Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Saddle in, this is going to take a second. After research I found that to pay someone to build this size of a patio (20×18) and walkway (32×3) it would could around $3000-$4000. To purchase premade pavers and do it myself it would cost around $1500. To buy this template and make my own bricks the whole project would cost around $600. I leveled my area, installed paver frames, and rented a cement mixer from Home Depot for $50 a day. I quickly found that this project takes forever, six 8 hour days to be exact. That does include prep work, and corrections after my dogs messed up my prep work. I only rented the cement mixer for a day, I didn't like it; it didn't mix well, and the constant winding of the motor was annoying. In the first day I think I was only able to make 16 templates. In total I made around 220 templates. I figured if the mixer cost $50 a day to rent, and considering how slow the job is, I might as well just buy one. However I have no use for a cement mixer after I finish, so I just mixed the concrete in a wheelbarrow with a shovel. I found that if the concrete was mixed with too much water some of the pavers began to droop after pulling the template out so I found a perfect consistency of concrete to water is 4 quarts in an 80 pound bag. I was also able to get 3 templates out of an 80 pound bag as well. I will say I am satisfied with the template and the look of the pavers and saving a ton of money, but the back breaking work wasn't too much fun. I applaud and commend those in this line of work.