Original research
Patio final walkthrough checklist
What to test before you sign off and make the last payment.
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Written by HyreYard Research Desk Research and fact checking
The short answer
Walk a new patio with the contractor before the final payment and check five things: water runs away from the house, the surface is flat with no rocking units, joints are full, edges are restrained, and the site is cleaned up with paperwork in hand. Bring the written scope, a level, a hose or bucket of water, and your phone for photos.
Two tests carry most of the weight. Slope: code summaries of the International Residential Code ask for hard surfaces within ten feet of a foundation to fall at least 2 percent away from the building, so pour water near the house and watch where it goes.
Edges: the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute’s inspection checklist calls for edge restraints to be in place, because pavers without them creep apart.
Write every defect on a punch list, agree dates to fix them, and hold the final payment until they are done. The FTC’s home repair advice says to make the final payment only when the work is finished to your satisfaction.
Surface and slope
Pour water near the wall. It should travel away and off the patio without pooling. Puddles that remain after a few minutes are a defect.
Lay a four-foot level pointing away from the house. A 2 percent fall is about a quarter inch per foot; compare with what the contract states.
Walk the whole surface, including edges and corners. Any paver or slab that moves underfoot needs lifting and resetting.
Run your palm or shoe across joints. Raised edges are trip points.
Check that the finished surface sits below door thresholds and weep screeds, so water and the door both clear.
Joints, edges and cuts
Joint sand should be full and, for polymeric sand, set without haze on the surface. See paver joint sand.
Find the edge restraint along every open side. Lift a little soil at the edge to see it.
No small slivers at edges or around drains; the installer’s minimum piece size should be met.
Pattern, color blend and border are as drawn or sampled.
Efflorescence, mortar or polymeric haze, and chipped units photographed and listed.
Around the patio
Ruts from machines raked and seeded or sodded as the scope says.
Any extension removed during work is back, discharging away from the patio.
Run each zone near the patio. Heads moved or broken during excavation are repaired. See irrigation.
Caps glued and level, steps consistent in height, drain outlets from walls visible. See retaining wall ideas.
Leftover pavers, pallets, sand, cement bags and cut waste gone, unless you asked to keep spare pavers.
Paperwork before the final payment
Length, what it covers (settling, joint loss), and how to claim. See hardscape warranty.
Paver or block product name, color and lot, so repairs match later.
If a permit was pulled for walls or covers, the final inspection is passed.
Releases from the contractor and major suppliers for the amounts paid.
When to re-sand or seal, and what de-icers or cleaners to avoid.
What to bring
The walkthrough checks the job against what was agreed, not against memory. See landscaping estimates.
For the slope and water tests.
Photos of each defect, with something for scale.
If something fails the walkthrough
Each defect, its location and a photo. Both of you sign or confirm by email.
Specific dates, and whether the crew returns as one visit.
Keep the final payment until the list is closed. A payment schedule tied to milestones makes this routine; see landscaping deposits.
Repeat the water test on any area that was relaid.
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Questions
When should I do the final walkthrough on a patio?
Should a new paver patio hold water?
What should I do if pavers rock after installation?
How much should I hold back until the punch list is done?
Is white haze on new pavers a defect?
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