Every single meeting I’ve ever had with a client or prospect to discuss a new hardscaping project always ends up with one question.

“So how much is it going to cost?”

Well that’s kind of the million dollar question, isn’t it?  And hopefully, it’s not a million dollar answer.

Rest assured, unless you have the biggest, grandest dreams for a patio I’ve ever seen, your patio is not going to cost a million dollars.

But the question is certainly a legitimate one, and one which we’re asked all the time.

And of course, the answer varies based on a number of factors.  Size and materials are probably the two biggest factors, but other site-specific factors can also come into play, which is why most contractors are always a bit hesitant to mention even a ballpark price without seeing the site first.

But I’m going to buck the trend.  Right here. Right now.

No wait, I will tease you a bit more.  It’s important to note that the costs I’m about to share are BALLPARK COSTS.  Every site is different.  Conditions.  Access.  Soil.  Trees.  Roots.  Can we fit a dumpster in the driveway?  Can we stage the pallets next to where we’re working?  Is there easy-to-access power?  Easy-to-access water?  Will the yard drain properly?  Do we need a pump truck for concrete?  Do we need to build up the grade with a wall?  Etc.  You get the idea.  
 
So no, those “We install Flagstone Patios for $12/square foot” signs I’ve seen around probably aren’t telling you everything.  And to be honest, I’d be a little scared to trust their work.

Here’s more of what prices should look like here in Delaware County, PA, suburban Philadelphia.

Finished Concrete:  $10-$13 / square foot
Dryset Bricks:  $18-$21 / square foot
Dryset Paver Stones:  $19-$22/ square foot
Dryset Flagstone (PA Gray Full Color Natural Cleft):  $23-$24 / square foot
Wetset Bricks:  $24-$27 square foot
Wetset Flagstone (PA Gray Full color Natural Cleft):  $27-$29 / square foot

Again, these are BALLPARK costs.  And in addition to the site conditions listed above, economy of scale plays into it too. So a 4x4 sidewalk square replacement certainly isn’t going to be priced at the same rate as a 700 sf patio project.

It’s also important to note that costs can vary based on who is doing the work.  
 
If you hire a weekend warrior who found you driving around the neighborhood, you may be paying a bit less than a reputable, referred, licensed contractor.  But what is his experience?  Is he licensed?  Insured? Are his workers on payroll?  These sort of things can certainly offer peace of mind.  But guess what – they also cost money for us contractors.  So if you’re willing to take a risk – sure, maybe you can save a few bucks.  But if you want to be sure of what your money is being spent on, going the licensed route is the way to go.

A properly built patio or walkway will last at least as long as you stay in your house, and most likely well beyond the time when you decide to move on.  It will provide years of enjoyment and most likely add value to your home.  But the key phrase to that sentence is “properly built.”

When I provide estimates to prospects, they are usually well prepared for the numbers that accompany the estimate.  They know they’re hiring us because of our level of expertise, our ability to not only do the heavy lifting and digging, but to construct something that is beautiful and will last, and that we have the experience to offer suggestions and make sure the job not only gets done right, but meets their goals in terms of how it will get used.  All while taking the necessary site conditions into account.

Not to say that the occasional client doesn’t suffer a bit of sticker shock on occasion when they see the price, but once they swallow that lump in their throat they are usually on board with the project.  You get what you pay for.

So there you go. Ballpark pricing.  Hopefully this will help define your budget.  And once that’s defined, the next step is to nail down the specifics.  If you’d like a free site consultation and cost estimate give us a call.  We’d love to see what we can do for you!

**  Editors Note:  The CKC blog will not appear next week, as the author takes a little mid-season R&R.  We'll be back in July with more weekly posts.  Have a great 4th of July everybody!

Last week I posted some follow-up pictures to a recent flagstone patio we completed.  Part of that project included a simple set of steps leading from the back door down to the patio grade.

I've talked about building steps before -- in fact there's a stand-alone page here on the site dedicated to starting a step project from scratch.

But I did want to spend a bit of time this week talking about building forms for concrete steps.

For flatwork such as patios and walkways, setting concrete forms really isn't that difficult.  As long as you pay attention to the grades and ID your footprint, it's actually kind of simple.  But steps get a bit trickier, mostly because of the amount of weight that the forms are expected to hold while the concrete is being poured.

The step project that I'm highlighting here included three steps, each measuring about 18" d x 6' w.  Including the necessary footer, the whole pour took about two yards of concrete.  That's about 8,000 lbs!!  And if you think a few simple nails will hold that kind of weight, well think again.  And if you don't believe me, feel free to try it yourself on your own dime.

The key to building forms for steps is to think like the concrete.  Where will the pressure build?  Where is the weak link that the concrete will try to escape?  What is likely to pop or bow?  All while keeping in mind that the forms need to be easily removed once the concrete sets.

For flatwork forms, we typically use Duplex nails to connect the stakes to the forms -- easy to install, easy to remove.  But for steps?  I'm not a big fan of nails for step forms.  If they're not in solidly they can pop pretty easily.  If you've ever been involved with a concrete pour when a form blows, you know it's not a fun experience.

