Inexpensive Backyard Patio | Easier Patio Install | Less Time & Energy | Backyard DIY | Paver Pads

This DIY paver patio cost us less than $900 (2016) to install in our backyard. We used foam paver pads to eliminate the need for gravel.
For more information go to the Brock Paver Base Website
brockpaverbase.com/ (Not Sponsored)
F A C T S
2016 Cost
We live in the Midwest and have flat land.
Snowy winters.
We had this patio for three years. We no longer live here.
Not for vehicles
We are not professionals and cannot not guarantee that yours will turn out the same.
Brock Paver Base has instructions on their site.
Please do your own research on what is best for your home and geographic area.
This video is not sponsored.
I no longer have a website. The information is further down in the description.
➡ Brock Paver Base/Home Depot ~ www.homedepot.com/p/PAVERBASE...
➡ Here is the edging ~ www.menards.com/main/building...
➡Our blocks were 16" by 16" each, 8 blocks long by 7 (56)blocks wide or 128"(10.67 Ft.) by 112" (9.33 Ft.) The border is 16 inches all around extended from the patio portion. The 10 by 12 gazebo fits just over the patio portion.
www.menards.com/main/building...
Patio cost breakdown, not including gazebo and table set; (2016)
Paver pads: $254 Lowes or Home Depot
Paver blocks: $290 Menards
Edging: $110 Menards
Edging stakes: $56
Fabric/plastic: $25
Fabric pins: $27
Marking paint: $8
Sand leveling: $33
Sand locking: $14
Stones: $42
Total cost: $859
Gazebo
Lowes, Allen & Roth 10 X 12 www.lowes.com/
Install:
1) 16" x 16" blocks, 8 blocks long by 7 blocks wide equals 56 blocks total. The stone border was developed at the end of the project.
2) Mark out dimensions on grass with paint. The stakes represented the corners of the blocks. The outer painted border was 6" wider than the blocks and this represented where we would start removing the grass. In retrospect, I should have gone out 12" or more for the painted border.
3) Remove the grass and dirt as needed. This was the most difficult part of this project. It was a judgement call as to how deep we should go with the dirt removal. I wanted the blocks to be above the surrounding grass a little bit. You will have to adjust by temporarily placing a pad and block to get a feel for the finished height of the blocks compared to the level of the surrounding grass.
4) Level dirt with a long straight 2 x 4 and a level.
5) Tamp dirt down with a tamper. The weather was very dry when we did this project so the dirt was very hard. We had to wet the ground a bit and break some areas up with a shovel.
6) Layout weed prevention fabric and secure into the ground with plastic pins.
7) Spread and level sand to 0.5" depth. I used 0.5" diameter dowels taped together as guides to slide the 2 x 4 over. This process was tedious but we ended up with a nice level surface of leveling sand.
8) We started carefully placing the dense foam "paver pads" onto the sand first. These can take the place of having to use 2" of gravel as a secure base for your paver blocks. Then we started placing the blocks. I had to measure off of our house to be sure I was making a line of blocks that was straight and parallel to the house.
9) Stake down paver block edging border with stakes. Edging should have the triangle portion facing away from the patio. This helps to keep the blocks in place and keep them from shifting.
10) At this point we also brushed paver locking sand into the blocks and misted with water. I had a problem with the sand falling out of the edges of the blocks because there was nothing there to keep it inside. I eventually bought some grey colored clay and filled in the edges which helped to keep the locking sand in place.
11) Initially, we were going to have a grass border. This turned out to be a bad idea. Every time it rained the water would splash down on the dirt where we were trying to grow grass and it would send dirt flying all over the blocks and patio furniture. We came up with the idea of a stone border. Thankfully, this solved the dirt splashing problem.
12) The close up of the corner of our stone border shows that I used the same paver edging staked down over weed control fabric to contain the stones. This time the triangle edging is facing in, pointing towards the patio. Then just fill in with stones.
Note
We had ground that was flat to start with. It was, however, clay soil which is difficult to dig out. This project will take longer than a weekend. It will be work, but a lot less than using gravel.
This project worked well for us. We are not professionals and cannot guarantee it will work for everyone.
#budgetpatiodiy #paverpatio

[@KajunMs39]

Thank you!!! No fuss,no muss,no loud music..just simple steps with a list of necessities.. I'm heading to Home Depot now!!! 😂😂

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

You are so welcome! Good luck on your project. 🙂

[@cutegirlsreborns0399]

This is the most easiest patio tutorial. I’m heading to Home Depot this weekend.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

It's not easy. It's still hard work, but yes, easier and I hope I have explained it clearly. Good luck!

