Brick patio

[Trellis]

My DH and I are considering building a brick patio ourselves. We have access to a Bobcat through DH's work and can clear the area ourselves. We also have lots of brick left over from a renovation to our house a few years ago. Has anyone done this type of work themselves? What I am thinking is really a concrete pad with the bricks turned on their sides (so the holes don't show) in kind of a pattern but not in straight lines. We are not brick masons and appreciate the craftsmanship but don't want to pay big bucks for this small project.

[Lisa S]

Laying a brick patio is about the easiest thing in the world! Our former house was new construction with the standard small concrete pad out back. I was given some brick from a construction site and used them to make a large border around the concrete pad. The most difficult part of the job was to make sure that the ground was level. I went online to find a pattern that I wanted to copy. After laying the bricks, I filled the spaces with sand, (like grout and tile). Then I lightly sprayed the bricks with water, swept the excess sand with a broom and then refilled the cracks with more sand. Repeat this process two or three times until you have a sturdy patio.