Patios & Walkways in Baltimore

What does a patio or walkway project include?

A Solomon patio or walkway job covers layout, excavation, base, stone and cleanup. We mark the shape with you, dig out the soil to the right depth, build and compact a gravel base, set the pavers or flagstone, and finish the joints and edges. Fire pits, seat walls and steps are built on the same base as part of the job.

Our patio and walkway work so far includes a paver patio with a fire pit and seat wall, and a flagstone walkway at a front entry. The base and drainage work described below is what decides whether a patio still looks right after a few winters.

How is the base for a paver patio built?

The base is a layer of compacted crushed stone under the pavers, and it’s the most important part of the patio. We dig out topsoil and soft ground, then place crushed stone in layers and compact each one with a plate compactor instead of dumping it all at once. A thin bedding layer goes on top, screeded flat at the final pitch, and the pavers are set into it.

Many yards around Baltimore have clay soil that holds water and moves as it freezes. A good base keeps that movement from reaching the surface. We dig deeper where the patio will carry more weight or where the ground is soft, and we’ll tell you at the estimate if we see drainage problems that need to be solved first.

How are fire pits and seat walls built into a patio?

They’re built on the same compacted base as the patio and laid out with it, so the paver pattern, the fire pit and the wall all line up. Our paver patio project includes a built-in fire pit at the center and a curved seating wall around it, behind a brick house, with the wall sitting on solid base rather than loose soil.

Once the pavers are set, we install edge restraint around the perimeter so the field can’t creep outward, sweep joint sand into the gaps and compact the surface. The joints lock the pavers together so the patio acts as one surface instead of loose blocks.

How is a flagstone walkway set in mortar?

A mortared flagstone walkway sits on a stable concrete base, with each stone bedded in mortar and the joints pointed. The flagstone walkway we built at one front entry is gray stone set in mortar beside a garden bed. The concrete base matters, because cracks in the base will show up in the joints.

We lay out the stones dry first to get a good fit with even joints, then set each one in a full mortar bed and point the joints. The walkway is pitched slightly so rain sheds off the surface rather than sitting on it.

How do you handle drainage around a patio?

Every patio and walkway we build is pitched so water runs away from the house. A patio is a large hard surface, and if it’s flat or tilted the wrong way it will push rainwater toward the foundation, which is a common cause of wet basements.

Before we dig, we check:

• Downspouts. Where they discharge and whether they need to be extended past the patio.
• Existing grade. Which way the yard already drains, so the patio works with it.
• Basement windows and doors. So the new surface doesn’t direct water into a window well or under a door.
• Neighboring lots. Especially on rowhouse and townhouse yards, where water needs somewhere to go.

What affects the cost of a patio or walkway?

Size, stone and what has to come out of the ground set most of the cost. A small paver patio on firm soil is mostly base and stone; a large one on soft clay needs deeper excavation and more crushed stone. The other main drivers:

• Material. Pavers on a gravel base, or flagstone set in mortar over concrete.
• Excavation. How much soil comes out, and whether it has to be hauled by hand from a rowhouse yard.
• Features. Fire pits, seat walls and steps add block, base and labor.
• Pattern and shape. Curves and borders mean more cutting than a straight rectangle.
• Drainage. Downspout extensions or regrading to move water away from the house.
• Old surfaces. Breaking up and hauling away an old concrete patio or walk.
• Permits and review. City paving permits, historic review or Critical Area limits.

We give a written price after we’ve looked at the grade, soil and access.

Can a patio be planned with a deck, steps or a fence?

Yes, and planning them together is easier than fitting one around another later. A walkway might lead to new front or rear steps, a patio might sit at the bottom of a new deck, and a backyard patio is often paired with a privacy fence. Laid out together, the heights, steps, gates and drainage all line up.