I'm not sure what Goshen stone is, but I have a similar situation--a postage-stamp sized concrete patio, which I expanded with a gravel patio. The far edge of the gravel is edged in limestone, which I think connects it to the concrete at the house-edge. Plus, I've used periodic container plantings to help blur the edges, so to speak. It's not perfect, but was definitely easier than trying to rip out the concrete or expand it by laying another slab. Email me if you'd like me to send you a picture.

4 inchs is what i used.

Thank you all for your quick responses! Yardvaark, In my mind's eye (inspired by a blog in which someone installed a gravel patio) I saw myself using plastic edging in the trench and putting the pavers on top of that with sand in the gaps. Is that enough to hold them or do I need to have the crushed gravel + sand base as I would with a full paver patio? I planned on using the woven landscaping fabric. Babs, thank you for letting me know about the picture, and I've attached it to this comment. I live in a desert climate. We only get about 12" of rain per year and it rarely snows. This past winter was extreme by our usual standards, with about 6 or 7 snowstorms and the most at once we got was about 5", maybe 6". I think the 24x24 paver idea is a great idea and will definitely consider it. Although the cost saving is a bonus, the main reasons we want to do a gravel and stone patio rather than just pavers are aesthetics and difficulty. I think the look of gravel and stone is gorgeous, and gravel is easier to install than pavers, so I've been told. I want to do the install myself because there's something really special about creating something beautiful with your own hands. If it's done right, that is, haha. Almost everything is xeriscaped where I live because it's so dry, and I am a tad worried about overdoing it on the gravel, but for the other parts of the yard that we intend to put gravel in, I think we'll use a different color to mix it up. I'm not too worried about the aggravation piece, but there are a couple things I need to think about. We have indoor cats so the potential for pets bringing in gravel isn't an issue for us, but my 96 year old grandmother comes to visit occasionally and I'm sure she'll want to go out on the patio. My husband and I also have a five year old boy who loves to pick up rocks so that could become an issue, haha. Thanks for your time and responses, I really appreciate it!

We have a 3-level patio grouping. It's a base of compacted 21A (crusher run/3/4" minus) with a 1-2" topdress of 3/4" washed river jack. It's solid underfoot, unlike a deep pea gravel patio, which is like walking through sand dunes. The dogs don't displace the stone from the patio. Anything that they (or I) might track in, we have a rubber flow-through mat (thick rubber w/ holes) at the back door that catches it. While it's not my preferred barefoot walking surface, if I have my flipflops off and need to sprint to stop little brown dog from rolling in groundhog poo it doesn't hurt (if the rescue tells you the dog you're adopting was living at the county landfill, expect some... baggage). Downsides? Weed seeds will blow in, so there's maintenance. A Weed Dragon torch takes care of those quickly though. My gas grill is set on some flagstone slabs, since those tiny wheels won't roll or level on the river rock. And you occasionally have to rake certain areas smooth, like the spot in front of the outdoor love seat where I somehow make a hole from sitting down and standing up.