We built a paver patio as a DIY project. It is a lot of physical work but the result speaks for itself. The most important part is to create a good stone base which has been compacted to eliminate settling. Your best resource would from patio books like are available at Home Centers for a few $'s. If you want a deck too, place your footings as part of the patio, then build the deck. I've not used composiste decking however I know there are special screws to eliminate the "mushrooming" you mention. If you look at the linked photos, you will see that we have an egress porch (deck) from the house onto the patio. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Our Patio

Snow load would be next to nothing. It falls pretty irregularly, with no snow buildup down in the valley (we're in Southern Or valley), and as far as wind, it rarely gets very windy. I wish I could remember wind mph, but I know we don't have a lot of wind in our part of the valley. The coldest temperatures we have to worry about I believe are the 20's, possibly the teens at night during a real cold winter. The cover doesn't have to have shingles, I have seen a screened in patio at a restaurant with that fiber glass semi-transparent top on it, and actually found it to be a lot better looking from underneath than I thought it would be. Hope that helps.

I'd get all the snow and moisture off and leave it exposed as long as the days are clear. Then I'd cover it with an absorbent material (old sheets/towels) and then cover that layer with some heavy plastic sheeting or a tarp. If the base is made of the same material, try to keep it protected also. Remove the plastic every few days and dry or replace the absorbent layer. If you don't have a long, hard freeze you'll probably be OK. I would avoid the hair dryer since heating one area too long while the other may be frozen could cause more damage then just leaving it alone. If the weather stays nice for a few days, you could set up an electric fan so that the air blows across the table. Afterward, cover it again.

Oh, how I wanted my natural bluestone patio...well, it now looks anything but "natural." It's a hot mess! Original landscaper installed and used polymeric sand because that was "best." He recommended not sealing it. Or, as he said, "Let it sit a year and then seal it if you want to." Very shortly after installation, stones started turning orange or had deep orange/rusty spots developing like a rash. The polymeric sand grout started popping up like worms after a rainstorm by year two. Hired a new hardscaping/landscaping company who--at year three of the patio--power washed it, swapped a few stones and tried to remove some stains, installed a new type of polymeric sand (which is supposedly better for the larger gaps the earlier landscaper used), and sealed it. First, the power washing did leave what looked like swirls of gray "graffiti" on some areas, but that seemed to go away with sealing. Until it rained, I wasn't sure they had yet sealed it, but it was evident when water beaded up and remained on the surface. After it dried, white patches appeared all over the stones. Reading how this can also occur with sealing concrete pavers, I'm now wondering if that composite deck idea was better! All I wanted was a beautiful, natural bluestone patio. I've stepped on countless university and college walkways that do not have these issues, and that is the look I was going for. How do they achieve such beautiful patios and walkways without the issues we homeowners face? I know they don't use polymeric sand and their "deep pockets" must be able to afford the best stone and best installers.