I am planning on beginning a dry laid flagstone patio (live in Zone 8 in Texas Hill country) and plan on laying my flagstone on three inches of decomposed granite and two inches of sand base. This is my first time to lay a flagstone patio and I have a few questions on my proposed installation I thought I would ask the experts here.

I am going to lay the patio at the bottom of my concrete stairs that come down from my covered elevated porch (part of foundation) that is 2 feet above ground level. Our lot slopes away from the house gradually and the highest point on our lot is against our foundation. I have a few questions on how to lay the patio that I am hoping someone may be able to answer for me.

1. I am planning to raise the patio slightly above ground level (3") to make it an easier transition from the stairs to the patio. Will raising this slightly against my slab cause me any problems?

2. Do I need some type of edging between my flagstone and the slab?

3. Since I am raising my patio slightly, do I need to use stone edging around my flagstone or build a retaining wall on the lower end or will steel edging suffice?

4. If I use stone edging will it be difficult to keep the flagstone level with the edging?

thanks for your help and any suggestions!