Paver Patios, Walkways & Pool Decks
Hardscape is the structural skeleton of a great backyard. The patio that holds the dinner table. The walkway that carries traffic to the front door. The pool deck that connects the house to the water. Get the hardscape right and the rest of the landscape works around it.
We install paver hardscape from Unilock, Nicolock, Belgard, and Versa-Lok across Albany NY and the Greater Capital Region. Most projects fall into one of three buckets: a new patio off the back of the house, a complete pool deck integration, or a full hardscape package combining patio, walkways, retaining walls, and outdoor kitchen.
How a Paver Patio Should Be Built
The difference between a paver patio that lasts 30 years and one that settles after the first winter comes down to what's under the pavers, not the pavers themselves.
Excavation depth
We excavate 10–12 inches deep for residential patios (deeper for pool decks and driveways). Anything less and the base can't compact properly under Upstate NY's freeze/thaw cycles.
Geotextile fabric
A non-woven geotextile fabric goes between the native soil and the base material. This stops the fines from migrating up into the base over time — the single biggest cause of long-term paver settling in clay soils like the Capital Region's.
Crushed-stone base
6–8 inches of compacted crushed stone (we use 3/4" minus). Compacted in 2-inch lifts with a vibratory plate, each lift checked with a level. The base does the actual structural work.
Bedding sand + pavers
1 inch of bedding sand screeded to grade, then the pavers laid in pattern, cut to the perimeter, edge-restrained, and finished with polymeric joint sand.
Pricing
Capital Region paver patios typically run $15–$50 per square foot installed, depending on paver brand, pattern complexity, and site access. Walkways average $25–$40 per linear foot. Pool decks integrated with a new pool installation run $20–$45 per square foot depending on coping and accent details.
A 400-square-foot Unilock back patio with a single-step transition and edge lighting typically falls in the $14,000–$22,000 range. A complete pool deck (800–1,200 square feet with coping, drains, and accent banding) usually lands at $28,000–$60,000.
On-site measurements, written quote, transparent line items.
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