An assessment is the value placed on a property by the town or city's assessor's office for the purpose of determining the property tax due. An entire town will be assessed during a 4-12 month period with values determined by a team of qualified assistants after viewing properties and interviewing owners.
We originally planned to lay the patio on a gravel and sand bed with the joints filled with sand. However, the guy doing the landscape design said we need to mortar the patio if we plan to use it for entertainment purposes, such as having a table and chairs on it.- Use a level religiously for the base layer and laying the rocks. -- Make sure you have a frame to contain the sand or it will seep out. -- Have a base layer of sand at least 2 deep. Flagstone rocks vary in thickness and you need the sand to adjust heights to get them all level.
Sand is used as the bedding to which the pavers are laid and set into. It also holds the joint sand, and prevents it from disappearing. If there were too much sand, the joints would disintegrate over time. It is recommended that a one to one and a half inch layer of sand be laid on top of your base material.