Hardscape Installation
Hardscape Installation in Winter Park & Central Florida
Hardscape failures in Central Florida are almost always base failures. Sandy soil settles, drainage moves the substrate around, and a paver patio installed on an inadequate base will rock and tilt within three years. The pavers themselves are the easy part — sourcing them takes a phone call. The four inches of compacted base under them is what separates a patio that lasts ten years from one that needs to be relaid after five.
Our hardscape work is mostly paver patios, walkways, driveways, and retaining walls. We do travertine, concrete paver, and natural stone. Standard base depth on patios runs 4–6 inches of compacted limerock with a 1-inch sand setting bed. Joints get polymeric sand, which locks the pavers in place and resists weed growth and washout.
We don't subcontract hardscape work to a separate crew. The team that ran your landscape install also runs the patio install. That matters when the two pieces have to fit together — bed lines that hit a patio edge, irrigation that has to be re-routed under a walkway, slope that has to drain water away from the foundation.
What's included
Every hardscape installation job, the full scope.
- Site marking and elevation review (we check slope away from foundation)
- Excavation to design depth (typically 6–10" for patios)
- Geotextile fabric over native soil to prevent migration
- Compacted limerock base in 2" lifts — proper compaction at each lift
- 1" sand setting bed, screeded level
- Paver, travertine, or natural stone install (your choice of material)
- Polymeric sand joints — locks pavers, resists weed growth and washout
- Edge restraint (snap-down or concrete haunch)
- Final sweep and water-in of polymeric sand
- Drainage tie-in: French drain or surface drain if grading requires
- Full cleanup — no spoils or pallets left on site
- Manufacturer's structural warranty on materials + our workmanship warranty
How it works
Our process for hardscape installation.
- 1
Site walk and material selection
We walk the area, look at slope and drainage, and pull material samples. Travertine vs. paver vs. natural stone gets decided here. Patio shape and size get sketched.
- 2
Design and quote
We send a quote with material, square footage, base depth, and timeline. Larger projects get a sketched layout or 3D rendering.
- 3
Permits if required
Most residential patios don't require a permit, but some HOAs and larger projects do. If it's required, we pull it.
- 4
Excavation and base
Day one and two: excavate, lay geotextile, build the compacted base. This is the part nobody can see once we're done. It's also the part that matters most.
- 5
Install
Pavers go in. Pattern, cuts at edges, polymeric sand in joints. Edge restraint locked. Final sweep and a controlled water-in to activate the polymeric.
- 6
Walk-through
We walk the finished patio with you and put the warranty on file. Polymeric sand needs 24 hours dry to fully cure before heavy use.
Why Firsthand
What separates our hardscape installation from the rest.
Base depth nobody else quotes.
Our standard patio base is 4–6 inches of compacted limerock. The cheapest quotes you'll get from competitors are usually skimping here — 2 inches uncompacted. You won't see the difference at install. You'll see it in three years.
Polymeric sand, not regular sand.
Regular silica sand washes out of paver joints in our rainy season. Polymeric sand sets up with water, locks pavers in place, and resists weed growth. Worth the upcharge.
Drainage planned into the design.
Sandy soil drains fast, but a patio is impervious — water has to go somewhere. We plan slope and drainage before we excavate, not after we notice puddling.
Tied into your landscape.
Bed lines, irrigation, lighting, and patio edges all have to land cleanly together. Because we run hardscape and landscape together, the seams come out clean.
FAQ
Questions we hear a lot.
Hardscape Installation where we work.
We run hardscape installation projects across Central Florida. Pick your area for local specifics.
Related services.
Landscape Design & Installation
Custom landscape design and installation for Central Florida homes. Plant palettes, hardscape, lighting, and irrigation — designed and installed by the same team in Winter Park, Windermere, and Bay Hill.
Learn moreIrrigation
Irrigation install, repair, and zone audits in Winter Park, Windermere, and Orlando. Smart controllers, broken-head fixes, leaky valves. Most upgrades pay back in a billing cycle.
Learn moreLawn Maintenance
Weekly or biweekly lawn maintenance for Winter Park, Windermere, Bay Hill, College Park, and Orlando. Cut at the right height for St. Augustine and Zoysia. Same crew, same day.
Learn moreReady to talk about hardscape installation?
Tell us about the property. We'll come out, walk it with you, and write up an honest estimate — usually within two business days.