I installed my own dry-laid 1.5" PA bluestone patio last summer. I ran a vibraplate tamper on the bare soil and then again after the 4" gravel (did not do it half way, like you asked). I did not use landscape fabric or edging. I used about a 4" layer of masonry sand. I don't have a recent pic handy but I posted a midway pic from the summer below. This was my first patio, but I have a stone mason friend who's done tons of them and he said it's really solid and that my foundation is probably more burly than what they normally do. It's not completely finished, as I just have topped off sand in the joints - trying to get sedum/thyme established this spring and may also fill with stone dust. As far as durability, I first tested it with my car and a friends minivan - no problems. I then drove a pickup with a 600 lb tree in the back over it - again, didn't budge. However, I got a little too confident when I tried to get a delivery of a cord of firewood driven over it. Had a few nice big stones shatter, but this was mainly due to a drainage problem I encountered on the car path. I get a lot of water runoff from my front yard into this sloped area and have lost a lot of sand during rain storms, and the stones that cracked had pockets of missing sand. Looking to fix the drainage this spring, but for now I have to lay tarp over the driveway section whenever we expect heavy rains. Other than that, it's rock solid, especially when the ground freezes. Once I fix the drainage, settle on a solution for the joints, and get my plants going, I think this will be good to go. And it already has a weathered look like it's been around for years. Message me if you need any more info and maybe I can find some more pics. Good luck, it will be worth it when it's finished! PS - I should also note that I was really picky with getting the right pitch away from the house. I used to get tons of water in my basement but ever since I put the patio in, it's been practically bone-dry. Here is a link that might be useful:

compacted sand or gravel to be brought up to the level of the footing, then 10 mil vapour barrier/poly to cover entire floor area from wall to wall with all cuts or holes in the poly sealed. Pour slab 4" thick on top of the footings. THis is the standard procedure and widely accepted as the proper way to lay concrete. The only guarantee with concrete is that it will turn gray and crack. you can try to cut in control joints but sometimes the floor doesns crack where you want it to anyway. Randy

The compound is porous and has absorbed more of the paint than the other areas. People prime first to even the field before painting but newer premium paints work better to eliminate that step to avoid what's called flashing. Always ask, research or test under various lighting conditions first as it depends. Probably safer and easier to just prime. (I did try not priming a good sized patch, using BM Aura Matte paint, and cannot see it. I simply applied another coat of the Aura over, but it might take two in some cases. Holds up to grazing with a light but this area does not see the light of day! I was surprised but it worked well on a wall that already had two coats of fresh paint. Why did you use drywall compound on seams and nail holes? Caulk is used for seams (get a high quality flex elastomeric like Dynaflex 230 or BM Crown & Trim to reduce the potential for cracking). Wood filler is used for nail holes. There are some differences to working with MDF rather than wood but I don't know what they are.

"Would this be considered unreasonable and unacceptable?" I highly doubt it. That's an obvious control joint. " Are a cracked limestone blocks also unacceptable?" It depends. Pictures please.