Premier Home Remodeling Services in Seattle, WA
Be Home Remodeling installs paver patios, walkways, pool decks and driveways across Seattle and King County. In a climate where the ground stays wet for months, pavers make a lot of sense: a well-built paver patio drains, rides out small movements in the soil and can be lifted and relaid in one spot instead of breaking out a whole slab.
What you see is the easy part. We excavate, lay and compact a gravel base sized for your soil and for what will sit or drive on it, set edge restraints and slope the surface so water runs away from the house. If you are looking for paver installers near you in the Seattle area, start with a free site visit.
Concrete pavers are the workhorse: dozens of colors and shapes, strong enough for a driveway and easy to repair. Large-format slabs give a clean, modern look, and setting them with grass or turf in the joints softens a big patio. Natural stone and flagstone fit naturally into garden paths. Permeable pavers sit over an open, free-draining base, so rain soaks into the ground instead of pooling on the surface or running toward the house.
A project manager prices your project at a free site visit, and the estimate lists excavation, base, pavers, edging and haul-away separately. Ask about $0 down financing options. Availability, terms and approval depend on the lender.
In Seattle, patios and slabs on grade are on the city’s list of work that does not need a building permit. Work that reaches the sidewalk or the street, such as a new curb cut for a driveway, needs a separate city permit. On a steep slope or in another environmentally critical area the usual exemptions may not apply. Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Sammamish, Renton and the other cities around Seattle set their own rules, so we confirm the rule for your address before work starts.
Yes, when the base drains. Water that sits under a patio is what makes pavers sink and shift, which is why the base and the slope get most of our attention. Permeable pavers are another option where water tends to collect.
Polymeric sand, a good slope and some sun do most of the work. Shady patios still need an occasional sweep and wash, and topping up the joint sand every few years keeps the pavers tight.
Sometimes, if the slab is flat, solid and drains well. Cracked or sinking concrete should come out first. We check it during the estimate.
Most paver jobs that fail, fail underneath. We dig down to firm soil, compact the base in layers and give the surface enough slope to shed water. Polymeric sand in the joints holds the pavers tight and slows the weeds and moss that move into shady, damp patios here.
A paver patio often comes with a covered area so it gets used in the rain, low walls, planting beds and lighting. See our backyard remodeling and retaining wall pages for the rest of the yard.