How to Replace Your Front Porch With Pavers

Remove your old porch to expose the ground underneath. All elements of the old porch should be removed so you can access the dirt all the way up to the edge of the house's foundation. Use a combination of hammer, pry bar, sledgehammer and reciprocating saw to cut, pry and hammer to demolish the old porch. Use appropriate blades with your saw depending on the porch material, cutting things into manageable sized chunks for removal.

Determine the area for your new porch or patio and excavate it for the new paver installation. The base layer underneath the pavers needs to include 6 to 8 inches for the gravel drainage layer as well as another 2 to 4 inches of sand for the cushion layer, plus the depth of the pavers so that these flush out with the top of the soil rather than stick up to cause tripping. Dig it out with a shovel.

Add the gravel to the bottom of your excavated area layer by layer. Do not add it all at once or you will not be able to pack the gravel properly. Include around two or three inches at the beginning, rake it across the bottom and tamp it into place using the gas powered tamper. Repeat the layering for the rest of the gravel and then do the same for the sand layer on top of the gravel.

Choose your starting point for the paver installation. The best choice is a corner. Start laying pavers down on the base of sand, ensuring that any pavers up against the house are installed tight to the foundation. Press all subsequent blocks tight against each neighboring paver and work your way back from the starting point until you have covered your new patio area.

Cover the finished installation with a 1-inch layer of sand and sweep it around with a broom so that it falls down into the joints between the pavers. Leave any remaining sand on the surface of the pavers and run the tamping machine over everything to complete the installation and to pack the pavers firmly into place.