Pavers and Concrete Patio Together

by Tanya
(Bartlett, Illinois)

Just stumbled on this site and love it. The info is awesome!


Off of our family room are double sliding glass doors which leads to a concrete patio (slab). The patio measures approximately 9 x 11. It is very hard to put a nice sized table on it without setting the table and chairs in front of the glass doors. The concrete is relatively level with the yard on two sides. There is a good six inch drop on the side that is next to what used to be a flower bed. Fourth side is obviously attached to the house.

We would like to extend our patio both length (into the old flower bed) and width without the expense of concrete. Would it look awkward to build pavers around the existing concrete? If not, what type of pavers would we use.

I would love to send pictures and will do so when we the snow melts. We live about 45 minutes outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Any input is appreciated and thank you!!

Comments for Pavers and Concrete Patio Together

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Jun 17, 2018
 Addition to Concrete Patio Using Pavers
by: Sarah

So my family moved into an older home (it is rented) which has a side porch concrete slab with an overhang. I want to extend the existing concrete patio using pavers but am confused about the grading process. Our landlord is funding the process because it will be an improvement to the existing slab. Here is the problem.

My house doesn't have a "front door" or porch, it has a side door and porch. If you stand from the street/driveway looking West you will see my "front porch" on the right side of the the house. It is a concrete slab, with an overhang and faces north. At the end furthest from the road, on the left is the front door, which is not visible from the driveway and road. Then the part of the house that is the living room extends north from that porch about 10 feet. The concrete slab and that addition of the house form an L shape. When looking at the house, facing West you will see that the slab is properly sloped in the yard, going north. However in the corner which the slab and the house meet,water is collecting, effectively erroding the soil away and exposing brick foundation.

It is definitely not a poor installation issue as all the ground slopes properly away from the house; as you have to walk uphill to get to the house on all sides. It is just this ONE spot that is a problem. If you stand facing the porch and front door, looking south you will see that over 9" of the concrete slab is exposed along with whatever it was built on top of (looks like wood, idk,) on the side meeting the house in that corner, wheras at the other end, you see about 3 inches.

The patio made of pavers that I want to add would essentially fill in that 'L' shape. It would butt up against the house on the west side, and the concrete slab on the south side. It would extend 17 feet from the house to the edge of the concrete slab (going East and West.) And would extend 10 feet from the concrete slab to the edge of the house (North to South.)

My question is, how do I build this patio, as an extension to the current concrete slab, while properly grading away from that spot with the soil erosion.

I wish I could upload pictures to better explain, but I think I covered it pretty well.

ANSWER:
Hi Sarah,
You have explained you situation very well regarding your drainage issue and wanting to add pavers correctly. There must be something going on in that particular area. Whether the soil is extremely pours, there is a dip in that area or something else is hard to tell with out photos.

If you would go to my contact page, fill out the form and let me know your email address, I will respond to you with my direct email address. You can then send me some photos and I will take a look.

Regards,
Susan
Aug 01, 2011
 Adding Pavers To An Existing Concrete Patio
by: Susan

I receive many questions on both of the following patio issues.

1. Can I install concrete pavers over concrete?

2. Can I extend my existing patio with pavers?

Therefore, I have grouped all these questions and my answers together on my page Concrete Pavers

The above link will take you to the page. When you get there, look towards the right column and scroll down. There you will find all the Q&A.

Thanks!
Susan
Aug 01, 2011
 Put pavers on your slab
by: Porter Kauffman

Pavers must have a good foundation. A cement slab is not attractive. My patio has a cement foundation and then pavers were glued to the cement. Maintained this design for five years and then extended original patio to include an area for my grill. I used concrete bag mix for foundation. Suggest you glue pavers to existing slab and then extend to your desire as I did. Looks great and very secure.
Jul 02, 2011
 Adding pavers to existing concrete patio
by: Anonymous

I have the same problem in my back yard. Trying to add pavers to existing concrete patio. Is there any way you could share the information you have received. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

ANSWER

This question is often asked here. Take a look at this recent answer I gave. Perhaps you'll find it helpful. Concrete Patios and New Borders

Susan
Apr 18, 2011
 extending my concrete patio w/ pavers
by: Kim

The info given was very helpful to me. I to want to extend my patio without removing the concrete. I was not sure if using pavers would look attractive to the eye but we desperately need more space.
I am off to look for a paver that will compliment my home and the concrete.

Thanks for the insight.
Jan 19, 2009
 Concrete Patio and Pavers - Combining
by: Susan

Hi Tanya,
Thanks for your compliments about this site.

I think it would be fine to use pavers to extend your patio. Try to look for the tumbled pavers. All of the paver companies offer them. They are more rustic looking.

Choose a color that looks well with both your house material and the existing concrete. For example, if your house is tan, you could use a tan "blend", which has a more of a mixed color look, rather than it being a solid color.

I always like the look of the patterns that are made up of 3 or 4 different sizes.

You mentioned that you have a 6 inch drop off one side. You have a few options here.

1. Raise the grade to make that extended patio area level with the existing concrete.

2. Step down onto the new area. (This would not be my choice, since one step can be a tripping hazard.)

3. If you can remove 2 inches of soil, you could create 2 steps, each with a 4 inch riser.

4. Add the patio towards the other areas, and leave this lower area as plantings. You could raise the grade slightly or leave it alone.

If you have any further questions, you can always contact me by the Contact Form, or simply add another Comment to this page.

I hope this was helpful.

Regards,
Susan

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