Question 1

What does a hardscape project actually cost?

Accepted Answer

Most of our work lands between $45 and $110 per square foot installed, and the spread is driven by access and grade far more than by material. A flat backyard with a wide gate sits at the bottom of that range. A steep lot where every pallet is moved by hand sits at the top. The configurator on our home page will get you a realistic baseline in about a minute.

Question 2

Why is your proposal higher than the paver-only bid I received?

Accepted Answer

Because ours includes the part you cannot see. A typical competing bid covers pavers on four inches of base. Ours covers excavation to subgrade, geotextile separation, compacted open-graded base in lifts, drainage, edge restraint, and engineered walls where the grade requires them. The visible stone is roughly a third of what you are paying for.

Question 3

Do I need drawings for a backyard patio?

Accepted Answer

For anything with a grade change, yes. Drawings are how we agree on the result before it is expensive to change. They also make bids comparable: when two contractors price the same drawing, you are comparing contractors rather than guessing at scope.

Question 4

Do you subcontract the stonework?

Accepted Answer

No. Masonry, paving, and wall construction are all done by our own crews. We subcontract only licensed electrical and gas connections, and we schedule those ourselves so they land before the base goes down rather than after.

Question 5

How far out are you booking?

Accepted Answer

Design typically starts four to six weeks from signing. Construction is usually scheduled three to five months out, with the longest waits for spring starts. Projects requiring engineered walls add two to four weeks for permit review.

Question 6

Can you build in the rain?

Accepted Answer

In the Pacific Northwest we have to. Excavation and base work genuinely stop in sustained rain because you cannot compact saturated subgrade. Wall construction and paving continue. We build weather float into every schedule rather than pretending it will not happen.

Question 7

Natural stone or concrete pavers?

Accepted Answer

Concrete pavers are dimensionally consistent, cost less to install, and come with long warranties, but their colour is a surface treatment that softens over time. Natural stone costs more to set because every piece is different, and it looks better in year twenty than in year one. We specify both, and we will tell you which one the project actually wants.

Question 8

Will my pavers settle or shift?

Accepted Answer

Properly built, no. Settlement is almost always a base failure rather than a paver failure: insufficient excavation, compaction in one thick lift instead of several thin ones, or no separation fabric letting fines migrate into the base. We compact in lifts, test as we go, and warranty the base for ten years.

Question 9

What maintenance should I expect?

Accepted Answer

Rinse the field annually and top up polymeric sand in the joints every three to five years. Sealing is optional on concrete pavers and usually unnecessary on dense natural stone. Retaining wall drainage should be checked once a year to confirm the weep outlets are clear.

The answers we give on every first call.

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