I'm not familiar with the paver style you mention but am confident you will like the finished appearance. There are so many more to select from now as compared to 1998. Thank you for the compliment. Wow, you're fast! How large is your patio and how deep did you have to dig? Ours is more than 750 sq. ft. and I spent an entire season building it. But, I also installed alot of sub-terrainian electrical, natural gas and French drains plus footings for the porch and pergola. In our zone (N. IL) it is recommended that a minimum 4" - 5" stone base be installed. I actually had to go deeper due to the grade of our lot and have 12" - 15" at the outer side. Rent a vibrating plate compactor as that will provide the best assurance of a firm base to prevent future settling. Most rental centers have them. Enjoy your new patio. Celebrate the sore knees, aching back and blisters with a BBQ and adult beverage.

A couple of points about pavers versus stamped concrete (I've built 2 pools and am building a third right now in Sedona, Ariz - - the other 2 were in Wash DC and San Diego). I've used stamped concrete and pavers and am going with pavers this time (although, i'll be honest and say i'd be hard pressed to decidedly pick one over the other. Stamped colored-concrete, which i used in Wash DC was perfect for the application we had, near a river, and lots of trees and the contractor applicator sprayed it down with just a bit of black-rustic paint inside the sealer giving it a fair cobble-stoning texture of shadows on the surface. Sure there were cracks that developed here/there and he told me there would be - - but with the light application of black paint in the sealer, cracks seemed to blend into the whole application. As for pavers, i would suggest you be much more picky. Why? The colors they give you to choose from WILL vary from mixing load and groups of pallets to mixing load and groups of pallets. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE MANUFACTURER TELLS YOU - - I've visited the plants in Phoenix (43rd St.) for Pavestone and Belguard (in Atlanta). Trust me and go there and challenge them to give you (in Pavestone's case) a true 2-tone brown paver from an Adirondeck paver model and hold it up to say a 2-tone brown from a Villa paver model (nearly identical paver models - - except Villa is a fraction of an inch thicker). The colors will be different!!! And the brochure colors (they will tell you - - "well that was with a mix formula we were using several years ago."). Lessen? If color means a lot to you (as it did me) - - i drove to the plant (in one case) narrowed down the color and paver model and then told the plant foreman to "freeze" 25 pallets and i'd put my order in for them. Phoenix was a 4 hour drive for me - - but i got what i was looking for and made personal time to visit friends while i was out there. If you're in Raleigh, I suggest you visit the Belguard plant in Atlanta (or if you want the textured surface, find the nearest Pavestone plant (i think there is one in Charlotte and you can freeze your pallets and place an order in from your closest Home Depot who is a Pavestone - - they're all Pavestone dealers. Get someone you like at Home Depot; tell them what you're going to do, and then drive down to Charlotte to decide which product and color you want - - obviously take all the samples home with you that you want. Lastly, you may look at a Riccobene product (similar to a flagstone look a like) made out of New Mex - - but dealers around the country. I think i'm going with that for the Sedona house. One last thought: Do not under-estimate the amount of heat those pavers (if they are even slightly dark - - like a flagstone) will generate on your feet if you're barefoot on a bright sunny day. Lay down your samples in the middle of the day when there is sun and then stand on them (i did this test before choosing my last model). Believe me they get hot - - and i didn't want my kids hopping foot to foot (like i'd seen them do at other folks' homes). Might not be an issue in Raleigh - - but it's an issue out here. White pavers are clearly the best for staying cooler. (Also i saw someone talk about sealers above. I love the "wet" look and it looks great on stamped concrete. My opinion though is that it doesn't get the same effect on pavers. If you happen to be in Sedona, i can give you an address of a house that has a huge amount of pavers down a long driveway. Stop in front of it and you'll be shocked - - he sealed the entire length and it just looks plane ludicrous - - some sort of slip-and-slide from Whammo! Sealer looks great on stamped concrete (and i use it) - - it doesn't carry the same effect on pavers. Maybe with the right model paver - - but every time i've seen some one do it - - well Whammo! Looks cheap and unreal.

You can find more info on calculating wind force here: http://www.vishaypg.com/docs/11874/vpg-07.pdf or here: http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Wind-Load I did a quick calculation totally speculating on how your gazebo might look... F = 0.63 * Area * Velocity^2 * DragCoefficient To determine area I assumed 4 rectangular legs at 4" wide and 8ft tall. I assumed a roof that sits on these legs that is 8ft wide and on average 1ft tall (so maybe 1.5ft at peak and 6" on the edges) Then I converted that into meters to get a total area of 1 sq meter for the four legs (4"/12"*.3048*8ft*.3048 * 4 legs) and another 0.74 sq meter for the roof (1*.3048 * 8 *.3048). I used a coefficient of drag of 1.4. I converted your 50mph to 22.35m/s I then calculated the force to be: 764 newtons or 172lbs Other variations: if I change the wind to be 72mph then the force is 352lbs. If I change the area of the roof to increase by 6" and leave the wind at 50mph then the force is 208.6 If I change the size of the gazebo to be 12ft wide (with 1ft roof and 50mph winds) then you get 208.6lbs If I should be using the 2 as the drag coefficient vs 1.4 because of the long/narrow nature of this structure then at the original dimensions and wind the force is 245lbs Also the above is not taking into account the "lift" created on the roof (similar to what makes a sailboat move). So even with a 300lb structure IMHO it will move - it is just a matter of when. Disclaimer: I was doing quick calculations so it is possible I incorrectly converted something from ft to meters, etc. Please check this on your own!

Well, properly installed, stone or porcelain is forever.