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How we build · Ocean County, NJ

The part you
never see.

Your patio is only as good as what's under it. Here is every layer of ours — and why not one of them is dirt.

Get an estimateCall 848-420-8285
Cross-section of an Ocean County Hardscapes paver patioBuilt from the bottom up: compacted subsoil, stabilizer fabric, six to eight inches of three-quarter inch clean blue stone, one inch of three-eighths inch clean blue stone, then the pavers with polymeric sand joints. A four thousand PSI concrete edge with rebar locks the perimeter. No dirt, sand or stone dust anywhere in it, so water drains straight through instead of freezing and lifting the patio.NO DIRT. NO SAND. NO DUST.concreterebar123456
  1. 1
    Compacted subsoil

    The ground gets packed down hard and flat first. Nothing gets built on soft dirt.

  2. 2
    Stabilizer fabric

    A tough sheet that keeps the dirt below from ever mixing up into the stone above.

  3. 3
    3/4" clean blue stone

    Six to eight inches of big, sharp stone. Sharp stone locks together. Water runs right through it.

  4. 4
    3/8" clean blue stone

    One inch of smaller stone, screeded perfectly flat. This is the bed your pavers sit on.

  5. 5
    Your pavers

    Cambridge or Techo-Bloc, laid tight, then locked in place.

  6. 6
    Poly sand + concrete edge

    Polymeric sand fills the joints. A 4,000 PSI concrete edge with rebar holds the whole patio in.

Why it matters here

The Jersey Shore freezes and thaws dozens of times a winter. That is what breaks patios — not the pavers.

Dirt base versus clean stone base in a freeze-thaw winterA base built with dirt or sand holds water. When it freezes it expands and pushes the pavers up, leaving a crooked patio. A clean stone base has open space between the stones, so water drains straight through and there is nothing to freeze and lift.Dirt or sand basewater trappedIce lifts it. Patio goes crooked.Our clean stone baseWater leaves. Patio stays flat.

Two questions to ask any contractor

Their answers tell you what you're really buying.

1“What goes in the base?”

If you hear dirt, sand, stone dust or quarry process — that base holds water.

2“How is the edge held?”

Plastic spikes move in sandy soil. Concrete with rebar does not.

Want it built this way?

Site visit first, then an itemized written estimate within 48 hours.

Get an estimateText us

Common questions

Why don't you use dirt or sand in the base?
Because dirt, sand and stone dust hold water like a sponge. At the Jersey Shore we go through dozens of freeze-thaw cycles every winter — that trapped water freezes, expands, and pushes the pavers up. Clean stone has open space between every piece, so the water drains straight down and out. There is nothing left to freeze and lift.
What is an open-graded base?
It is a base built entirely from washed stone with no fine particles in it — ASTM #57 three-quarter inch stone for the base and ASTM #8 three-eighths inch stone for the bedding layer. It is the method the paver manufacturers recommend for freeze-thaw climates, and it is what we build on every job.
Why a concrete edge instead of plastic edging?
Plastic edging is held down by spikes driven into the ground, and in sandy coastal soil those spikes move. We pour a 4,000 PSI concrete haunch with rebar running through it around the perimeter. The edge is what holds every paver in the field tight — if the edge moves, the whole patio spreads.
Does this cost more than a standard base?
The materials cost a little more than dirt-based fill. The install is often faster, because clean stone arrives roughly ninety-five percent compacted. What it really buys you is that you are not paying someone to relay a heaved patio in five years.
How do I know a contractor is doing this?
Ask two questions: what exactly is going in the base, and how is the edge restrained. If the answer includes stone dust, sand, or "quarry process," the base holds water. If the edge is plastic spikes, the field will spread. Those two answers tell you almost everything.
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