Paver patios in Charleston
A patio is only as good as the ground under it. We dig it out, lay and compact the gravel base in layers, screed an inch of sand, set the pavers inside an edge restraint and lock the joints. Then we build the fire pit, the seating wall or the pool deck into the patio, on the same base.
We price a patio by the square foot, the paver and what gets built into it. Send a rough size and a photo of the spot, and you get the number the same day.
- Base
- Four to six inches of gravel, compacted in layers
- Pavers
- Belgard, Tremron, Lowcountry Paver, brick or stone
- Warranty
- Two years on our workmanship
- Part of
- Our hardscaping work
Patio installation, from the layout to the last joint.
- The layout sketched, then marked on the ground so you can walk it before we dig
- Dug out to depth, with roots, old slab and soft spots taken out
- Four to six inches of gravel base, compacted in layers, with a gentle fall away from the house
- An edge restraint around the border so the outside course cannot creep
- Joints filled and compacted so the pavers lock together
- The lawn and beds around the new edge regraded, sodded and planted
Plus a price for each fire pit, seating wall and set of steps. The paver you choose sets the range.
What a paver patio costs in Charleston: size and paver set the range.
We price the patio by the square foot, then add what gets built into it. Digging and base work take most of the labor, so a backyard we can reach with a machine costs less to build in than one we reach with a wheelbarrow.
Roots, buried concrete and old footings are the things nobody can see before we dig. If we hit any, you hear about it, and the price for it, before we keep going.
A paver patio, before and after.
Paver patio installation: the base decides whether it sinks
Pavers sink when the ground under them moves. A thin base moves, a base the crew never compacted moves, and a base sitting in water moves. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, the paver industry’s own body, calls for at least four inches of compacted base under a patio on well-drained soil and more on poor ground. We lay four to six inches of gravel and compact every layer before the next goes on.
Charleston ground raises the stakes. Newer subdivisions in Mount Pleasant sit on builder fill that keeps settling for a couple of summers, and low ground on James Island holds water after a storm. On soft or wet ground we dig deeper, lay fabric under the gravel, and build the fall and the drainage into the patio from the start.
Belgard and Tremron both tie their product warranties to installation that follows these guidelines. A contractor who skips the base takes the maker’s warranty away with it.
- Patio base
- Four to six inches, compacted in layers
- Sand bed
- About an inch, screeded level
- Edge
- A restraint around the whole border
Fire pits, seating walls and outdoor kitchens
A fire pit belongs on the patio base, with the patio built around it. We build them in wall block or natural stone, round or square, sized to the chairs you want around it. Seating walls go at sitting height with a cap wide enough to sit on, and on a raised patio the seating wall doubles as the edge that holds it up.
Outdoor kitchens and gas fire pits need a gas line, and lights and a fridge need power. We bring in the right trade for those and stay your one point of contact, so you are not running three contractors across one patio.
Pool decks. Pavers around a pool give you a surface you can lift. If a line under the deck needs work, we take up that section and relay the same pavers, where a poured deck gets cut and patched. We lay pool decks in concrete pavers or travertine, and if the pool needs a fence, we build that too.
Retaining walls. Charleston is flat, so most walls here are low: a raised patio, a bed lifted out of wet ground, a step in the grade behind the house. We build segmental block walls from the same makers as the pavers, on a compacted footing, with gravel and a drain pipe behind so water cannot build up and push the wall over. Taller walls need an engineer’s design, and if yours is one of them we tell you before we quote.
Patios under oaks, HOAs and historic district rules
Big trees come first. Live oaks and paver patios share a lot of Charleston yards, and digging a base through the roots of a big tree can kill it. Charleston County protects trees 24 inches across at chest height and up. In Summerville the threshold is eight inches. We lay the patio out around the root zone, and where a tree stands in the way, the permit question comes before the design.
HOAs and the city want to see it. HOAs across Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island expect to approve a patio plan, and we put that package together with you. Downtown, city preservation staff review hardscape in the historic districts, and the policy they work from rules out concrete stamped to look like brick or stone.
A patio adds hard surface. Rain that used to soak into the lawn now runs off the pavers. We set a fall away from the house and give the water somewhere to go, a lawn that can take it or a French drain where the lawn cannot.
- Where we build
- Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, Daniel Island, Summerville, Hanahan and Goose Creek.
Patio questions Charleston homeowners ask us.
How long does a paver patio take to install?
A few days for a straightforward patio, most of them spent on the base. Fire pits, seating walls and steps add time. You get the schedule with the price.
Will my paver patio sink?
Pavers sink when the base is thin, loose or wet. We compact four to six inches of gravel in layers, set an edge restraint and build in a fall, which is what Belgard and Tremron require for their own warranties. Our workmanship warranty runs two years on top.
Pavers or stamped concrete for a patio?
Stamped concrete costs less to put in. Pavers cost more and handle Charleston ground better: the joints let them move with settling and roots instead of cracking, and we can lift a section and relay it. Inside the historic districts, the city does not allow concrete stamped to look like brick or stone.
Can you add a fire pit to my existing patio?
Often, if the patio has a sound base and room for chairs around the pit. We look at it and tell you whether the pit should sit on what you have or on a new section built for it.
Do I need HOA approval for a patio?
In most Charleston subdivisions, yes, and in the historic districts city staff review it too. We handle the HOA and BAR paperwork with you before we order materials.
Can you build a patio near a big oak tree?
Yes, with care. We keep the base out of the root zone where we can and check the tree rules first: 24 inches and up is protected in Charleston County, eight inches and up needs a permit in Summerville.
Do you build pool decks?
Yes, in concrete pavers or travertine. Pavers let us lift a section to reach a line underneath and relay it, which a poured deck cannot offer.
What warranty do you give on a patio?
Two years on our workmanship, plus the paver maker’s own: lifetime and transferable for Belgard, 25 years for Tremron, both for residential work laid to industry guidelines.
Send the size, take the price.
A rough size, a photo of the spot and what you want built into it. That is enough for a real number the same day.