Actaeon builds custom patios in concrete, pavers, brick, and natural stone for homes and businesses across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

A patio is a single slab or assembly of material on top of a foundation — and the foundation is where the real work happens. We build patios that still look level in ten years because we treat the base, drainage, and compaction as seriously as the surface finish.

What makes a patio last

The visible surface of a patio is a fraction of the work. What determines whether it lasts 5 years or 30 is underground. Excavation to the right depth. Removal of organic material that will decompose and cause settling. Base stone compacted in lifts. Proper edge restraint. Drainage routed so water moves through or around the patio, not underneath it.

Patios that fail early almost always fail for the same reasons: inadequate base depth, poor compaction, missing geotextile fabric, no edge restraint, and water pooling where it shouldn't be. Avoid all five and you have a patio that outlasts the rest of the landscape around it.

Materials we install

  • Concrete pavers. Engineered for freeze-thaw, endless profile options. Our most common residential choice.
  • Natural stone (flagstone, bluestone). Classic look, traditional materials, typically higher cost.
  • Poured concrete. Budget-efficient, especially for large areas. Controlled joint spacing keeps cracks manageable.
  • Stamped concrete. The look of stone or slate at concrete cost.
  • Brick. Traditional, best for historic districts and homes where the architecture calls for it.

Our construction process

  • Site prep and excavation. To depth appropriate for the material and use (pedestrian vs. vehicular).
  • Geotextile separation fabric. Between subgrade and base stone, to keep the layers from mixing over time.
  • Base stone in compacted lifts. Typically 6 inches minimum for pedestrian patios, compacted in 2-3 inch layers.
  • Setting sand bed. Screeded flat.
  • Paver or material placement. Cut on angles with professional saws, not hammered to fit.
  • Edge restraint. Every single paver patio — the reason many cheap installs fail.
  • Polymeric jointing sand. Swept in, activated with water, hardens to prevent ant infiltration and weed growth.
  • Final grade and restoration. Adjacent turf or beds restored, final cleanup.

Integrating the patio with drainage

Water management around a patio matters more than most clients expect. A 400-square-foot patio is an impervious surface that has to drain somewhere — and if that somewhere is the foundation wall 8 feet away, you've just built an expensive way to flood your basement. Every patio we install includes consideration of where its runoff goes. Sometimes that means a French drain at the patio edge. Sometimes it's just proper grading. Sometimes it's a tie-in to existing yard drainage.