[@belindafrierson2754]

I cant believe how easy it looks and professional looking too. Thank you for your tutorial. Best ever!

[@johnbrevard5966]

WOW!.. That looks amazing, More than amazing... it looks more inviting than any poured concrete etc area, Love the whole setup.. You win in our home

[@christypelak3183]

I really like this step by step process. These projects can be so intimidating and confusing . Thankyou !!

[@tamiz8895]

That looks so good and it seems really doable for a novice. I appreciate your tutorial!!!

[@trisha4829]

I really like how you showed step by step. This is what I was looking to do in my backyard! looks great

[@Lourdesrealtor]

Step by step showing what you did what have been helpful. Nice job. It gives me a better idea of how to start. Good job.

[@vickiedunn7458]

Yes thanks for doing the steps by step and giving the name of all the stuff you used cause if you want something but don’t know where to start and I thank God for letting me see your page thanks again

[@Keziah-ls2sk]

Love it! You did a fantastic job. Excellent tutorial presentation, simple and to the point. Thank you.

[@keishamitchell6646]

Absolutely Beautiful

[@ellenflorida7606]

Exactly what I was looking for thank you thank you very much for this video

[@grace2garden403]

Thank you for sharing this. Good narration. YOu mad it look so easy, thanks for the work around of not having to dig down as far.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We hope it was helpful. That is why we decided to post it. Wish we had done video, but you never know when you start a project if its gonna work out for you.

[@Luis-np2sc]

Good job explaining everything! Thanks you.

[@Dadof3kidz]

Great video. Gave me some great ideas for my project. Thank you for sharing!

[@drshondagarnerbrooks515]

Perfect video. Thanks for keeping it short and clean.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@OkNikaOK]

Thank you for this video!! This video inspired me to give it a try and when I lose my motivation I go back to your video. I bought those pads and I can’t wait until I’m on that stage. I’m in the hardest part now ... excavation 😓

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Oh, yes! That is the hardest part. If you don't have help, go slow. The leveling is something you want to take your time with also. We are really happy we have been able to motivate others. Our backyard was just grass before we put ours in. We thoroughly enjoyed it once it was done, but it is still work. 💗

[@ladygem]

Thanks for sharing this video. I just found your video but I’m doing the exact same thing with my patio. Although I bought the plastic deck tiles I might switch out to stone tiles. Thanks

[@mdpooh719]

Yes this was one of the best....thanks!

[@amr2nj]

Thank u for sharing such a detailed information. Price detailed and information was so helpful.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

My pleasure 😊 Glad it was helpful.

[@hameddadgour]

Great video. Thank you for sharing!

[@FaithHustle]

I love this!!

[@Tikikat22]

Amazing I love this so much!!!

[@ashleymyles7397]

I love it! This looks like something I can do

[@musoseven8218]

Great video and good ideas. Thanks for sharing 👍😊

[@hectorparris4504]

Hi that is a excellent job and it save a ton of money great going 👍

[@TiredmomNtequila]

Thank you for going step by step took me forever to find a video to build a patio without concrete.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm glad it was helpful. Good luck on your project.

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Fantastic job 👍👍👍👍👍

[@fostemail8772]

Great 👍🏾 easy to follow along advice

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

That'good! I'm glad. Thank you for watching!

[@vbbent]

Nice calm narration. Looks like a nice, easy project.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Well, I'd say easier, but not necessarily easy. :)

[@rhondabeard1363]

Love it😍😍😍😍

[@bottleimp007]

Nicely done!

[@alejandrosanabria2198]

Muchas gracias, su video me ayudó mucho, y muy bien explicado. 👍

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

You are welcome. Thank you for watching.

[@leahlattimore9771]

Thanks I been looking for something nice and simple like this

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Yes, it is simpler, but not simple, just to clarify. No DIY backyard project ever is simple. Wishing you the best on your patio DIY. Thanks for watching.

[@jenmv3483]

Thank you the the detailed explanation and prices.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

You bet!

[@jenniferalva7163]

I love it

[@dinahduke1982]

So inspiring😍😍😍

[@michellesimpsons356]

Really nice. Lots of work.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Yes, thank you and yes, it is still work, just a little less than with gravel.

