Hi Mangomoon, I'm not an expert in this stuff but i did build 2 concrete paver walkways a few years ago. Here's what I remember from my research back then and my experience. "Traditional" brick is made from clay. Good for walls and fireplaces but has some drawbacks for walkways and patios. One thing is that they can chip pretty easily. Modern "pavers" are made from concrete and are designed for strength and durability as walkways and patios. They are available in many different shapes, sizes and colors, even "brick" look-a-likes. There are many manufacturers and costs vary widely. Poured concrete is a relatively inexpensive way to create a patio or walkway but doesn't offer many design options. However, one can add color to concrete and there are concrete "stamps" that can be used to create a faux stone or brick look. Bricks and concrete pavers are usually installed on a base of sand and gravel. Sand is usually used to fill the gaps between joints. As such, they do allow some water permeability. Still, it is recommended that the project be gently sloped to allow water to run-off away from the nearest building structure. This will be more critical with poured concrete. Heat retention will depend largely on the color chosen. Lighter will be cooler. I'd be surprised of there is much of a difference between similarly colored bricks or concrete but I don't know for sure. I think brick and concrete will have the same "hardness". The skill level required to build a simple square patio with pavers isn't too high. It is more physically demanding than anything else. And, most of the work is in the base preparation. i.e. excavating, getting it level, put in a gravel base, then put in a level sand base. Indeed, the better the base preparation, the better the final job. If you use a concrete paver, installation is easy. If you don't have to make any cuts, no special tools are required. I'd suggest looking at some of the manufacturer sites for concrete pavers, if you think you might like to go that way. I used Unilock brand (others are Bolduc, Belgard, Nicolock...just Google "interlocking pavers"). Good luck...

If you have a 4"--6" slab, drilling a hole with an appropriate carbide bit in a hammer drill and using an expanding concrete bolt with a bracket to hold your 4^4 (buy at Lowes, Home Depot or your favorite HW store) is completely adequate for light uses. A good 4" long 5/8" diameter expanding bolt will be limited by the strength of the concrete, not the bolt. Drilling into dry concrete is perfectly legal. What determines whether it meets code-- more importantly, if it makes sense-- is what you are going to do with the 4^4. If you plan to support a significant load, the concrete slab is not an appropriate footer, you need to take off the pavers, cut out the concrete for an area sufficient to support your load, dig down below frost line and pour a concrete support. There are cardboard cylindrical forms that make the job easier. You should extend the concrete above the paver level and set in a 4^4 bracket. You then restore the base for the pavers and replace them, cutting out for the new post. This is to prevent rot from destroying your hard work. Whether the simple bolt method is okay or you need this more elaborate solution is entirely dependent on how you are going to use it. Will

As long as your installer used a deep enough base of stone, and used a fine packing stone for the top layer you should be good. At my company, we use what's called a "dirty stone" which is a mixture of course and fine gravel. We put down a level of stone and compact it. Then we put down another level and compact it again. We repeat this several times to insure the paver stones will not shift and the ground stays level. We like to use a thin layer of sand as well, then compact again. After installing the pavers, we compact one last time to help lock the blocks in place. As long as the stone is compacted you shouldn't have any problems. Here is a link that might be useful: Paver Stone Driveway and Patio Installation Tips in New Jersey

Our situation was a bit different but hopefully I can offer suggestions based on our situation. Local building code required steps onto the lawn from the house for an occupancy permit. They're concrete and we built over them with what you see in the link. Our specific concerns were safety while transporting items in/out of the house. And we had an elderly relative for whom stairs were dangerous. So, we built an Egress Porch (really a small deck) over the existing steps, level with the threshold. This provides secure footing while opening the door. Then we choose landing style steps for easily providing assistance to someone in need. If you were to consider a small deck it would provide the security at your door like I mentioned, leave the weep holes open and could still become the 1st step. Other steps could be pavers on concrete to match the patio. Hopefully your patio could be enlarged a few square feet to recover the space necessary for the steps. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Our Egress Porch