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.
To keep your mortar joints between courses a reasonable width, first lay a 2- to 3-in.-thick bed of mortar right on top of the footing. Let it set up slightly (15 minutes) and smooth out the top. Then, working on one-third of the pit at a time, mortar each course of face brick into place, leaving a 1/4-in.dd a small amount of mortar to the joints to fill any gaps. Check level frequently and tap gently with a brick hammer to adjust the spacing. Leave a 1-in. overhang on the outside to allow for rain to drip off. Once all the bricks have been mortared in place, strike the joints for a smooth, finished look.