[@richardmartinez2232]

Great video !

[@sassyleo7821]

Loved it, this is exactly what I want for my backyard. Great job!!!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Thank you!!

[@taymarie24]

Awesome idea thanks

[@angiegracie6954]

Very NICE!

[@lisaaustin3625]

Great job.

[@watsonlow22]

Thanks for this

[@lcorvette]

Thanks for the video! I’m in the middle of building my outdoor oasis. I have 78 base pavers coming Monday!!! Lol 😂

[@teeahtate]

Nice. Thanks

[@ladyrey1030ify]

This is definitely a blessing for my family. I was going to take the long way round and use gravel. I'm excited to get started.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

You can do it! It will still be work, but best of luck to you. I'm sure it will be great!

[@brettprice6650]

The hardest part is making sure the stakes are all lined up!!!!

[@zigma10473]

ya did great 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾well done

[@zigma10473]

very nice

[@Lmat0423]

Nice outcome! Would have been nice to see all of the actual products used for this project.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Thank you! Many are linked in my description box. We had no idea we would put this on KZbin or that it would gain popularity when we did the project.

[@YoMamaAtHOME]

I am going to do this

[@jagdishdeshpande5374]

good job

[@busymamatips1475]

Well done thanks a lot.. I’m surprised, no cement, no heavy machinery!

[@mzboogie3491]

Love this tutorial. Mine May be more labor intense as my backyard is not leveled at all. Any suggestions?

[@1nvmay]

I wish you documented this step by step. I’m new at this and would love to see what you meant by adding the clay to the edge. You didn’t illustrate that , only mentioned it. It looks beautiful anyway!

[@Adayinthelife1201]

So glad I saw this, was just quoted $1600.00 for a 8x10 area.

[@MS-gn4gl]

That's honestly a fantastic deal, the money saved to diy is paid back in lots of sweat equity and if you do any steps wrong you could be leaving yourself to do the whole thing twice.

[@littlefrank5956]

From whom did you get a quote? Seems cheaper

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Hello! If you have questions, please make sure to check the description box and comments for additional information. Also, some are asking questions that have actually been answered in the video. I have answered a lot of details in both the description and comments. Keep in mind if you make your patio larger or smaller the dimensions will be different. Also, keep in mind your soil and whether your property is level or not. Your question may have already been answered. Brock Paver Base has a website that will give you more information, too Thanks!

[@marwincasas3651]

Girl thank you for your video!! I am almost finished with mine, being inspired by this video and DIY all by myself! Xoxo

[@Claribel42]

Great 👍 job!! I love it. I would like that you list down the amount of each material you used on this project, like how many paver pads you bought? Etc etc. please 🙏

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Check description. I have a list in the box below the video. Thank you!

[@boluoyouyouyou]

Thanks for sharing! Is there a need to apply permit to build such a patio?

[@maxinegill3828]

Love this. Im new. Just subscribe

[@user-tn7xv6uf1f]

Is better to see in action hands on. My opinion. Some of us like to see hands on. But very well explained

[@sushmitadash4652]

Do you have a video of how did you fix the gazebo side poles ?

[@miamilan4812]

Loved this!!! I wanted to add a paver patio but the idea of digging 7 inches down I didn’t like. This is great! Thank you!!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I hear you! We did not want to dig either. I hope I was clear. I wish we had filmed it, but I wasn't thinking about that when we did it. It was one of the best things we did in our yard/home.

[@lowsky361]

What type of anchors did you use to secure the gazebo to the ground?

[@sophias9498]

Great video, thanks! I want to do something like this but with outdoor wood tiles that have a base that allows water to drain thru and it hooks onto each other. But I’m wondering if I should put in on top of gravel or compacted sand?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I am not familiar with those. Maybe ask the local home improvement store? Or a landscaper?

[@anujbhatia3337]

How are the concrete pavers looking after a couple years. We are considering stone vs concrete.

[@mommymint]

What kind of clay did you use? Thank you we are following your guide to make an outdoor classroom/ patio

[@bwariebib]

I have watched this video over n over again… your work looks very nice.. my question is how did you stick the gazebo to the ground ? This for sharing..

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We just staked it down with the stakes that came with it. In the dirt portion outside of the actual patio perimeter, so they are underneath the rock portion. We get summer storms but we are not in a hurricane area. I did not make an actual video. We put this up last year when we knew many people might be at home and looking to improve their yards. I'm sorry I don't have as many video clips as I would have liked. I had no idea it would become so popular.

