How Do You Build An Elegant Brick Patio Without Brick-Cutting?

A simple design plan to make laying brick patios easy for do-it-yourselfers. This brick patio design is easy to build yet elegant, laying the bricks in a striking pattern that requires no cutting!Difficulty: AverageTime Required: 2 days for a small patioHere's How: • Measure out the desired area. Rectangular design plans are easier to execute than curved designs. To ensure that you have a perfect rectangle, measure the 2 diagonals: they should be of equal length. • Dig out the area, to a depth of 8". With a level, check that your excavation’s floor slopes (1/4" per running foot) away from the house for drainage, so water will run away from the house and patio. • Do a test run by laying your brick pattern, to check your measurements. This way, if your initial measurement was off, you can correct it now. There should be about 2" extra all along the perimeter. • This extra 2" along the perimeter is for the insertion of brick edging (the bricks are about 2" thick). Stand the bricks on ...  more