FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do you build flagstone patios and walkways?

We dig out the ground where necessary - fill low areas with crush & run ( tamped down ) - place form boards on the edges - pour a 2 inch concrete pad - cover the pad with 2 inches of flagstone and mortar. We are careful to create a slope (at least 1 inch drop for every 8 feet ) away from the house. In Atlanta, the freeze depth does not reach lower than 2 inches.

How do you build steps?

We usually make them the same as we do walkways, except that we add concrete blocks at each step. The risers and sides look better in fieldstone instead of flagstone. Somtimes, we just use stone slabs or boulders.

What is a retaining wall?

In our line of work it is a wall that must be designed for the water pressure that builds-up in the dirt behind the wall. Usually a wall on the side of a hill.

What kind of walls are usually not retaining walls?

Planter walls / walls for raised beds, garden walls, concrete block walls on houses, and all other walls when it is obvious that a lot of water is not going to build up behind the wall.

How do you build retaining walls?

When they are to be under 1 and 1/2 feet high they do not require special construction procedures.
When they are to be 1 and 1/2 to 4 feet high we build them with a proper footer and concrete blocks (filled with rebar and covered with stone). Gravel and drain pipe is installed behind the walls. Boulders are sometime a cheeper solution.
If they would be over 4 feet high we cut out the hill and build you a series of retaining walls (block or boulders) each under 4 foot high and spaced a few feet apart. This is called terracing and does not require an engineer.
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Why did my front porch crack and sink and separate from the house?

We have replaced many porches. Our previous customers will tell you about it. We usually had to dig out a lot of trash before we rebuilt them. This was usually trash pieces of building material and things like beer cans. Sometimes there were big hollow spaces where the fill dirt had settled. It had not been packed down. It is funny to note that many times the concrete slab that was put over this mess was over 5 inches thick and filled with rebar. Of course 2 inches of concrete and no rebar would have been more than enough had the base been properly filled and compacted. For each job, we filled the space with material like gravel, concrete blocks, crush & run or packed dirt. We then covered it with a small amout of concrete and 2 inches of flagstone and mortar.

Why did my walkway ( or driveway ) crack?

Probably, the fill dirt or crush & run under the surface was not properly tamped down before the surface was installed. Unless there are trash trees under there, the dirt has probably settled by now. When your yard was graded, dirt was cut from one area and used as fill in another area. Unfortunatly, your walkway or driveway was probably built on the fill area.

What experience do you have in carpentry and softscapes?

We have five years experience in building tie walls, decks and fences ; installing sod, trees and shrubs. We have 10 years experience with stone.

What construction jobs do you have just a little experience in and are willing to bid?

Basement remodeling & home theater installation & sun rooms.

� � Call Steve (678) 923-4587 steve@stone-patios.com