Paver Patio Installation — Built on a Base for Minnesota Frost
A backyard paver patio that is still flat after the fifth winter: the base does that, and the base is where we spend the time.
JMB Builders is a paver patio installation contractor for the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. We excavate to a depth that suits Minnesota frost, compact class 5 in lifts, screed a bedding sand layer, set the pavers to a pattern, lock the edges with restraint spiked into the base, and sweep in polymeric sand. Priced per project after a site measure; pavers and pattern are your choice.
- Priced per project after a site measure
- Class 5 base compacted in lifts for frost
- Edge restraint and polymeric sand on every patio
- Utilities located before we dig
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A paver patio is a base with pavers on top. The pavers you see are the last hour of the job; the days before it are digging out the topsoil and clay, hauling it off, bringing in class 5 aggregate, compacting it in thin lifts with a plate compactor, and screeding a thin, even bed of coarse sand on top. In Minnesota the ground freezes deep and moves as it does, so the base goes deeper than the how-to videos from warmer states show, and it is compacted until it does not move.
Edges are the other place patios fail. Pavers with nothing holding the outside course creep outward, the joints open, and the edge sinks. We set a rigid edge restraint on the compacted base along every open edge and spike it through the base. Then polymeric sand is swept into the joints, compacted in, and wet so it sets; it keeps the pavers locked, keeps ants and weeds out of the joints, and does not wash away in a downpour.
Patios are one of the few jobs we do not quote from photos alone. Grade, drainage, where the downspouts land and what is under the sod all change the excavation, so we come out with a tape and a level, mark the patio out with you, and write the quote from that.
What you supply
- The paver style and color, picked at a supply yard or from our samples; we order and deliver them
- The rough size and shape you want; we mark it out on site with paint and adjust with you
- Access to the backyard for a skid loader or a wheelbarrow route, and somewhere to stage a pallet
- A decision on extras: a seat wall, steps off the door, a fire pit area or lighting
What JMB supplies
- A site visit to measure, check grade and drainage, and locate the utilities before we dig
- Excavation and haul-off of sod, topsoil and clay to the depth the patio needs
- Geotextile fabric where the soil calls for it, and class 5 aggregate compacted in lifts
- Screeded bedding sand, pavers set to the pattern, cuts made with a wet saw at the edges
- Rigid edge restraint spiked into the base on every open edge
- Polymeric sand swept in, compacted, and set with water
- Grade sloped away from the house so the patio sheds water
- Cleanup, sod repair at the edges, and photos of the finished patio in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage, and the shape: curves and a lot of cuts take longer than a rectangle
- Paver choice: a standard concrete paver vs. a large-format slab or a natural stone
- Excavation depth and what comes out; clay and old concrete cost more to dig and haul than sandy soil
- Access: a skid loader to the backyard, or everything wheeled through a gate by hand
- Grade: a sloped yard needs more excavation on one side and sometimes a small retaining edge
- Pattern and borders: a soldier-course border or a herringbone field means more cuts
- Add-ons: steps down from the door, a seat wall, a fire pit area, lighting conduit or a drain
- Removing an old concrete patio or deck first
Send a photo of the space from the house and one from the yard looking back, with a rough size in mind. We schedule the site measure from that, and the quote is written after the measure.
How long it takes
Most backyard patios: three to five working days from the first dig to the polymeric sand, weather allowing. Steps or seat walls add days. Pavers are ordered after the measure and usually arrive within a couple of weeks.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Rectangular backyard patio
The most common build: a rectangle off the back door or sliding patio door in a standard concrete paver, with a soldier-course border. The fewest cuts and the fastest to build.
Large-format slabs
Big rectangular slabs with tight joints for a clean, modern look. Heavier to set and the base has to be very flat, but the field goes down fast and the surface is easy to keep.
Patio with steps to the door
When the door sits above the yard, a set of block or paver steps built on the same base brings the patio up to the threshold instead of leaving a drop.
