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minnie-mouse
04-04-2007, 01:34 PM
Does anyone know about how much it usually costs to have a flat patio done, nothing fancy -just brick of flagstone. I am curious what type of money I would be looking at for someone to come and make a 8x6 patio and don't want sticker shock when the serviceman tells me.

AvaNellMouse
04-04-2007, 01:57 PM
There are several things you want to consider before they give you the quote.
Do you want it set in concrete or is it okay to have it on packed dirt with concrete or crusher fines in the seams between the rock?
You also need to do some shopping on your own and find quality flagstone in your area. There are lots of options including color and texture. Cheap flagstone will chip and eventually shatter. It is HEAVY stuff and the installation is labor intensive. This is something you don't want to have to do over later on.

When we had our 11x14-ish patio done last year it was over $4K. The contractor bid the job "in a bed of concrete" but the workers had NO intention of doing it that way. They were going to do it "the way they always do it" by just setting the rock on the packed dirt and grouting the seams with concrete. Had we not been there supervising the job they would have done a poor job and by the time it failed it would have been too late to do anything about it.
Our patio is beautiful and is such a beautiful addition to the courtyard in front of our home. I hope you feel the same way with yours! Good luck.

DizneyRox
04-04-2007, 02:29 PM
I would really spend a lot of time researching installing patios, etc. Not that all contractors are crooks (they most definitely are not) but there are a fair number of them that will take advantage of those that don't know any better.

I'm sure there are many different ways of installing a patio, and installation methods vary depending on not only the materials used, but the climate. Those in the northern states have to deal with ice heaving, etc. Those in say Key West don't have to worry about that, but do have to worry about salt damage, etc.

Get many different quotes and ask specifics on each. Compare them, and questions of each other, etc.

Also note that at least in my area, many of the landscapers know each other and talk. It's not uncommon for them to NOT bid against each other A small job like a patio is probably not even a blip on their radar screen though.

Education is your best friend... I'm not saying do the work yourself, but you should probably know enough about it so that you can do it, otherwise you'll risk being taken advantage of.