cleaning, and sealing of this raised paver patio for many years.  The result was added settling of the patio retaining walls and paving stones.  As dirt & silt , moss, weeds, and grass flourished due to the lack of paver joint sand & seasonal maintenance, this raised paver patio slowly deteriorated in structure & appearance.


My team and I began by completely removing all the paving stones from the top of the elevated paver patio.  The patio retaining walls areas that had settled were torn down and rebuilt using the same blocks & caps.  The existing base material was re-compacted and additional base was added as needed.

The most difficult task was to recreate the same layout of design in the pavings stones. This particular product, Unilock's Classico St Clair color has been discontinued, so we needed to pull up an area off the raised patio at ground level that did not serve any purpose.  In large brick paver projects that have a creative design, not all the little pieces fit exactly back together. So, additional matching or similar paving stones are needed to complete the restoration.

The homeowner also took advantage of a design change while we were reconstructing this pavers patio. There was a sunken 8ft X 8ft pad within the patio structure that allowed for a Hot Tub. The customer no longer had the Hot Tub and this area was not functional.  We reconfigured the patio walls & caps, filled the area with added base material, and installed the paving stones to the same height as the lower raised patio area.  This is the beauty & flexibility of what interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining walls allows.

After re-installing all the paving stones to the original design & layout, resetting some of the wall block & caps, and redesigning the Hot Tub area, the multi-level raised paver patio was given a general power wash cleaning and re-sanded.  Later this Summer or Fall we will return to apply a  brick paver sealant after we touch up the paver joints with additional joint sand as needed.


Upon completion, the homeowner was ecstatic!  The total cost for this restoration, not including sealing, was about $2,800.  It sounds like alot but over 17 years it is an average of $165. I explained to the homeowner that the extent & cost of these paver repairs could have been alot less or totally avoided if addressed early on.  The homeowner has guaranteed me they will NOT let their brick paver investment plummet again.

From my 28 years of brick paver experience, I believe the average maintenance cost over time is $75-$100/ year for paver patios that are properly maintained with Spring sanding of the joints. You can expect to have touch-up paver repairs done within 5 years that can cost you $350-$500.  If you let the patio walls & caps deteriorate, you can expect double or triple this average repair cost.

This raised or elevated brick paver patio was at an extreme state of despair. The biggest advantage of interlocking brick pavers, paver steps, & modular patio retaining wall block & caps is the cost advantage of long-term maintenance cost & appearance over wooden decks and stamped concrete.  This paver project is living proof it can be done!

History of Brick Paver Raised Patio in Canton: 15 Years Later

Pavers in Canton need Repair, Sanding, & Cleaning

This past week we did a much needed repair of a brick paver raised patio in Canton, Michigan. This raised paver patio was installed 15 years ago during the roaring mid 90's.  Canton was a thriving suburban city that was growing at lightning speed during the 90's.  As new home construction soared, this city was encountering the huge benefits of brick paver patios, walkways, driveways, and modular retaining walls. For me this week, it was a time flashback to the incredible pace that was set installing interlocking paver patios.

But the fast pace of home building and landscaping installations created some inherit problems that are present today.  Now that I am inspecting, repairing, and restoring many brick paver installations in Canton, I have molded some conclusions. 15 Years later and my unprecedented  experience with raised paver patios has formed my opinions below about the reasons for the numerous paver repairs & restorations in Canton.

REASONS FOR PAVER REPAIRS in Canton:

• Pace of New Home Construction:  As the home building during the 90's in Canton, Michigan was feverish, so was the installation of paver patios, retaining walls, and landscaping.  Backfill around the basement foundation of a new home needs time to settle. It is best to wait one freeze thaw cycle in Michigan to allow this natural process to occur.  Canton has an added problem because of the abundance of clay soils. When the builders backfilled with the excavated clay soils, this create open spaces throughout the 5-8ft of backfill along the basement walls therefore insuring years of settling.

