Can you install a paver walkway and patio before the new lawn fills in?
Yes, and on a new build it is often the better order. This paver walkway and patio in Ocala went in while the yard was still mostly sand, with fresh sod laid in patches and young palms just planted.
Doing the hardscape first means nobody has to drive equipment across a finished lawn. The walkway curves out across the lot toward a pair of short block pillars and a few landscape boulders, and it gives the rest of the landscaping a line to follow. Sod can be cut right up to a paver edge. Beds can be shaped around a curve that already exists.
The small patio sits at the screened porch, with a white rock bed and a couple of shrubs tucked against the wall. It is not big. It does not need to be.
If you want the long view of how walkways, patios and driveways fit together on one lot, our page on patios and driveways walks through it.
Why frame charcoal pavers with an even darker border?
The border is what makes the edge read as finished. Here it is a soldier course, a single row of pavers turned lengthwise along the perimeter, one shade darker than the field.
On a new lot that line does a lot of work. The sand around this walkway will get raked, seeded, sodded and mowed, and for the first year the edge between grass and paver is going to look rough in places. A defined border keeps the shape of the curve obvious while all of that settles down. It also gives the edge pavers a stronger, more continuous side to push against.
Charcoal on charcoal is a quieter look than the tan or grey blends we lay on a lot of Ocala homes. Some owners want the contrast turned up. Others want the paver to disappear into the landscape.
The same border idea shows up on a very different job, our herringbone side walkway in Ocala, where it frames a narrow run along a vinyl fence.
Is a small paver patio outside a screened porch worth it?
For most people, yes, because it is the spot you actually step onto. A screened porch keeps the bugs out. It also ends abruptly at a door that opens onto sand or grass, and that is where a small patio earns its keep.
This one gives the owners a firm landing for a grill, a couple of chairs, or just a place to kick off muddy shoes before going inside. It is sized to the porch opening rather than to the whole backyard, which keeps the cost reasonable and leaves room to grow later.
Dark pavers do get warmer in direct sun than light ones. That is worth knowing if the patio sits in the afternoon light and you plan to walk it barefoot. Lighter tans and greys stay noticeably cooler.
Bigger plans can build off a small start. If you think a full outdoor living area is coming in a few years, tell us now so the blend and the border can carry through. Our paver patios page shows what those larger versions look like.
What should new construction owners in Ocala plan before pavers go in?
Grading and drainage, before anything else. New lots in Marion County are often built up with loose sandy fill, and sand does not compact on its own.
We excavate and rebuild with layers of compacted aggregate, typically 8 to 10 inches down for patios, then add a compacted bed of limestone screenings before the first paver is set. Skipping that on fresh fill is how you get dips a year later. It is also the most common cause of the failed installations we are called out to repair.
Heavy summer rain is the other thing. Grading has to carry water away from the new foundation and keep it off the paver surface. On lots where water already collects, a French drain or permeable pavers can go in at the same time.
Most residential projects take 3 to 7 days depending on size. See how we approach pavers in Ocala, or book a free estimate and we will walk the lot with you.
PROJECT GALLERY
Every Photo From This Job
YOUR PROJECT COULD BE NEXT
Building new in Ocala and not sure where the pavers go first?
Call (352) 651-6077 and we will walk the lot with you before the sod goes down.