Thanks for the input guys, some interesting points to ponder. The only reason for wanting the mortared look is the historical aspect. The patio will be raised with brick on the retaining wall as well as brick "railing" topped with ironwork of some sort. Will include a brick outdoor kitchen area and built in grill/oven. I have considered pouring a slab for the floor to sit on. Have also toyed with the idea of ceramic tile for the floor which may be better in the long run anyway.
I'm still mostly concerned with my ability to lay brick (either vertically or flatwork) and have it look good. I know it's not rocket science but I suspect there is a bit of experience to having it look nice [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
I keep trying to remember those times I've seen the pavement torn up and the brick work underneath and for the life of me, I can't remember it being mortared. I would imagine there are different methods of laying those roads though, because standards for things were a lot laxer. So, maybe some places mortared and others didn't. But, all I can remember around here is a dry laid herringbone.
Steve, you're right. All the brick roads I've ever seen were dry laid as well. That is still a possibility for us though we've seen plenty of period patios and porches that were mortared in. Makes for a very distinctive look and feel that we both like [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Sure seems like horizontal exposed mortar joints would likely to be a maintenance nightmare. I just this spring/summer laid about 700 square feet of patio using concrete unipavers, dry laid on a sub-base of 4-6 inches of one-inch-minus road surface gravel covered with sand. If you prepare the sub-base well, the pavers, whether concrete or brick, can almost be dropped in place. All the paving bricks and concrete pavers I looked at were designed to have minimal spaces between. I used sand to lock in my pavers, though I might have gotten better results with rock dust. Water drains quickly through my patio and, presumably, follows the slope of the undisturbed soil away from the house. I will see this winter if freeze/thaw cycles cause problems, but I think my packed gravel sub-base should minimize that. In your climate, I would think that porous mortar joints would be a problem. Thinking of water-proofing the whole shebang?
Were those porches and patios covered with roofs? Just wondering. That would relieve at least some of the problems associated with water freezing in the mortar joints.
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