How We Research and Fact-Check

This page explains how a Hardscape Home Guide article is actually put together, so you can judge how much weight to give it.

Last updated: September 2026.

1. Start from the question, not the keyword

Before writing we work out what a reader is genuinely trying to decide. “How thick should a concrete patio be?” is not really a request for a number — it is a request for the reasoning that produces a number, because the answer depends on whether a vehicle ever drives on it, what the subgrade is like, and where in the world the patio is. We write the reasoning and give the range, not just the figure.

2. Collect primary sources first

Technical claims are sourced before they are written, not retrofitted. Our source hierarchy is set out in our editorial policy: manufacturer technical data, then published standards (ASTM/ACI, CSA, AS/NZS), then government guidance, then industry research, then named practitioners.

Two habits matter more than the hierarchy itself:

• We go to the document, not the summary. If a figure is attributed to an installation guide, we open the installation guide. Figures that circulate between content sites tend to drift from their source, and we would rather find that out ourselves than pass it on.
• We record the disagreement. Base depth for pavers is specified differently by different manufacturers and different jurisdictions. Where that happens, the article gives the range and explains what drives the choice, rather than presenting one number as universal truth.

3. Technical review by a practitioner

Construction guides are reviewed by Alan Reyes, a licensed hardscape contractor, before publication. The review is specific: is the base build-up right for the stated conditions, is the drainage fall adequate, is the edge restraint described correctly, is the thickness sufficient for the load, and does the detail work in a freeze-thaw climate as well as a mild one.

Reviewers can and do send articles back. The most common reasons are a detail that is correct in theory but awkward on site, and a regional generalisation that does not hold across all four of our main markets.

4. Drawings are made to scale

The figures on this site are not stock illustrations. They are drawn to stated dimensions, and the dimensions on the drawing match the dimensions in the text.

Our technical drawings — cross-sections, plan views and dimensioned elevations — are produced to a fixed scale for each figure (for example, a plan drawn at 36 pixels per foot, or an elevation at 7.5 pixels per inch). Where a drawing is schematic rather than to scale, it is labelled as schematic. Where a diagram compares three options, the options are drawn on the same scale as each other so the comparison is honest.

This matters more than it sounds. A drawing that claims a 20 by 12 foot patio but is drawn to no particular scale will mislead a reader about how much furniture fits — which is the exact question the reader came to answer.

5. Costs are ranges, with their basis stated

We give cost ranges, never single figures presented as fact. Ranges are built from published industry cost data and regional labour rates for the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and we state the currency and the assumed scope. We tell readers plainly that local pricing varies with access, site preparation, season and material availability, and that the only meaningful quote is one from a contractor who has seen the property.

6. Editorial edit

A final edit checks that the article answers the question it promised, that every technical claim has a source behind it, that the recommendations are consistent with the evidence presented, and that the piece does not overstate our confidence.

What we cannot verify

Being honest about the limits of our process is part of the process.

• We do not run a testing laboratory. We do not measure compressive strength, slip resistance or freeze-thaw durability ourselves. Where we quote such figures, they come from the manufacturer or a standards body, and we say so.
• We do not visit most installations. Our construction guidance is based on published specification and practitioner experience, not on us standing on your subgrade.
• We cannot price your project. Regional and site-specific variables are too large. Use our ranges to sanity-check a quote, not to replace one.
• Codes differ and change. We reference common requirements, but permits, frost depth and drainage rules are set locally. Always confirm with your local building authority.

How you can tell a page has been checked

• A named writer, and a named technical reviewer on construction guides.
• A published and a last-reviewed date.
• A list of sources at the foot of any article making factual claims.
• Dimensions on drawings that match the dimensions in the text.
• Costs given as ranges, with currency and scope stated.