• Pace of Landscape Installations:  Like many new communities today, there was strict Homeowner Association Rules or Policies which required a new homeowner to have a completed landscape installation within 90 days of closing on their new home.  Though it was beneficial for my business of installing brick pavers, I was not in favor of this policy. This policy did not only allow for the proper settling of the backfill around new homes, but it forced customers to make fast and uneducated decisions on the contractors and landscape products to use. It was a breeding ground for "fly-by-night" brick paver and landscape contractors.  Many where stealing jobs with low pricing, inferior products, and ridiculous 5 to 10yr warranties.  Most of these landscape contractors where out of business within 2 years. 

•  Poor choice of Brick Paver Installers:  During this fast paced time, there was a transformation from homeowners using brick paver specialist to install their paver patios, walkways, porches, and driveways.  Landscapers where now becoming brick paver installers without the experience, education & training, or expertise to execute a quality product. Landscapers offered "landscape packages" that included raised paver patios. Most had never installed one before, but that did not stop them from taking advantage of uninformed new homeowners.  They pressured new homeowners with "if we do not install the brick pavers, we can not guarantee any completion time of the other landscape services (sprinklers,sod, & plants)". Due to the aforementioned Homeowners Assoc. policies, this put added stress and poor decision making on the new homeowners. This tactic worked more times than not, and it amazed me how homeowners, who had all the leverage ($$$), would get bullied by this unethical business practice. 

• Homeowner Do-It-Yourself Paver Installations:  If you inherited a brick paver raised patio that is in distress, do not assume it was installed by a landscaper or qualified brick paver contractor.  During the 90's, there was a huge market for do-it-yourself homeowners installing brick paver patios and walkways. In Canton, most customer's were on a tight budget. So instead of waiting to have a properly installed paver patio installation, they saved some money by installing their patio themselves. Even more than landscapers, homeowners lacked the experience & expertise to execute a quality paver installation. To this day, I rarely see a good brick paver installation by a homeowner.  When it is flat work (ground level) there is some success, but when it comes to modular raised patio walls and steps, there is alot of failure in design and execution.

• Lack of Educating the Homeowner:   When I am performing brick paver repairs in Canton, I am amazed how homeowners are not aware they need to periodically sweep joint sand in  their paver patios, walkways, porches, etc... Some homeowners have not swept in paver joint sand for over 10years!  This is the #1 basic paver maintenance service that is needed each year.  As a brick paver specialist, I spent at least a half hour after we installed a paver installation educating the homeowner on periodic maintenance requirements, landscaping needs, signs of possible repairs, and options for cleaning & sealing paving stones. These neophyte brick paver installing landscapers would tell homeowners that their brick pavers were "no maintenance" and nothing needed to be done over time.  Pavers are a low maintenance option but do require attention to avoid costly paver and retaining wall repair.

•  Lack of Proper Landscaping around Brick Pavers:  Nothing infuriated me more than returning to an installed paver patio weeks or months later, and proper landscaping around the installation was not performed.  It is essential for pavers to have proper landscaping around the edges to insure long term success. Erosion and washout will cause irreparable damage to a paver installation. This will result in unnecessary costly paver repairs. The most important landscape need for a raised paver patio is to cover up about half of the bottom block face with landscape soil, sod, or mulch.  Also, it is important for the installing brick paver contractor to bury atleast half a block below grade if already existing.  If the retaining wall blocks shift due to washout or flush out, your raised paver patio has been compromised and you will experience future repairs.  A good brick paver contractor will temporarily cover all edges with on-site soils, customer tarps, or fabric until the homeowner can properly landscape.

• Poor Design & Execution of Paver Installations: Due to their inexperience and lack of knowledge, landscapers in Canton installed inferior and unstable paver installations. One large landscaper in Canton used garden blocks as the raised brick paver patio walls.  Because these garden blocks are designed for small landscape walls , they can not bear the weight and hydro-static pressure of raised paver patios.  These same "wanna-be" brick paver contractors failed in execution because of the lack of properly cutting pavers, blocks, & caps with diamond blade saws. Most of these landscape contractors would leave gaps that not only left an inferior aesthetic look but also promoted erosion and washout.

• Homeowner Neglect of Pavers :  I want to say that the occurrence of paver patio repairs is not just the result of a poor paver installation by a contractor.  Even the best raised paver patio installation can fail due the drastic effects of the elements and more importantly homeowner neglect. Homeowners are required to keep the paver joints filled with the proper joint sand, especially the joint on the inside of the wall cap. Homeowners are required to make sure that any signs of erosion, washout, or settling are addressed.  When caught early on, homeowners can perform this repair service, or pay an experienced paver contractor a nominal fee.  Letting your brick paver patio, walkway, driveway, or porch fill up with dirt, grass, weeds, moss, and loose bricks, blocks, & caps, is unnecessary neglect. This will contribute to an accelerated deterioration of your paver project.

Canton, Michigan is a perfect microcosm of the success and failure of interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining wall systems in the Midweat. I listed above the variables that I believe have contributed to the avoidable failures that have occurred over the last 15 years or more. The information gathered and the observance of the 1000's of raised paver patios in Canton has guided me and my crew to better paver design & installation techniques.

Daily we are performing paver patio repairs, observing and studying the reasons for failure so we can educate homeowners and contractors alike with articles like this. Brick pavers and modular retaining walls are proven pavement and wall systems that have tremendous benefits if properly designed, installed, and maintained.

 Raised paver patios that are properly installed or repaired will give endless years of beauty and performance.  Multi-level patios with structurally sound steps, firepits, sitting walls & pillars, will create functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living spaces. If your paver patio is in distress, all is not lost, it can be restored and enjoyed again.

Raised Paver Patio Repair of Wall Cap

Building a raised paver patio takes some experience & expertise to insure a functional and creative paver installation.  This particular brick paver patio was installed by a reputable local landscaper that obviously lacked the foresight & experience to accomplish this goal.

The capping of all modular retaining walls to retain the paver patio and paver steps leading into the doorwall were capped using the pavers, not the proper cap units for the retaining wall blocks.   This would not be such a big issue if they had properly installed the paving stones without gaps that allowed the paver joint sand to seep out.

As a result of this poor paver capping, the pavers behind the brick caps settled all along the perimeter of the paver patio, paver steps, and sitting walls.  The inexperienced landscaper did not use the right size paver to cap with so it would allow them to mitre cut nice & tight.  This fear or neglect of cutting has now cost this customer aggravation and money to correct.

We removed all the old brick paver caps and lifted about 16" behind the wall to reset sunken paving stones through out the paver patio.  We could NOT use the proper retaining wall cap units because they are 3 1/2" thick and the brick caps were only 2 3/8" thick.  For us to install the proper retaining wall caps, we would either have to re lift ALL of the paver patio to reset the height or lower the modular retaining wall blocks.  Both these options are more expensive than recapping the raised patio wall with a larger paving stone and cutting them in properly.

The new brick paver caps were cut to fit tight and re adhered to the modular blocks. The paving stones behind the brick caps were reinstalled, compacted, and finished with paver joint sand.  Brick Doctor Bill and his experienced staff have made another customer happy & confident.

Remember to hire an interlocking brick paver specialist for your next brick pavers or retaining wall project.

Raised Paver Patio Repair in Saline

This past week we performed an extensive raised paver patio repair in Saline. This multi-level brick paver patio was in distress and needed the raised patio walls & caps to be firmed up.  Brick Doctor Bill and his qualified staff was up for the challenge and the paver patio repair service began.

We first removed all the paving stones from each level so we could evaluate & re-compact the old base material. New paver base was added to set the proper paver patio height & pitches. The biggest challenge was to relevel and sure up all the modular retaining wall blocks & caps.  Most of the current retaining wall caps were loose and shifted. This resulted in alot of the paving stones shifting and eventually sinking & gapping. Loose caps also present a safety issue.

We removed all the caps, re-leveled blocks as needed, and reinstalled the caps to fit tight and accurately. Some new caps where needed for replacement and re-cutting proper angles. All caps were adhered using a SRW adhesive.

All the paving stones were reinstalled with proper brick paver installation techniques & pitches. It was necessary to use an additional bundle of a new style of paver around the inside of the raised paver patio caps laid in a sailor's rope pattern.  The reason we needed some additional paving stones was that the current style of pavers was no longer available.  When you reinstall most large brick paver projects, you will need to recut pavers as they will not all fit back into place.  The customer actually liked this new added detail and said it helped freshen up the look.

It is very important to keep the caps of any raised paver patio, paver porch, or steps secured so the paving stones do not begin to shift or gap.  The same holds true for the modular retaining wall blocks. As they shift or loosen, all base material & paving stones will follow.

A minor brick paver repair service call now will save $1,000's of dollars later as this homeowner experienced.  Remember that brick pavers are low maintenance, not NO maintenance!

Anatomy of a Raised Brick Paver Patio

I am very select in the brick paver installation projects that I will perform in a given year. I will not bid on every brick paver patio, walkway, driveway lead that I am contacted on. I am not interested in bidding against inferior brick paver installers like landscapers who cut corners, create poor designs, and do not pay attention to custom detail. Customers who seek brick paver excellence and education are the clients I seek to service.

This paver patio project was beneficial to both the homeowner and myself because we were on the same page throughout this paver patio project. I feel this is the best method of installing a brick pavers project that insures a successful business arrangement between client & contractor.

This client had an open schedule, had researched the product and new what they wanted, and had budgeted from installations we had performed for family & friends. After I made some crucial recommendation to the paver patio size and layout, the brick paver installation commenced. We used UNILOCK's Stonehenge 3 shape brick pavers and Roman Pisa wall & caps to construct the raised patio frame & step.

Here is the "Anatomy of a Raised Brick Paver Patio" that we installed for this client. Performing basic brick paver and modular retaining wall techniques will insure the long-term success and beauty of this raised paver patio.  Enjoy this picture time line and I hope it helps educate homeowners and brick paver contractors a like.

The customer had a patio stone patio laid on an inch or two of sand. This was a temporary patio until they could reach their budget for the "real" paver patio they desired! As you can see, the patio size did not facilitate the patio furniture and grill.  We began by removing the patio stones, temporary cinder block steps, and removed the sod where the new raised patio was to be installed. We removed 10-12" more of the sod on the outside of the expected paver patio.

We started by shooting heights for the paver patio by using one of the most important tools for any brick paver contractor..the transit level.  We then dug our trench for the modular retaining wall blocks. These Unilock blocks are 12" deep so we dug the trench 20" wide (4" either way) and dug deep enough to install 6" of compacted gravel under the blocks. The retaining wall block trench then was filled and compacted with 1" down to fines crushed gravel.

The compacted gravel was then screeded and set to the height needed to set the modular retaining wall blocks & caps to the finished height of the paving stones of the patio. The radius and gapping of the blocks were set to best fit the limitations of the product and the objectives of the paver patio design. It is best to merge the restrictions of the products and objectives of the design to best maximize the appearance of the final product.

Filter fabric (geo-textile blanket) is installed under paver base material and behind wall blocks to limit filtration of sub soil into paver base and limit any washout through joints of wall blocks.


The gaps of the wall blocks are filled and compacted prior to capping. This also will help firm up the wall and give it some added strength and help from settling behind the wall.




  Wall caps were marked for diamond blade cuts and done uniformally to give the wall a finished look with no gaps.

This is a tedious task having to cut each cap in the radius but the finished look sets off the whole appearance of the paver patio giving it that rich coping look with a natural rock face.

Cutting with Diamond Blade saws is usually best done by a brick paver contractor. Many inexperienced paving contractors or homeowners use a guillotine cutter (hydraulic snap) or just plain out leave gaps for a poor finish look.

Once the modular retaining wall blocks & caps were installed for this raised paver patio, the entire area was filled with paver base material in 4-5" lifts. Each lift was raked level and compacted with a power plate compactor. Tight areas along the back of the wall blocks and house were completed by a hand tamper. This particular raised paver patio needed @ 8" (2 Lifts) of compacted paver base to allow for the bedding course & paving stone thickness.


It is important to make sure the paver base is compacted level. If compacted uneven or pitching back to the house, the results over the years will be a wavy and improper pitching paver surface. The top of the paver patio will mimics the base below over time. The compacted paver base is your foundation!

