Sorry to see you go!

One local paver installer gets your details — one, not five. They usually call the same day to hear what you want put in, then come out, measure the area and leave you with a written price. It costs nothing and you are not committing to anything.

Most concrete paver jobs run roughly $15 to $35 per square foot installed. Natural stone and travertine cost more. A typical patio lands anywhere from several thousand dollars up to about $15,000, and driveways run higher because they are bigger and need a deeper base.

Size and material move the number most, then the pattern, how much digging and base prep the ground needs, and how easy it is to get equipment into the yard. Ask your installer to price it in a standard paver and a premium one and pick.

Most patios are two to five days, start to finish. A large driveway, a pool deck or a job with steps and retaining walls can take longer, and rain can push a day. Your installer gives you the schedule before anyone starts.

Poured concrete is usually cheaper up front, but a slab cracks — almost all of them do in time — and a crack cannot really be hidden or fixed without tearing out a section. Pavers are separate pieces with joints between them, so the ground can move a little without anything cracking. If one gets stained or settles, it is lifted and replaced on its own and the rest stays put.

Almost always because of the base. Pavers sit on a layer of crushed gravel that has to be dug deep enough and compacted in layers. Skip the digging, skimp on the gravel or compact it all at once, and the low spots show up after the first wet winter. Ask how deep they dig and how they compact — a good installer will tell you without hesitating.

A patio in the backyard often needs no permit, but driveways, anything touching the street or sidewalk, and some pool decks usually do — it depends on your town. If you have an HOA, get their sign-off before work is scheduled. Your installer knows the local rules and normally pulls any permit as part of the job.

A small walkway, with a free week and a strong back, is doable. The reason people stop after one is the part underneath: digging out several inches of soil, hauling and compacting tons of gravel, getting the slope right and cutting the edges clean. That is most of the work, and it is what decides whether it stays flat.

There will be equipment and a pile of gravel for a few days, and the grass right at the edge of the work gets disturbed. A good crew lays boards where the machines drive, keeps the mess to the work area and hauls away the soil they dig out. Ask how they protect the lawn and how they get in before they start.

Concrete pavers commonly last 25 to 50 years, and natural stone longer, as long as the base was built right. Topping up the joint sand now and then and resetting the odd paver that settles is most of the upkeep.

Sealing is optional. It makes them easier to clean, holds the joint sand in place and can deepen the color. Most people who seal do it a few months after installation and then every three to five years.

Yes. They measure the area, check the ground, the slope and how equipment gets in, talk through paver styles and patterns and put a price in writing. No charge, and no obligation to go ahead with it.

Pick a standard concrete paver and a simple pattern — curves and intricate layouts mean more cutting. Keep the shape simple and the size to what you will actually use. Ask which months are quiet for them, get more than one price, and ask whether they finance.

One. You are matched with a single paver installer who covers your area. We do not sell your details on to everyone in the county — that is the part most people are dreading, and it is the part we do not do.