You know, it's interesting how when we travel to Europe or other parts of the world where we can see buildings several hundred years old, we appreciate the patina of age on things -- plaster showing its age, cracked stone paving, irregular color in brick, time-worn marble, and so on. In the US we always want to rip out the old, solid materials because of minor imperfectons, and replace them with something shiny, new, and not necessarily of equal quality. If there is a real problem with your tiles -- undermined and unstable surface, safety issues, water leaks, or whatever -- sure, replace them. But otherwise the older material has charm that pavers do not have, in particular with your nice brick wall and balusters. You'd want all your architectural elements to be speaking the same language.

Ron, That was my initial reaction too. However, when I visited the masonary yard, my wife found and fell in love with the pattern and design. She called me over to tell me she found the perfect material for the patio and said it was bluestone. Visions of BLUE/Green slabs were dancing in my head as she lead me to another part of masonary yard and sure enough there it was brand new designs and they were all bluestone... My jaw dropped, when the salesperson confirmed it was indeed bluestone... Quote: ************************************************ Stones Bluestone -- despite its name -- is available in several colors, from yellow to purple. Bluestone typically is sold in 12-inch by 12-inch or 18-inch by 18-inch sections and is considered a more formal looking material than flagstone. ************************************************* (above quote was cited from this website here:) http://www.renovatorsplace.com/dsp_articles.cfm?l_article_id=87&l_cat_id=109&catid=41 As you can see we picked up random sizes for our patio and so far, knock on wood, both the patio and the deck has held up well for the first NY Winter season... -Alex

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...

thank you for your feedback jannnicone. i do see your point. the larger format vs a smaller format. something i hadn't considered. yes, the travertine is said to be 'cooler' on feet and south florida summer weather can get very hot. but the nicer the grade of the travertine the smoother it is.. and in my opinion it can be slippery. the height difference is not a concern as they sell them at differing heights in case they will be installed over a concrete base.