Replacing Cedar With Patio Pavers

Bev and I have plans for our backyard. Right now we have a four-level cedar deck in our small yard. The deck has plenty of privacy for “nature lovers.” Every couple of years we clean the deck, sand it if necessary and re-stain. The bottom level is cedar over a concrete pad of some kind and we’ve just discovered dry rot, because of a small flowerbed that touches the wooden deck. A solution to the dry rot we’ve decided is to rip up the bottom level and replace the wood with paving stone. We envision bringing out the dining table from the house and serving the family on the lower level. At least 12 people can gather around the table. It feels to us like a family dinner you’d see in a Greek or Italian movie.

Why replace wood with patio pavers? Not only do we like the variety of colors available in pavers, but we like the texture of the stone. Through our research we discovered the price of pavers is lower than brick or flagstone and has an additional benefit: paving stone doesn’t chip or crack.

We called our friends at System Pavers and scheduled an appointment. They will come out Monday for a free design consultation worth $300.

We like a design that blends the colors while featuring some gray. We think it would be great to have a raised edge around the one flower bed that would double as extra seating.