Thanks, I actually just checked my original line item bids and another GC had $7,500 for a bluestone terrace, so this guy is actually not being unreasonable. I can't afford it right now - but still, not unreasonable.

Hi! We chose granite. It’s been a few years now and we are very happy with the result. Our house is also a bit on the modern side and I think that the granite looks right with our house. Both are good choices, hard to go wrong. Good luck!

I can confirm the bluestone is unbearably hot for my kids and even for adults. This is the case on 80+ degree days and any area in full sun. We researched this topic, talked to our architect and our contractor and no one really steered us away from it. Most said it was not much different than concrete or another stone. Sadly I should have trusted my gut and spent the time to go back to the drawing board and look into another material.

I think all the ideas that I've read in response to your question are great. You have a lot of things to think about. Is it on the main level of your house or on the lower level? Upper level will certainly block light coming into the room(s) it overhangs, Do you live where you will use it all year long, or just in the milder weather? When there's a really heavy downpour or several days of rain, how does the water flow around your house and patio? Will it be just screens, or will you put in windows so you can use it all year long? That will make it heavier and might need more support at the bottom. We bought our house 6 years ago and the screened-in porch, built on top of the bluestone patio, was already here. It is on the lower level of the house so the roof doesn't shade the main living areas. Although I would have loved it on the main level, I have come to the realization that it's better on the garden level. I have a beautiful wisteria plant covering the roof that can be seen from the dining room window. I believe there was a cement patio originally. The previous homeowner, who is a Master Gardner created a beautiful garden in the back yard with 3 terraces and a stone walkway all through it. Up against the house, she covered the original cement patio with bluestone slabs and then continued it out into a nice large patio. The stones inside the porch have cement between them but outside the porch they have dirt. Even though there are weeds in the section with dirt, I'm sure it was designed that way to let the rain water drain away from the base of the porch. Our house sits on sloping property so the rain runs down the side yards and out into the garden. All the gutter downspouts empty into drain pipes that then run underground until they get to the back yard where they drain into the garden too. All this helps to keep the water away from the base of the screen porch. I get a little water seeping in, in one corner where it's attached to the house, if I don't keep the gutters clear and the overflow from 2 stories up, falls directly into that corner. I use the porch from April to October. It faces east and is a wonderful way to start the day, with the morning sun streaming in. Good luck. I'm sure it will be awesome!!