Question of the day. (As per request)

[ER]

I shall ask and see what he says. 

[ER]

He said after digging out the area the easiest thing is you put down about half a foot of paver's base or gravel, then atop that is sand. Your pavers or bricks go above that and you fill in the cracks with sand (or mortar if you really want to) then put edging stones around it if you want. He said that should give you a solid, simple not too difficult patio area that should stay low-maintenance for years. He also said they can help you at Home Depot or Lowe's and have free pamphlets there you can pick up, or YouTube has good demo videos, but he said to tell you it's pretty easy and can be kinda fun. Good luck, I hope that helps!

[316zombie]

again, thank you both SO MUCH! in chatting with my landlord about the small space i need for my tools, he DID ask about having a communal patio for everyone's grills and lawnchairs out back, he'll love this!