Townhome Paver Patio — HOA Approval, Board Drawing, Tight Access
A small paver patio off the back slider of a townhome, drawn up so the board can say yes, and built with everything carried in by hand because there is no gate for a machine.
A townhome paver patio is a small patio or walk behind or beside a townhouse, built inside the association's rules: we draw the patio with dimensions, materials and drainage for the HOA board, you submit it with their form, and once the approval letter is back we build it on a compacted class 5 base, carrying materials through the limited access a townhome usually has. JMB Builders does this across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per project.
- Priced per project, quoted from photos and the plat
- A drawing and spec written for the HOA board's review
- Built after the approval letter, inside the HOA's limits
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
A townhome patio has two jobs before the first shovel: the association and the access. Most HOAs own or control the ground outside the unit, and they want a drawing before they approve anything in it: where the patio goes, how big, what paver, how it drains, and that it does not touch the neighbor's side or the common lawn. We write that up for you. Then there is getting there: no gate wide enough for a skid loader, a shared lawn you cannot drive on, and a neighbor's patio a few feet away. The base material, the pavers and the spoil all move by wheelbarrow, and the job is planned around that.
The patio itself is a normal paver build at a smaller size: excavation to firm ground, class 5 compacted in lifts, screeded sand, pavers set with edge restraint and polymeric sand, pitched away from the unit. What is different is the detail work at the edges. The patio stops at the line the association drew, it is set a hair below the siding so it does not trap water against the unit, and the sod along the common lawn is put back so the groundskeeper has nothing to say. A front walk at the entry door is the same job with more cuts.
We have the same answer for every board question: a scaled sketch with dimensions, the paver name and color, the base build, where the water goes, and a line about restoring the lawn. Boards approve what they can understand. If the association has an approved paver list or a rule on size or color, we build to it.
What you supply
- The HOA's architectural request form and any rules on patios, pavers, size or color they publish
- A copy of your plat or the association's drawing showing your unit's limited common area
- The paver style and color, picked from the association's list if there is one; we order and deliver them
- Submission of the drawing to the board, and the approval letter back to us before we schedule
What JMB supplies
- A scaled sketch with dimensions, materials, base build, drainage and lawn restoration, written for the board
- Any changes the board asks for, redrawn and resubmitted through you
- Excavation by hand or a small machine where there is a path, and spoil carried out
- Class 5 compacted in lifts, screeded sand, pavers set and cut tight to the unit
- Rigid edge restraint, polymeric sand, and the patio pitched away from the unit
- The patio kept inside the approved line, with sod along the common lawn put back
- A plywood path over the shared lawn for the wheelbarrows, and the lawn left as we found it
- Photos of the finished patio in your job folder, and a copy for the board if they ask
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage inside the line the association allows
- Access: how far every wheelbarrow of base and spoil travels from the street
- The paver, from the association's list or your choice
- A front walk at the entry door, which is mostly cuts
- Grade behind the unit and whether a low edge is needed on the low side
- A step at the slider if the threshold sits above the patio height
- Removing an existing concrete pad or a rotted deck first
Send a photo from the slider looking out, one from the lawn looking back, and the HOA form. We can quote from those and the plat, and the drawing for the board comes with the quote.
How long it takes
The drawing goes out with the quote; board approval runs on the association's schedule, often a few weeks. The build: two to three days for a patio, one to two for a front walk, with everything carried in.
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 reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 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
Patio off the back slider
A rectangle off the patio door inside the unit's limited common area, in a paver from the association's list, with a step at the threshold if the slider sits high. The usual townhome patio.
Front walk at the entry door
The concrete walk or the worn path from the driveway or the shared sidewalk to the front door, replaced in pavers with a landing at the stoop, inside the line the board allows.
Patio replacing a rotted deck
A small wood deck off the slider comes out and a paver patio goes in at a height that keeps the step out of the door even, with the deck footings pulled or cut below grade.
End-unit patio with a privacy screen
On an end unit with more room, a patio wrapped partly around the corner with a short privacy screen on the neighbor's side, drawn for the board as one request.
Townhome Paver Patio — HOA Approval, Board Drawing, Tight Access: questions, answered
Do I need HOA approval to put in a paver patio at my townhome?
Almost always. The ground outside a townhome is usually common area or limited common area controlled by the association, and their rules require an architectural request before anything is built on it. The board wants to see where, how big, what material and how it drains. We draw that up for you; you submit it on their form, and we schedule the build once the approval letter is back.
What does the HOA board need in the drawing?
A scaled sketch with the patio's dimensions and its distance from the unit, the neighbor's side and the common lawn; the paver name and color; a note on the base and how the patio drains away from the unit; and a line about restoring the lawn. Boards approve what they can understand, and a clear one-page drawing gets fewer questions back. If they ask for a change, we redraw it.
How do you get the materials to the back of a townhome?
By wheelbarrow, through whatever path there is. There is rarely a gate wide enough for a skid loader, and driving on the shared lawn is not allowed, so base material, pavers and the dirt coming out are all carried. We lay a plywood path over the lawn to protect it and leave it as we found it. The carry is a real part of the price and we tell you so up front.
Can I use a paver that is not on the association's approved list?
Only if the board says yes. Some associations publish a short list of pavers and colors so the units match; others just want to see what you picked. If there is a list, we build from it. If you want something off the list, the request goes to the board with a sample, and we build what they approve.
Will the patio cause a problem with the neighbor's side?
Not if it stops at the line. The patio stays inside the limited common area the plat shows for your unit, with edge restraint at that line and the sod put back along it. It is pitched to drain into your side of the lawn, not toward the shared wall or the neighbor's patio. That drainage line on the drawing is usually the one the board cares about most.
Can you replace the small deck off my townhome slider with pavers?
Yes, if the association allows a patio there, and most prefer it to a deck. The deck comes out, its footings are pulled or cut below grade, and the paver patio is built at a height that keeps the step out of the slider even, usually with one solid step unit. The change goes to the board on the same drawing as the patio.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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