Raised Brick Pavers Patio is Rebuilt in Canton

Brick Pavers Elevated Patio with Pillars, Steps, & Sitting Walls Reconstructed

As a qualified and professional brick pavers contractor, it is always disappointing to see a brick paver patio installation failing so miserably.  The appearance of severely distressed paver installations is not indicative of a properly designed & installed project.

Usually by inspecting a failed paver installation, the signs of stress and settling will give me the clues and evidence I need to conclude the causes.  Using a simple "cause & effect" approach will reveal the needs for restoration, re-design, and long-term performance rebuilds.


Most brick paver repair situations arise due to both installing contractor and homeowner.

The contractor usually has failed in the design & execution of installing the paver project.  The contractor also has failed in educating the homeowner of the ongoing maintenance needs of brick pavers. 

The homeowner is usually guilty of neglecting and ignoring their paver installation. Most homeowners I deal with in extreme paver repair projects have done no maintenance on their brick paver patios, walkways, porches, driveways, etc.. over the years.  Often I am told by homeowners  " I gave up the last year or two" or "my contractor never told me I needed to perform any maintenance".  Even simple sand sweeping of joint sand in the paver joints would have tremendously reduced the amount of damage over the years.



By the time I see these extreme brick paver repairs, it is obvious that the needed repairs did not just happen in the past year.  It is usually a compilation of neglected years.  So, I can not let some homeowners off the hook for ignoring or putting off the need for a service call.  The more you wait, the more the paver repair costs will increase exponentially.

This recent rebuild project of a Raised Paver Patio in Canton was just that, a poorly executed installation and years of homeowner's neglect that put this pavers patio on the brink of collapse. Another winter frost could have given this homeowner a hot tub ride they would never forget!

The raised patio walls were leaning & gapping. The paver steps leading off the patio were caving in. The curved paver step at the doorwall was falling apart and sinking. This curved paver step was unsafe and made it impossible for their Yorkshire terriers from getting up and down.  The paving stone surface was collapsing around the inside of the sitting walls & pillars and drastically pitching back to the house foundation.


Upon close inspection, the upper paving stone surface had severely settled from water erosion. Any and all low spots began to push water into the patio retaining walls and back toward the house foundation. The flow of water was originally trapped in by the sitting walls going around the perimeter of the patio and eventually water was going to win.

Several paving stones had sunk inches below the surface and created tunnels or drains for water to flow into.  The raised patio walls did not have any filter fabric material on the inside securing the base from leaking through the wall joints.  Lack of joint sand in the paver joints was evident and by the homeowner's admission they had never swept any sand in the joints.

This ongoing process of erosion was stressing the outside raised patio wall blocks and they began to push out and fall apart.  This raised paver patio was in extreme stress and dangerously close to collapsing into the yard.  Another winter freeze thaw cycle may have been the "straw that broke the camel's back" sending homeowner & hot tub on a white water rafting ride into the yard.

We were hired to reconstruct this raised paver patio to its original beauty & function.  The homeowner's budget did not allow for replacing the current raised patio walls with a more structural wall block but I was confident that if properly reconstructed and maintained, this pavers patio can last a 20+ years.

We began by completely tearing down the raised patio wall blocks that retained the patio.  We reconstructed from the ground up, burying block below grade, installing the necessary filter fabric behind the wall that was originally missed, and designing in "relief" gaps to allow water to flow off the patio through the sitting walls.

After the outside raised patio walls were reconstructed, the upper paving stone surface was reinstalled in like design and the proper pitches away from the house foundation and into the sitting wall "relief" gaps was executed.  The paving stones were power washed cleaned and sanded.  The two sets of paver steps between the pillars leading down off the patio where releveled and the curved paver step at the doorwall was reassembled with safe rises to accommodate the yorkies.


A raised paver patio repair like this one requires a very experienced brick paver contractor to perform.  The challenge is meeting several fixed heights with products that have a variable tolerance.  Foresight, tools & equipment, experience, and detail orientation are necessary for proper execution of this brick paver repair service.  It would have been easier to perform this paver work if nothing was there to start but for the homeowner was able to save the cost of products.

