Sounds like the low water cutoff might be going in the light fixture. Test for power at the light junction box where the light cord meets the hard wiring and see if there is still voltage at the light cord when the light flickers. If so the fixture is bad and needs to be replaced.

True ... it can be tricky working with rounded patterns such as the corners of your existing patio. But the answer is not to ignore them and go radically different because of fear and a present dislike. It is to be more careful in coordinating the new with the old. But the only way this is possible is by working in plan view, which would give an ACCURATE picture of what exists. Presently, we have no idea. I would add that it's high risk to incorporate a radically different style immediately next to an existing style. It's not impossible as Pei's pyramid in front of the Louvre demonstrates. But are we looking for something that different and willing to take the chance? For every attempt at doing that, I'm sure there are many failures or less than stellar results. It would be more reasonable to presume that we're not all world class architects and shoot for something compatible and in the same family. And then, in regards to your statement, "Maybe it's [the patio appearance] partially because the yard has no landscaping yet." Let me add some punctuation ... !!!!! Absolutely! It's impossible to be thrilled with a patio that is surrounded on all sides by veritable barren wasteland.

mineraltiles.com perhaps? I've ordered samples from them, its easy.

Not sure of the terminology but the stains were there when we bought our house 1 1/2 years ago and basically throughout the entire decking. We'd love it gone! We know the prior owners used poly sand and the "stains" have a s lightly gritty feel. What can we do to remove the "stains"?