Rebuilding a Flagstone Patio in Lincoln, MA

At this home in Lincoln, MA the existing flagstone patio was badly overgrown and out of level.  The original flagstone patio had apparently been laid directly on the soil with wide joints.  Being it a sunny area, weeds grew rampant and the patio had deteriorated considerably.

 

To solve this problem the plan was to take up the existing flagstone, excavate the soil, lay weed block fabric, base material, and re-lay the patio with 1/2″ joints.

In order to achieve tight joints the stones must be cut and pieced together.  It is a labor intensive process but the results are attractive and potentially make it harder for weeds to take root.  To make up the difference in area that we lose with tighter joints and cutting waste, we purchased a couple additional pallet of Irregular Bluestone to match the existing patio flagstones.  The larger section of the patio is made up of the existing flagstones, the smaller portion of patio beneath the Japanese Maple is made up of the new flagstone that we would usually use.

 

The base material consists of ~4″ gravel and ~2″ of stone dust.  The gravel base is sturdy and drains well, the stone dust (fine crushed up stone) is workable and lets us level each stone.  Gravity holds everything in place while the patio remains flexible to minor movements in the ground.  This method is more cost effective than cementing the patio stones and there is no risk of visual cracks in the cement if things eventually shift.

The flagstone patio is complete in time to enjoy a lovely autumn in New England: