How we build a patio that stays level
Winnipeg sits on Red River clay. It holds water, and it moves when it freezes. Frost goes down close to four feet here, and spring melt saturates everything before it drains. A patio built the way you’d build one in a milder city will heave and settle on us inside a few seasons.
Here’s what we actually do.
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Excavate 8 to 12 inches below finished grade.
Sod, topsoil, and a good depth of clay come out and get hauled away. It's more digging than most people expect, and it's the main reason patio quotes vary so much.
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Lay geotextile fabric over the clay.
Skip this and the clay slowly works its way up into the gravel. After enough years the base stops behaving like a base.
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Bring in 3/4 down limestone and compact it in 4 inch lifts.
Compacting the full depth in one pass looks identical when we're done, but the lower gravel never locks up properly.
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Screed 1 inch of bedding sand.
Then we lay your pavers and cut them to fit the shape.
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Set and spike edge restraint around the perimeter.
Without it the outside row creeps outward a little every year and the joints open up.
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Sweep in polymeric sand and wet it down.
It hardens in the joints, locks the pavers together, and keeps weeds out.
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Grade at about 2% away from the house.
Rain and meltwater need somewhere to go, and it shouldn't be your basement.
- Building since
- 2014
- Rated on Google
- 5.0
- Working across
- Winnipeg and southern Manitoba
Materials we install
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Paving stone and interlocking brick
What we install most. Barkman, Belgard, and Techo-Bloc all make product engineered for our freeze-thaw. Individual stones can be lifted and reset if you ever need a repair.
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Large-format slabs
Cleaner, more modern look with fewer joints. Costs a bit more per square foot and needs a very flat base.
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Natural stone
Flagstone and limestone. Every piece is different, which is the appeal, and it's the priciest option because of the hand fitting.
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Porcelain pavers
Sharp modern finish, stain resistant, and holds colour. Newer here and worth a conversation if you like the look.
Patios We’ve Built in Winnipeg
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Questions to ask any patio installer in Winnipeg
If you can, try to get a few quotes. The trouble is the quotes won’t be comparable on their own, so here’s what to ask each patio contractor.
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How deep are you excavating, and how deep is the compacted base?
You want a number in inches. Anything under 8 inches on Winnipeg clay is worth asking about.
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Are you putting fabric down over the clay?
Some crews do, some don't. It's cheap and it matters here.
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Whose crew is on my property?
Some companies sell the job and subcontract the build. This is fine if you know about it up front.
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What does the workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?
Settling and shifting are the things that go wrong. Ask whether those are actually covered or whether it's only the pavers themselves.
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If it settles in year three, who fixes it and what does it cost me?
Get the answer before you sign, not after.
Timeline and booking
Our build season runs from roughly May to October, and the calendar fills through the winter. Most patio construction takes 2 to 5 working days once we start. Bigger jobs with steps or a wall run 1 to 2 weeks.
Spring bookings shift with the melt. If the ground is still saturated we'll push you back rather than dig in mud and build on a base that won't compact.
If you're thinking about next summer, reach out over the winter. That's when we do most of our planning and you'll have your pick of dates.
Common questions
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How much does a patio cost per square foot in Winnipeg?
Most of our work runs $10 to $50 per square foot installed. The spread depends more on excavation depth and machine access than on which paver you pick. A backyard we can't get a loader into costs more because the digging happens by hand.
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Are pavers better than poured concrete here?
For most Winnipeg yards, yes. Concrete cracks when the clay moves under it, and a cracked slab means replacing the section. Pavers have joints, so they move a little without breaking, and any damaged stone gets lifted and swapped.
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Why is my patio sinking?
Almost always the base. Either it wasn't deep enough, it wasn't compacted in layers, or there was no fabric between the gravel and the clay. Sometimes water is running toward the patio instead of away from it. We can usually lift, rebuild the base, and reset your existing pavers for less than a full replacement.
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Does a paver patio need sealing?
No. Sealer is optional and mostly cosmetic, and it needs redoing every few years. If you like the wet look it's worth it. If you're hoping it'll stop settling or heaving, it won't, and we'd rather you put the money into the base.
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What maintenance does it need?
Sweep it, pull the odd weed from the joints, and top up polymeric sand every 3 to 5 years. That's it.
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Do I need a permit for a patio in Winnipeg?
A ground-level patio usually doesn't. Anything raised, or a retaining wall over 4 feet, can. We'll tell you during the quote if your project needs one and we'll handle it.
What Winnipeg Homeowners Say
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Great experience working with Jordan and Heavyscape. They landscaped both my front and back yards, installed pavers, built a fence, and constructed new stairs and a landing. Throughout the project they were flexible and thorough, approachable and easy to work with. Communication was excellent, the price was fair, and great quality of the work. Highly recommended.
mupayet
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Great experience with Jordan and his team. Communication was good and work on project was professional. Highly recommended. Would work with again.
Paul Laporte
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Great job! Good experience with planning, Jordan made improvements to our plan and the function is even better than we thought. Crew was friendly, organized and fast. Very happy with the experience and quality of the work.
CJ T