Patio with seat wall
A low block wall along one or two edges that doubles as seating and holds the grade on a sloped yard. Capped in a matching cap unit.
Replace a cracked concrete patio
The old slab is broken out and hauled, the base rebuilt, and pavers laid in its place. Pavers can be lifted and reset if the ground ever moves; a poured slab cracks.
Paver Patio Installation — Built on a Base for Minnesota Frost: questions, answered
How deep does the base need to be for a paver patio in Minnesota?
Deeper than the do-it-yourself guides from warmer states show. Minnesota frost goes deep and the ground heaves as it freezes, so the excavation takes out the topsoil and enough clay to get to a depth that suits our winters, then compacted class 5 fills it back in thin lifts. The exact depth depends on the soil under your yard, which is one reason we measure on site. Skimping on the base is the cause of nearly every wavy patio we get called to fix.
Do you need to come out before quoting a paver patio?
Yes. Patios are one of the few jobs we do not quote from photos alone. The grade of the yard, where the downspouts and the sump discharge land, how a skid loader gets to the backyard and what is under the sod all change the excavation and the price. We come out with a tape and a level, paint the outline with you, and write the quote from that within a business day.
What is polymeric sand and do I need it?
Polymeric sand is joint sand mixed with a binder. It is swept into the paver joints, compacted in, and wet, and it sets up firm. It locks the pavers together, keeps weeds and ants out of the joints and does not wash out in a heavy rain the way plain sand does. Every patio we build gets it. It may need topping up after several winters, which is a quick job.
Pavers or a poured concrete patio in Minnesota?
Concrete is cheaper to pour and it cracks; frost gets under it eventually and the crack is there for good. Pavers cost more up front, but the base is built to move with the ground, and if a section ever settles the pavers come up, the base gets fixed and they go back down. Pavers also handle salt and freeze-thaw better than a broom-finished slab. For a patio that will be in the ground for decades, pavers are the better spend.
Can you build a paver patio on a sloped yard?
Yes. A gentle slope is handled in the excavation: more comes out on the high side, and the patio is set with a slight fall away from the house to shed water. A steeper yard needs a low retaining edge or a seat wall on the low side to hold the base, and sometimes a step down from the door. The site measure tells us which one you have.
Do you locate utilities before digging a patio?
Yes. Gas, electric, cable and irrigation lines run through most backyards, and the locate is called in before the first shovel. Private lines, such as the run to a garage, a well or a sprinkler system, are not marked by the locate service, so we ask you about those at the site measure and hand-dig near them.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Paver Walkway Installation — Front Walks and Paths
A cracked, heaved front walk is the first thing a visitor steps on. A paver walk on a proper base stays flat, sheds water, and can be reset if the ground ever moves.
Read moreFire Pit Patio — Backyard Fire Pit Built with Pavers
A place in the yard to sit around a fire on a fall night, with pavers under the chairs instead of mud, and a pit that is built to take the heat.
Read moreRetaining Wall Installation — Block Walls Built and Repaired
A slope that will not hold, a bed that spills onto the driveway, or a block wall that is leaning out after ten winters — built or rebuilt on a base with drainage behind it.
Read morePaver Repair — Relevel Sunken Pavers and Reset a Patio
Pavers are the one patio you can fix instead of replace. A sunken corner, a heaved walk or a whole wavy patio comes up, gets a new base, and goes back down flat.
Read moreSliding Patio Door Installation, Labor Only — You Buy the Door
A new slider sitting in the garage and an old one that drags and leaks. We set it in a pan, square it, and make sure the screen and lock work before we pack up.
Read moreBlock Steps Installation — Paver and Retaining Wall Block Stairs
Timber steps rotting into the hill, a front walk that ends in a scramble up the grade, or a retaining wall you need to get through — steps built in block that stay level and even.
Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
Where we work
Pavers near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: