A good patio does not start with the flagstone. It starts a long way below it.
This client had real plans for their back garden: a flagstone patio with a pergola over it. They were ready to tackle the flagstone themselves, which we were entirely happy with. Our job was making sure everything underneath was right before they started.
On our end that meant base gravel compacted and levelled across the patio area, retaining walls built from tumbled bluestone wallstone to hold the grade and define the space, and footings dug and set for the pergola posts. Every one of those has to be correct or the whole thing becomes a problem later.
The tumbled bluestone gives that worn-in look that pairs well with flagstone. It is not a material that fights for attention, it simply fits. Because it is tumbled, the edges are softened and the finish settles into the landscape.
Getting the pergola footings level was the focus on this one. A pergola even slightly out can cause problems with the structure over time, so we took the time measuring and setting them properly. It is one of those details that is not glamorous and matters a great deal.
Base preparation, stonework, levelled footings. Sometimes the best thing we can do is set somebody up to finish the job themselves with confidence. That was the aim here.