[@NottyGurlStyle]

This is by far the most easiest patio tutorial I’ve seen so far! My family and I are on the path of finally getting our first home, so I would love to have a small patio to enjoy my summer days and nights out on. But we will definitely be on a very tight budget so I was looking for something that won’t break my wallet when it’s time to get supplies. I’m curious, since you moved have you built a new on at your current location? This looks so professional I would be in love with it too if I was a buyer looking to purchase a home. Lol Thank you for this!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Congratulations on your new home! We have a deck that was already here. If we were to do another one, we would do the same thing and probably try to film it as we only took pictures before. It's not in the immediate future though.

[@basmamaged432]

Congratulations, I am pn budget too ,did you build your patio?

[@keketayv1111]

What did you use to secure the gazebo into the ground?

[@1bree4real83]

Thank you!!

[@lisazigg]

Thanks for responding to so many questions. We just finished this project 5 days ago. We got 4 inches of snow today. I live in northeast Ohio so the weather can be brutal. You mentioned you live in a winter state. Did you do anything extra to protect your paver patio during winter season..... i e tarp,...sealant. Did you remove the snow from them?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

You need to use the locking sand. We didn't use a tarp and we took our cover down to protect it rather than the patio. The snow in April stinks doesn't it? Covering it with a tarp would give you an added protection. probably, but we didn't do this. Keep in mind we moved after three seasons. We understand the new owners still use it.

[@alittastephens-moore1885]

This is amazing! Thank you for the detailed video!! We're working on ours. How many panel pavers did you use? Is it necessary to lay the stone pavers as you go? Does that keep the panels from shifting?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm sorry we have been asked this before and we can't remember how many pads we used. Depends on how large your patio is. We did lay the stone pavers down as we worked on top of the pads. Don't stand with your weight on the pads.

[@michaelk1620]

Once I remove the grass/sod, what can I do with it as it will be a lot and quite heavy. How do I dispose it or do I need to rent a dumpster? Thank you!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

For ours we didn't need a dumpster, but we had several wheelbarrow loads we spread in a flower bed and shoring up around our home.

[@scottoden2691]

What’s a good fabric to lay down? Everything I’ve ever used in my garden still has a little bit of grass and some weeds get through sometimes.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We had some trouble with that in the rocks also. I'm not sure that's entirely avoidable.

[@stephenbuckley5273]

Hey, thank you so much for your video! Quick question, since you did not dig deep down and put down gravel to help with drainage & creating stability the space for the paver base, how is this holding up present day? Are the pavers shifting? Are they pretty stable? I have most of the supplies to do this in my backyard today but would like to know if I should buy gravel as well

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

All the info is in the video description or comments. We moved several years ago, so I cannot give you a current status. Everything wears out after a while.

[@aarav-thesuperkoolscientis3608]

How you have installed the gazebo stand, did you put some concrete base to hold the stand ?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

My husband said he has heard people in windy areas bury cinder blocks under each post in the ground and anchor the gazebo to them. We just drove the stakes into the dirt. Where we live it can get windy, but not too bad.

[@cleanbeautynation]

Great job on this. I have purchased some stones and the paver boards and will be trying this method for sure. How did you keep your gazebo in the ground?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Hi, we just used the stakes. I don't know what the weather is like where you live, so I don't know if that will work for you.

[@cleanbeautynation]

@@BluebirdHomeAndDIY thank you. We are on the coast so ours blew down during a storm. But we have had people’s stay up that bolted them down to their decks and concrete patios.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Yes, I'm sorry I can't help you there, but I am sure it sounds like those around you can give you better tips than I could. Enjoy your summer and hopefully hurricane free!

[@SPLENDORISTA]

Thank you for sharing. Do you know about how much leveling sand you bought and where? I am in Ohio

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Hi, please see my pinned comment at the top of the comments section.

[@willwang5603]

Those stones fly around during windy weather?

[@tomcruise4style]

Its very impressive and very well made. My yard has a slope. How can i do your design in the sloped yard? Your inputs are really appreciated..

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We don't have experience with a sloped yard. You will probably want to consult with someone who is knowledgeable in this area.

[@tomcruise4style]

@@BluebirdHomeAndDIY thanks for the reply.. sure will do

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm sorry I can't help more. Best of luck to you.

