Flagstone, pavers, seat walls and pergolas
Patios & Fire Pits
Several of our favorite patios in one place: flagstone and paver patios with round fire pits, curved seat walls you can actually sit on, paver steps, a paver driveway and cedar pergolas for shade.
The photos on this page come from several different yards of this kind across the Salt Lake Valley.
The situation
What the owners wanted.
These photos come from a handful of different backyards across the valley. Most started the same way — a lawn that ran right up to the back door, or a small concrete slab, and nowhere comfortable to sit outside.
What the owners asked for was simple: somewhere to put chairs, a fire to sit around, and a patio that would still be flat and good-looking in ten years.
What we used — and why
Every piece has a reason.
- 1
A base that is dug out and packed down in layers
Every patio here sits on crushed road base compacted a few inches at a time. You never see it, but it's the difference between a patio that stays flat and one that sinks, rocks and grows weeds in the joints after a couple of winters.
- 2
Flagstone, cut and fitted by hand
Natural flagstone has a look pavers can't copy — every piece is different. We cut each piece to fit so the gaps stay tight and even, which also makes it comfortable to walk on and easy to sweep.
- 3
Concrete pavers
Pavers are strong, come in many colors and patterns, and if one ever cracks or a sprinkler line needs fixing underneath, a single paver can be lifted and put back. Poured concrete can't do that.
- 4
Round fire pits in matching block
A round pit lets everyone face the fire and each other. Building it in the same block as the seat wall makes the whole patio look planned rather than assembled.
- 5
Curved seat walls
A seat wall wraps the patio at sitting height, so it doubles as seating for a crowd and as a border that makes the space feel finished. Curving it around the fire keeps the conversation together.
- 6
Block steps down from the back door
Wide, even steps are safer and easier on the knees than a narrow stoop — and they connect the house to the patio so the space actually gets used.
- 7
Cedar pergolas
Utah summer sun is intense. A pergola gives you real afternoon shade on the patio and a place to hang lights, without closing the space in like a solid roof.
Utah weather
Patios that survive Utah winters
The biggest enemy of a patio in the Salt Lake area is the freeze-thaw cycle. Water gets under the surface, freezes, expands and lifts — then thaws and drops. Over a few winters that heaves poured concrete into cracks and sinks poorly built patios into dips. A deep, compacted road-base foundation drains that water away, and pavers and flagstone can flex slightly with the ground instead of breaking.
If a paver ever does settle, it can be lifted and reset. That's a real advantage in a climate where the ground moves every winter.
Summer is the other side of it. Utah's high-altitude sun is strong and afternoons regularly push into the high 90s, which is why so many of these patios have a cedar pergola or sit on the east side of the house for afternoon shade.
Is this right for you?
A great fit for…
- Homeowners who want a comfortable place to sit outside — morning coffee, family dinners, a fire on cool nights.
- Anyone with a small slab or a lawn right up to the door who wants a real outdoor living space.
- Grandparents who want the grandkids over: a fire pit and a seat wall are where everyone ends up.
- People who want low upkeep — a well-built patio is swept, not mowed or watered.
Good to know
The honest details.
Size, material and how much digging is needed are the biggest things that move the price. Flagstone usually costs more to install than pavers because every piece is cut by hand.
Gas fire pits need a gas line to the spot; wood-burning pits don't. We'll talk through both when we walk the yard.
Every yard is different. We build these across Riverton, Herriman, South Jordan, Draper, Bluffdale and the rest of the Salt Lake Valley, and the best way to know what yours needs — and what it will cost — is to have Jason walk it with you. Call 801-608-7207 for a free estimate.
Photos
The finished work.
Tap any photo to see it full size.
During the build
The part you never see again — and the reason it lasts.
Free estimate
Let’s walk your yard together.
Call and tell us what you have in mind. Jason will come out, walk the property with you, and give you a written estimate — free, with no obligation.
Mon–Fri · 8:00–5:00 · Riverton, Utah · Licensed & insured