Paver Patios & Walkways in Dallas, TX

Pavers move because the base moved

A paver patio is not a solid surface, it is a large number of small units held in place by what is under and around them. When one settles it settles alone, and the eye picks it up instantly. Almost every wavy paver area comes down to the same thing: the base was not prepared or compacted well enough to stay put.

• Base depth suited to the useA driveway carries a car and a patio carries a table, and the base is built accordingly. Built to patio depth and then driven on, it will rut in the wheel tracks.
• Compaction in layersThe base gets compacted as it is built up rather than all at once at the end. Compacted only on top, the lower material continues to settle for a season or two, and everything above follows it down.
• Edge restraint that holds the fieldPavers push outward under use. Without a proper restraint at the perimeter the outer courses creep, joints open across the whole field and the pattern loses its lines.
• Pattern and cuts planned to the spaceLaying pattern decides where the cut pieces land, and cuts along the most visible edge are what make a patio look approximate. Setting out from the sight line that matters, so full units run where the eye goes and cuts fall at the margins, costs nothing extra and is the difference people notice without identifying.

Done properly, individual pavers can be lifted and reset years later, which is the real advantage over a poured slab. Pavers cost more than concrete to install and they earn it in two situations: where you may need to get underneath for a service later, and where settlement is likely and you want to be able to lift and reset rather than break out. If neither applies, we will tell you concrete is the better value.