After the paver base material is correctly leveled and compacted, it is time to bring in the bedding course. The bedding course is the 1 to1 1/2" layer of screed that will be the layer of base for the interlocking pavers to "lock up" into. It is also the leveling course for the finished paving stone height. In Michigan, we use either 2NS Sand (similar to sharp sand) or 30A Slag Sand.

Here is where the real magic occurs for the experienced brick paver contractor....leveling the bedding course to prepare for the proper installation of the paving stones. The heights and pitches need to be correct to insure a well draining patio and appearance.  Screed poles, level transit, and patience are most during this stage. Done correctly, the laying of the paving stones will be simple and timely.

Due to the size of this paver patio, we decided to split the brick patio in half and screed one area, lay the paving stones, then screed the second half and finish laying the remaining paving stones. Screed poles which are no more than galvanized 10ft poles bought at a hardware store are suffice. We usually use 3 poles at a time to screed large areas.  The poles are reset and checked for height & pitch a few times before the final screeding takes place. After the final screed, the poles are carefully removed and the holes left are filled.

For areas that are tight or irregular, a keen eye and experienced "hand" screed is done with a mason's spatula.  Going in different directions so slightly will help insure holes or voids being filled. We will check these areas with small torpedo levels to insure proper pitch.

After we were satisfied that the screed was prepared for the laying of the paving stones, we began laying the interlocking brick pavers.  We discussed the best place to start the pattern to insure the best look of the paver patio.  We take in effect all sides of the patio and where best cuts should be performed.  Most inexperienced brick paver contractors just start laying and worry about the outcome at the end.  This can lead to a cut up or botched finish look.  Much like inside tile work, there is a thought process that needs to take place.

String lines are used periodically to insure that the laying pattern of the brick pavers is not "floating" or "veering off". It is amazing how dimensional paving stones will be off due to variances in the dimensions of the paving stones themselves.  If your brick paver installer is using string lines to level your pavers, you are in trouble!  String lines or more accurate in squaring off patterns or aligning borders.

Mixing from multiple paving stone bundles is a must to insure a good color mix.  Not all bundles of pavers or wall blocks are mixed evenly in color due to production lots.  If you do not mix, even within a bundle itself, your final paver patio may have an uneven quilt look of dark and light stones.  We always inspect the paver bundles prior to laying and discuss the strategy for grabbing the pavers & spotting.  It is best to mix the color shades while spotting so the brick paver layer can move quickly and not fuss with changing out paving stones.

After all the paving stones were laid in full pieces throughout this raised paver patio, the piecing of all openings takes place.  We cut all of our paving stones with a diamond blade and use both a chop saw and cut saw (fireman's saw).  It is important to set the brick paver cut in the opening and mark for cutting.  Cutting is an art for some. Some workers are a wizz and others struggle. That is what makes someone a carpenter and another a mechanic.  When ordering your product for a paver project, you should add upto 10% more to account for the loss of cuts that are not going to be usable.

We now give the entire brick paver patio an initial sweep of regular paver joint sand or polymeric sand.  Do not worry about filling every little joint as you will be doing a finish sweeping later. Make sure that the brick patio or paver joint sand is completely dry when sweeping.

 We then use the power plate compactor to set the interlocking pavers into the bedding course to achieve lateral "lock up" and set in our paver joint sand.  We went in several directions to insure proper lock up and followed up with the hand tamper in tight spaces where the plate compactor could not get into. After we are satisfied with the final compaction of pavers, we do the finish sweep with the paver joint sand, making sure we get all joints and nooks & crannies.

   Here is the finished patio! Another estactic and satisfied client by Brick Doctor Bill.  It was a pleasure working with a client who allowed us to work with the products benefits and now they will enjoy a patio for life. With proper yearly minor maintenance like sand sweeping and addressing any substantial settling due to frost damage, this raised paver patio will give years of enjoyment and neighbor envy. 

At the end of the job, I spent about 45 minutes educating the client on the paver maintenance requirements, options of polymeric sand or sealing, what to look out for to avoid future costly brick paver repairs, and how best to rub it in our your neighbor...lol.

I will return in the future to post great pics of the paver patio maturing and landscaping accents. I hope this pictorial was helpful in assuring a successful and long-term brick paver patio investment for you.  On to our next "house call" we go!