Patios & Decks

Patio installation includes preparing the base, setting pavers or other hardscape materials, and finishing the surrounding edges. A new patio is a practical addition when you need a defined outdoor living area or want to replace an aging surface.

Hardscape work is decided almost entirely before the first paver is set. Excavation depth, base material, and compaction determine whether a patio stays flat or starts settling and heaving after a couple of Minnesota winters. Drainage is the other half, since water that pools on a surface or runs toward a foundation causes problems that have nothing to do with paver quality.

Decks have a different set of requirements but the same principle. Footing depth below the frost line, joist spacing sized to the span, and proper ledger attachment and flashing where it meets the house determine whether it stays solid or develops movement. The ledger connection is the most important detail and the one most often done poorly.

Both work best planned together. Transitions between deck, patio, and grade are where a lot of projects look disjointed, and designing them as one space avoids that entirely.