[@tonyastrange9362]

Thank you for this tutorial! We are following your tutorial and it is coming out great! I am having some trouble with finding the right stones - any chance you recall the stones you used? brand? or size? Thanks so much!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm glad its going well for you. We got them at either Home Depot or Lowes so, I think they are pretty easy to find.

[@tonyastrange9362]

@@BluebirdHomeAndDIY I was able to find some that look pretty good. thanks again!

[@creneemugo94]

Apologies if this has been asked already, but I have the same size gazebo and I'm prepping for the flooring. How many packs of stones should I get if I imitate this design? Thanks!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm sorry, but I don't remember the exact amount of rocks. If you mean the border that is. This was an afterthought because we thought we might not need it. Clearly we did. Sorry I can't be more help on that.

[@zoezzzarko1117]

What about heaving in the winter?

[@Strawberrysh0rtcak323]

How’d you secure it?

[@MrsAnaelimont]

How labor extesive was this?

[@doncooper4729]

After you removed the grass did you add any other type of dirt before you levelled it with the level on top of the 4 x 4 . It looks like you did add some more soil! Did you? Don

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We did not. We added sand, like I said and showed in the video.

[@Ashnroses86]

Do you know if there is any issue with mold or rot of the foam pads under the pavers? I live in Louisiana so our climate is very muggy. Thanks!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm sorry but I have no idea on that.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm back. Been thinking on this. I would check the paver pad company for what they have to say about it or maybe there are some reviews online from people in your area? My guess is somewhere this info is out there.

[@krstone24]

Just to make sure I understand the measurements…the total of your square (including the part where the river rocks are) is a total of 16“ all around is that correct? Or is the patio portion 16” with an additional 12” where the river rocks where added?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Whatever size you make your patio its an additional 12 inches for the border.

[@agnesblome1953]

What is the brand name of the pavers? Thank you for a great video!

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

The actual pavers are from Menards www.menards.com/main/building-materials/landscaping-materials/pavers-patio-blocks/16-x-16-wetcast-ashlar-patio-block/1791891/p-1444441476732-c-5786.htm?tid=4532712962932452022&ipos=13

[@thatboychris3668]

I'm trying to find out how many I mean how many bricks that you need for us to build that patio

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

HI, all the information is in the description box below the video. I may even have already answered some questions in the comments, too.

[@Sazonman]

How did you anchor the gazebo down onto the concrete tiles

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Its anchored in the dirt outside the concrete tiles.

[@KindlybyQ]

How many lbs of river rocks?

[@robertwhite2494]

How much was everything , and how long did it take thanks

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

It cost us $859 for materials. I have a breakdown in the description box of this video if that would help you. That is 2016 costs. We are figuring it took us about 30 hours of work because it was very hot and dry so removing the sod and digging was the hardest part and took the longest even with our teens helping because we had to go in and cool off and take breaks. That is not including transporting blocks because we did that in several trips, so we would need to add that time on as separate. I would also say that we had flat ground to work with. We really enjoyed our patio for 3 years before we moved. We also believe it helped add to the value of our home when we were selling it. We understand the new owners love it and use it all the time still.

[@patty2079]

A full picture of what you want then place the picture at the area specified.

[@RS-uw3gl]

Where did you purchase these? There is no information listed.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

The patio blocks were purchased from Menards in 2016. Paver pads can be purchased from Lowe's or Home Depot.

[@karmaticsatire]

Does this hold up during the winter. Or will it get ruined ?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We used it three summers, so two winters because we then moved. You want to use locking sand at the end of the season. All info is in my description for this video.

[@mahmoudkhouzame89]

How do you hold the leg base of your gazebo

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We just staked it into the ground with the pieces that came with it. I cannot vouch for areas that have heavy winds/hurricanes, etc.

[@cristinasisco4557]

Do you tamper down the sand or just level it out?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

Use a tamper

[@chattynurse]

how did you secure the gazebo to the ground? Just the stakes that were included? are they strong?

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

We used the stakes that came with the Gazebo. We pounded them into the dirt. We were concerned about wind, but we didn't have a problem with it.

[@AuntiesAdvicePodcast]

@@BluebirdHomeAndDIY you said you put it in with the stakes and had no problem with the winds. Do you mind me asking what coast you live on? I’m on the east coast and I’m concerned.

[@BluebirdHomeAndDIY]

I'm in the Midwest and in a suburb. I have never lived near the ocean, so I don't know about that. I really can only tell you my own experience. 💗