New patios
Brick patios
Brick suits Richmond houses. It ties in with brick homes, garden walls and steps, and it can be laid in classic patterns like herringbone, basketweave or running bond. We help you choose a brick color and pattern that works with your house, whether it's a Fan rowhouse, a Colonial Revival in Windsor Farms, or a newer home in Henrico or Chesterfield.
Flagstone and bluestone patios
Flagstone and bluestone give a more natural look and work well in shady gardens and around older homes. Stone can be cut into regular rectangles for a formal look or laid in irregular shapes for something more relaxed.
Patio features
We can add low seat walls, brick borders, steps down to the lawn, and outdoor fireplaces to make the space more usable.
Walkways
Front walkways get the most attention because they lead visitors to your door. We build brick and flagstone walkways from the sidewalk or driveway to the front steps, side paths to the back garden, and paths that connect a patio to the house. On narrow city lots in the Fan, Museum District and Oregon Hill, a well-laid brick or stone path can make a small side yard or back courtyard much more useful.
Brick Driveway Edging
A brick edge finishes a driveway the way a curb finishes a street. It holds gravel, asphalt or pavers in place, keeps the edge from crumbling into the lawn, and ties the drive in with brick steps, walks and the house itself.
We set driveway edging the old way: a trench dug to firm ground, a solid footing that can carry a car tire riding over it, and brick set tight in a soldier or sailor course, standing on end or on edge, so it won't roll or creep. We use solid, hard-fired paving brick, made for being walked and driven on, so it stands up to tires, salt and frost. Where the edging meets old brick piers, walls or steps, we match the brick and point those joints in lime mortar so the old work isn't harmed.
Good edging also gives water somewhere to go, so we set the level to carry rain off the drive, not into the house or under the brick.
What makes a patio last
Most of the sunken and uneven patios we see failed below the surface, not at it. We build with that in mind:
- Excavation and base. The soil is dug out to the right depth and replaced with compacted gravel base, put down in layers.
- Drainage. Every patio needs a gentle slope away from the house so water runs off rather than pooling or soaking toward the foundation.
- Edging. Brick and stone need firm edges so the pattern can't creep outward.
- The right setting method. Depending on the design, brick and stone can be laid on a sand bed or set in mortar on a concrete slab. Each has pros and cons, and we'll explain which suits your yard.
Central Virginia's clay soil holds water and moves with the seasons, so a solid, well-drained base matters even more here.
Old Brick Walkways, Lime Mortar and Laying It the Old Way
Many of the brick walks in the Fan, Church Hill and Bellevue were laid a century ago, some dry on sand and some in soft lime mortar. Both ways work when the base is right. On a mortared walk, the joints should be softer than the brick so water and frost work on the mortar, not the brick faces. When an old walk is "repaired" in hard gray cement, the bricks around it start to crack and flake, because the water has nowhere to go but through them.
When we fix an old walkway we lift the sunken brick, rebuild the base, save every sound original brick we can, and either relay it tight on sand or repoint in a lime mortar matched to the old joints. Sand-laid brick also lets rain soak away and can be lifted and relaid for generations. For new walks and patios we pick the method that suits your yard and the house and explain why.
Patio and walkway repairs
You don't always need a new patio. Common repairs include:
- Lifting and resetting sunken or heaved brick and pavers
- Replacing cracked or broken flagstone
- Repointing loose mortar joints on mortared patios and walkways
- Fixing low spots where water pools
- Resetting brick lifted by tree roots, which is common on older streets with mature trees like those in Ginter Park, Bellevue and Forest Hill
On older brick walkways, we reuse the original brick wherever we can so the repair blends in.
Our process
- Site visit. We look at the space, how water drains, and what you'd like to use it for.
- Written estimate. Size, materials, pattern and scope of work in writing.
- Build. Excavation, base, edging, laying and finishing.
- Walk-through. We go over the finished job with you before we leave.
Areas we serve
Patios and walkways across Richmond, including the Fan, Museum District, Church Hill, Windsor Farms, Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Bellevue, Ginter Park and Manchester, and throughout Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover. Related services: brick steps and retaining walls.
Why Heritage Masonry & Brick
Licensed and insured in Virginia, with a 5-year guarantee on labor and materials. Free estimates, open 7 days, 8am to 6pm.
Patio and walkway FAQ
Brick or flagstone, which is better?
Both last a long time when the base is built right. Brick suits brick homes and formal patterns. Flagstone and bluestone give a more natural look. We'll help you choose based on your house and how you use the space.
Why has my old brick patio sunk?
Usually a thin or poorly compacted base, poor drainage, or tree roots. Resetting the brick on a proper base often fixes it without new brick.
Can you match the brick on my existing walkway?
We reuse the original brick where possible and find matching brick for any that are too damaged.
Can a new patio connect to my steps?
Yes. We often build or repair steps and a patio together so they match.
Related services
Build the base right and lay the brick right, and a walk will outlast the people who walk it. If you want the job done right the first time, look no further. We'd rather do it once, the old way, than come back in a few years to fix somebody's shortcut. The National Park Service's guidance on repointing historic masonry (Preservation Brief 2) says a well-done repointing job should last at least 30 years, and preferably 50 to 100. Historic England warns that hard, cement-rich mortar on old brick traps moisture and speeds up the decay of the brick around it. So we choose our lime mortar to suit the wall, fill the joints properly and let them cure slowly. Work built to last decades.
Request a free estimate
Planning a new patio, or need an old walkway fixed? Call Thomas and the family at (804) 324-6304 or send us a message on our contact page for a free estimate. We come out, look at the work, explain what's causing the problem and give you a written estimate. Open 7 days a week, 8am to 6pm. Licensed and insured in Virginia, with a 5-year guarantee on labor and materials.
Request a free estimate · Call (804) 324-6304
