117th Street North St. Pete courtyard pavers

117th Street North courtyards are usually the leftover rectangle between a carport, a side fence, and a screened lanai. They collect oak litter, hold water after a Gulf afternoon storm, and turn into a mud path between the car and the kitchen door.

A courtyard that drains

On these lots the water table sits high after a wet week. We do not lay pavers on native sand and hope. The courtyard gets a compacted base, a slight pitch to a lawn edge or a flush drain, and a border that keeps the field from creeping toward the fence. Shade from mature oaks means we plan for root zones instead of cutting them flush and waiting for heave.

Uses we design for

• A dry path from carport to lanai without a concrete step-down.

• Room for a grill and a small seating pad that does not block the side gate.

• A color that stays cooler than blacktop in full west sun.

• Joint sand that resists ant mining and summer washout.

PaverForge Hardscapes is based in St. Pete Beach and builds these courtyards across northwest St. Petersburg. Call (727) 490-9798 to walk a 117th Street North yard.