So to avoid the forms blowing mid-pour, I usually use screws for the step forms -- a much stronger connection.  But there are a few precautions that need to be taken.  First, make sure you don't over sink the screws into the wood.  I usually leave about an 1/8" sticking out so I can easily find the screws when it comes time to remove the forms.  Secondly, it's not a bad idea to cover the screw heads to avoid concrete clogging up the screw heads.  A simple extra 10 seconds with some duct tape over the screws can save hours of banging your head against the newly formed concrete when all is said and done.

Additionally, if you think all that is required is just forming out the treads and risers, think again.  The picture on the right below shows a good illustration of the front bracing.  This helps keep the tread widths uniform, as the tendency is for the risers to bow out as the concrete is being poured.

I also tend to avoid pouring directly from the concrete truck right into the hole.  Sometimes it is tempting as it can save some labor having to wheel and/or shovel the concrete in, but as mentioned above we're talking about 8,000 lbs of concrete, and that's just for three simple steps.  Imagine that 8,000 pounds being dumped forcefully from the truck into the hole.  If you want to put added pressure on your forms, that's a good way to do it.

This pour was somewhat interesting, because as documented in last week's post, we poured the steps about a week after the surrounding patio was poured.  As a result, we didn't have a whole lot of soft ground in which to stake in our forms.

To address that, I needed to come up with a good way of securing the side walls so they wouldn't blow out or pull apart.  The answer -- chain.

Yup, there's a series of imbedded chains inside those completed steps, running the full width of the steps.  Since nobody is going to see the inside of the concrete, and since the exterior was slated to get veneered, I wasn't really concerned about leaving the chains in.

If you look at the two pictures on the left in the above sequence of three, you'll see the chain running across the width of the steps.  I drilled holes just wide enough for the chain in the forms, and secured the chain on the outside using a simple nail through one of the links.  As the pressure from the concrete intensified during the pour, the outside walls wanted to push out, but were prevented in doing so by the nail holding the chain and forms in place.  The end result was two perfectly plumb sidewalls, with no bowing or blowouts.

When the pour was done we simply pulled the nails (which had imbedded themselves slightly into the wood thanks to the force of the concrete), unscrewed our forms, removed the wood, and BAM -- concrete step foundation ready to go!

As mentioned above, the most important thing is to make sure every board is braced and secured in every direction, with attention to making sure the access is on the outside of the concrete so the forms can be removed easily.

A few days later we began veneering the sides and risers, mortared the treads, and we were done!

Steps are key in any landscaping project, and knowing how to build the forms for a concrete pour is an important (brace yourself for this one folks) step! 

Think you may need a set of steps for your next project?  Give us a call and we'll see what we can do for you!

A few weeks back I wrote about a patio project we were just beginning, specifically about the excavation in which we discovered the old patio was built upon 18" of sand.  And I promised a future post in which I would share the finished patio pictures.

Well, as promised, here are the finished pictures.  And a few pictures of the project in progress.

Overall, the project was a complete success.  We began with the demolition of the old patio, as documented in my post from a few weeks back.  Once the demo was complete, we set the forms for the new patio foundation.  The layout was approved by the homeowner, forms were set, grades were established, and we prepared for the concrete pour.

A base layer of gravel was applied and the rebar reinforcement was set.  We were ready for the pour. 

The overall design included a set of steps leading from the back doors to the main patio surface.  Because of the amount of concrete involved and the logistics of getting the concrete installed, we decided to pour the steps separately from the main patio surface. The main patio took about 8 yards of concrete to pour the foundation.  Once the patio was poured and had time to set, we built the forms for the steps.  A few days later we poured an additional 2 yards to build the step foundation.  (I'll get into the details of forming the steps in a future post sometime soon).

The finished patio specifications called for irregular shaped PA graystone flagstones set in mortar atop the concrete footing.  Irregular shaped flagstone can be intricate to install.  It's basically a giant puzzle which we have to piece together, keeping an eye to keep joint dimensions to a minimum.  It involves laying out a large quantity of flagstone pieces in the lawn, figuring out which pieces fit together best, and more often than not cutting the stones so they end up fitting together cleanly.  It's a time-consuming process, no doubt, and in this case it took us about 9 days to set approximately 500 square feet of flagstone.

Additionally we set flagstones on the steps,,measuring about 6' w, with three treads each measuring about 18" d.  The step risers and sides were covered with a mica schist stone veneer to match the existing stone on the home foundation.

From start to finish the project took just under four weeks, including a few rain delays and time to allow the concrete to set after the pours.

It was a great project, for great clients -- the type of project that I love to get involved with, love to create, and take great pride in delivering an awesome product for great people.

What's next?  Well we already knocked out a fence project about a block away from Merion Country Club -- just in time before the chaos of golf's US Open begins next week.  A paver patio, a flagstone walkway, another fence project, a stone wall project, and a deck rebuild await.

Sound like something that you might be interested in?  I'd love a chance to meet with you and discuss.  Call us for a free consultation.  Maybe I'll be blogging about your project sometime soon!