Hi,

My wife and I decided to tear down a flagstone patio. We asked our contractor whether the stone could be re-used in future projects. He replied that only 10%. I decided to try the demolition myself in the hope of saving more. The work went surprising well, far beyond my expectation.

The patio was 12 years old. It had a concrete foundation, and the flagstone pieces were attached with mortar. After I broke up the grout with a demolition hammer, whole pieces of flagstone became loose. In fact, often I did not need the demolition hammer. I just jammed the claw of a claw hammer underneath the pieces, pulled on the handle several times, and that was enough to lift the flagstones and beak the grout.

Is my experience normal? Shouldn't the mortar bond the flagstone to the foundation tightly? Or did the guy who built it do a bad job? I have another patio built by the same guy. If he screwed up, I will replace the second patio the first chance I get.

Thanks for any tips.

William