Restoration of Brick Paver Patio & Walkway in Canton

After 13 years, this Raised Paver Patio needed some Repair & Restoration

In Canton, MI there are 1,000's of raised paver patios that need some attention.  This homeowner hired the original installing contractor who did not instruct him to sweep joint sand in the paver joints. The contractor also did not prep him for the event of the outside row of brick pavers settling behind the raised wall caps.  If unattended, the wall blocks & caps will begin to settle and lean out, leading to a more costly paver repair work. 

This paver patios wall blocks & cap started to sink in one area and the rest of the patio walls were at risk because 3 to 4 rows of  brick pavers were sunk below the height of the caps.  The homeowner contacted us at the right time to repair this patio before the cost became more expensive.

We lifted up and relaid 1-2ft of brick pavers behind the entire raised paver wall caps, re-leveled @6ft of wall blocks & caps that dipped, and reset some sunken individual brick pavers throughout.  We power wash cleaned all the brick pavers, wall blocks & caps, and the paver joints.  We re-sanded the entire pavers patio and ran the power plate compactor over the patio to relock up all the paving stones.

The paver walkway leading from the dirveway to the patio had become loose, gapped, and crooked from lack of attention over the years.  We relaid half of the brick paver walkway to straighten out the crooked lines and gapped outside row of pavers.  We also power wash cleaned the entire paver walkway and joints.  We finished with re-sanding the paver joints and ran the plate compactor over the walkway to relock the paving stones.

To complete this total paver patio restoration, we returned a few days later to seal the paver patio and walkway with an approved brick paver sealant.  Sealing enhanced the color and brought this 13 year old, neglected, brick paver patio back to life!  Now with continued low maintenance steps of sweeping joint sand in each Spring and resealing in 2 to 3 years, this pavers patio should perform beautifully for 20+ years.

New Life for Raised Brick Paver Patio

Raised Paver Patio in Canton Restored

Each day we are restoring Raised Brick Paver Patios in Canton that need immediate attention. Mainly due to the lack of routine long-term maintenance by homeowners over the last 15+ years, these interlocking paving stone patios have shifted & loosened over years of neglect & lack of joint sand sweepings. My team and I not only perform repair, cleaning, & sealing services, but we take the time to educate the homeowner on avoiding future costly repair costs.

If the paving stones, wall blocks, and caps are loose or drastically shifted, then the paver patio is in much need of attention.  Often the first sign of trouble is lack of paver joint sand in the paving joints. Weeds, dirt, moss, and grass take over the joints which are the most important function of interlocking brick pavers.

Another sign of distress is the "leaning out" of modular retaining wall blocks & caps that retain the patio.  Much of the "leaning" is caused by the settling of the paving stones behind the cap. When these paving stones settle below the top of the cap, water flowing over the patio begins to channel behind the wall blocks.  This slow long-term erosion and freeze thaw cycle pressure puts alot of hydrostatic pressure on the strength of the wall.  Mother nature will always win out so it is important to address these signs in a timely manner.

But not all is lost!  This particular raised paver patio in Canton was restored by my team and I for just under $2,000. We had to completely relay ALL the paving stones inside the wall blocks & caps, adjust an area of wall blocks, adhere all loose caps, and reconstruct the step at the doorwall.  We power wash cleaned the entire paver patio and swept in regular paver joint sand to prep for sealing with an approved brick paver sealant.

This particular homeowner inherited this distressed raised paver patio a few years ago when he purchased the home.  Had the original homeowner been diligent in maintaining the patio over the years, the enormous cost of repairs could have been minimal. Like any outdoor structures or pavements, touch-ups and routine maintenance is required.

If properly installed & maintained over the years, Brick Paver Patios still outperform wooden decks and stamped concreted.  A half hour of your time or paying as little as $50 each Spring to have paver joint sand swept in the paver joints can save $1000's and years of frustration & angst.

If you are experiencing the same signs or results of this once distressed paver patio, call a brick paver specialist, not a landscaper, before the winter freeze to avoid unnecessary costly repairs. Do not lose hope that your brick paver installation whether it be a patio, walkway, driveway, or porch can be restored to its original beauty & function!