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Building A Brick Patio

Written by charlie (Warwick, Rhode Island)

Even if you're strapped for cash--or just space--you can make a rewarding weekend project out of laying down your own patio. Better yet, there are literally hundreds of ways to go about it, with a large selection of materials and configurations to choose from: from granite to brick to synthetic slabs. In this how-to, we'll look at a project involving the least effort for the most reward: brick.

Brick patios are the most traditional option, because they're simple to work with, are long-lasting and require the least amount of planning. In fact, unless you intend to pave over your entire yard in patio greatness, it'll take no more than a weekend to complete the project.

Brick's obvious downside is the limitation of color options, but there are numerous dye and glaze options that'll make that yellow brick patio you always dreamed of a reality. So let's go through the process, in ten easy steps.

First and foremost, plan out your patio area and make measurements and mark out the boundaries. If you're aiming to make a rectangular patio, just be sure that the two diagonals between your four corners are the same distance before moving on. If you're looking to get all curvy with this project, hire a local mathematician to do the trigonometry for you (they'd appreciate the real world application).
If you're laying the patio anywhere near your house, use a level to determine whether water will be flowing away from your house's foundations once the brick is laid. The mininum slope you'll want is about 1/4" per linear foot.
If you're using the typical paving brick, which normally measures 4"w x 8"l x 4"d, you'll want to dig about 8" deep to make room for the stone and sand that will serve as the patio's Ballast. Also be sure to dig that plot another 2" wide around the perimeter to make room for some brick edging.
Before you commit those bricks to a long slumber in your yard, perform a dry run by tapping the bricks into place with a large rubber mattet. Then check your measurements. If they're off a bit, correct them now before being disappointed later.
Remove the bricks, then pour 4" of crushed stone onto the plot, tapping it down as you go along.
To prevent weeds from popping up between the brick cracks, set some landscape fabric down over that layer of crushed stone, followed by 2" of sand, leveling out and pressing down your master work with the always handy 2" x 4".
Now, back to the bricks. Retrace your steps in the dry run and press the bricks down into the sand, aligning them as closely together as possible. Drive each brick down with your rubber mallet to embed them into the sand.
Run a mason's line along the bricks as you lay them down to assure that you're not meandering off into the neighbor's yard, for example.
When you have finished laying the bricks, spread a good amount of leftover sand on your new patio. Using a broom, work the sand into the cracks. Do this several times to make sure that enough sand fills the cracks.
The 2" you dug along the perimeter can be filled in with a treated wood, thin brick borders, or a metallic garden edger, again using sand to account for the gap. Just make sure that the material is strong enough to keep the patio from shifting.

And there: you have a patio. Here's a time-lapse video of the basic steps outlined above for the visually inclined. Enjoy.

patio deck stone brick mallet deckage

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