Paver/Natural Stone Patio - Any recommendations?
BR37 and I are looking into having a patio installed this spring/early summer. For those of you who have had similar work done, any recommendations on who to use?
Thanks in advance!
CR37 
neimad You should consider color-toned stamped concrete as well. Looks like pavers, but you won't ever be pulling weeds out of the joints.
iPhone-imal I agree with IPhone-imal, we are going to be doing the stamped concrete instead of pavers. I wanted something that not many people have and there are so many different stamps and color choices.
Sher Following since we are thinking of a small landing patio at the base of our deck stairs. Right now it's all grass and dirt and not pool friendly.
ladeevee Can you recommend someone that does the concrete and can you give an idea on how expensive it is? Thanks.
SunnydayCR37 - Have you considered Rob Scalera at the top of the hill on Saxton? Several houses nearby have things he's done.
GC I've used Rob Scalera and JJ Fano masonry. Went with JJ Fano on my last project because his quote come in lower, both do good work though.
I'm sure you can ask any of the paver contractors if they do stamped concrete and get a quote on both.
Lynnada I second Blockhead. Joe lives in Independence. He did a wonderful job on my wall, and sidewalk. (he went above and beyond) Nice guy, and loves what he does. Phone # is above.
Ms Fishy @Sunnyday-google search stamped concrete dealers and there are a few dealers in the Hackettstown, Blairstown area. My husband and a friend will be doing ours.
Need to find out the price of concrete, the stamps and the coloring.
Good luck!
J Freund contracting does great work and very reasonable prices. I highly recommend. Jason is the owner and his number is 908-268-7324. He is out of long valley area.
Helper I received a coupon in the mail for $500 off any patio 20'x20' or larger from JB's Landcaping, if you want it.
I've never used them, but I'll probably be in the market for a retaining wall this year or next year and it looks like they do nice work according to their photo galleries.
Their website is www.jbslandscape.com
Mark Mc. Blockhead hands down.. real professional, great work, and yes Joe loves what he does!!!
scoop A few years ago we used Environmental Design Associates to replace our patio and retaining walls. I found them very friendly, efficient and responsive (I had a lot of questions which were very patiently answered). The patio looks great and it was about 2/3 the price of what the two other companies had quoted.
http://www.enviro-design.com/contact.html
Happy Homemaker 
Penningslandscaping I've installed quite a few paver patios and walkways over the years. There are advantages and disadvantages. Done right, a paver patio is great. Almost no maintenance and can be as smooth as concrete. Done poorly, you're going to hate it. Especially when trying to shovel/blow snow. I've also had stamped concrete. They're great as well. Depending on different factors (how hard your ground is, type of paver, complexity) expect to spend around 10-15$ a square foot for pavers. Maybe a little less on a larger job. They key is in the prep (isn't it for most things?). If your ground is rocky and hard, you don't need as much of a crushed stone base. If it's on the soft side, you need at least 5" of crushed stone or crushed concrete, compacted and another inch or so of stone dust for final leveling. More crushed stone/concrete base for a driveway. And many contractors make the mistake of using sand for the leveling layer on top of the compacted crushed stone. Sand moves and invites weeds. It's better to use the stone dust, which is more coarse and will actually 'set up' and get hard. Helps keep the weeds out.
Stamped concrete should be a little more reasonable. Not exactly sure of the current prices. There are a few things that need to be done for that as well, like putting in expansion joints and dusting it with some sand before it dries so that it's not slick. Because of the nature of the stamps, it can be very slippery if not treated right. The expansion joints can be simple saw cuts every so often to prevent cracking. If you have any more questions.
Pavers have more options/patterns/styles than stamped concrete, so that is another consideration. I had both at my last house and was happy with both. One other option is natural stone. That will be the most expensive not only because of the cost of the material, but because it's more labor intensive to install because you have to take great care in making sure each piece is level because it's not uniform.
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.
MeisterNJ In response to MeisterNJ, I just want to point out a few corrections which could save people big money in the long run.
1. Using stone dust as a setting bed for a paver patio, sidewalk, or driveway will void the lifetime warranty for the pavers from all major manufacturers like CST, Techo, Belgard, Unilock, etc. Washed concrete sand is the right material. Also stone dust doesn't compact evenly so over time parts of the pavers will settle unevenly.
2. The hardness of the ground should not affect the base the installer puts in. If the weather is really dry, then the ground will be hard. You are better off with 4"-6" compacted aggregate base material (not crushed stone) regardless of how hard the ground is.
Just thought it was worth mentioning.
Evan Meyer Never heard that stone dust voids the warranty, Evan. Good to know. I've used it for years and it has held up much better than sand from my experience. And I only use a half inch to inch for leveling purposes on top of QP. Never solely stone dust. I've put in plenty of patios and walkways over many years and have yet to get a call that it's settling, uneven, or coming apart.
Beg to differ on the hardness of the ground (good point on the moisture though). If you're putting the patio or walkway in an area with solid shale or very rocky soil, why disturb the ground any more than you have to just to put more QP in and compact it? If the ground is already rock hard (wet or dry), it's fine to go with 3-4" of QP.
QP/crushed stone are examples of aggregate, so not sure what you mean there.
Just some info, If you take a class and are ICPI Certified you will learn and know Concrete sand is what should be used not stone dust. The stone dust does not compact the same as concrete sand, also only concrete sand not all sand can be used. 3/4" Qp should be used not just clean 3/4" crushed stone. The bases should be done correctly does not mater if it is already a rocky soil should never be installed on wet sub base.
town shopper I read up on the concrete sand vs. stone dust. Interesting points. I'll have to consider it in the future. As I've said, I've never had a problem with stone dust. I guess it depends on the stone dust as well. If it's uniform in nature, I'm guessing it's very similar to concrete sand. Using only a half inch or so probably limits the issues that the ICPI cites with it.
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