Paver patios

Two patios can look identical and age nothing alike

On the day it is finished, a properly built paver patio and a badly built one are hard to tell apart. The difference appears over the next few winters, when one stays flat and the other develops waves, sunken corners and joints that open up.

Everything that decides which one you get happened before the first paver was laid.

How the work runs

Excavation. The area is cut down through topsoil and any soft ground to a subgrade that will actually carry the patio. This is the stage most often shortened, because nobody can see it afterwards.

Base in lifts. Crushed stone goes in as layers, and each one is compacted before the next. Depth depends on the soil and what the patio has to carry.

Screed and pitch. A bedding layer is screeded flat, with the whole surface pitched away from the house so rainwater runs off rather than pooling against the foundation.

Laying and cutting. Pavers are laid to the chosen pattern and cut in at the edges and around any obstacles.

Edge restraint and jointing. The perimeter is restrained so the field cannot creep outward, then joints are filled. Without restraint, a paver field slowly spreads and the joints open.

Cambridge pavers and other materials

Courtyard installs Cambridge pavers, and our Google reviews name them directly. We also work in natural stone, bluestone and concrete pavers. Material choice affects price, but it affects the look far more, so it is worth seeing options against your house rather than choosing from a screen.

Built as one piece

Patios rarely sit alone. A fire pit, an outdoor kitchen, steps down from a deck or a walkway running to the driveway are all easier, cheaper and tidier when they are built at the same time as the patio rather than added to it later. Mention what you might want eventually, even if it is not in this year's budget, and the base can be set up for it now.

Common questions

This page was last updated in September 2026.