Wren- Yes!! That's sounds great. I'm planning something similiar myself. In the meantime, I expanded our front stoop by using those concrete one foot square pavers. The red and grey ones. We just have the stoop just next to the driveway, no walkway, and the stoop wasn't big enough to navigate comfortably when guests come in.

I dug down about 5-6 inches, hauled away that dirt, and tamped in some sand. Oh, almost forgot, my husband cut some edging for it from pressure treated lumber I scrounged from someone's trash. (Two rows of two by fours, mitred corners,screwed together) I decided on the edging to help keep things neater. I think we put the edging in first, then the sand. Be sure to pack the sand down firmly. My husband took a two X four (about three foot long, comfortable for me to work with,) and screwed a one foot square piece of plywood to the bottom for my 'tamping tool.' Then I set the pavers in place. Oh, I think I layed the pavers out before hand, so I knew how big to make it. But we were only doing a small area. Then I swept sand into the crevices.

It's been about five years, and not a problem. No frost heave, nothing. It shovels easily in the winter too. Mine is on the north side of my 1959 ranch house. Even dear husband, who throughout the whole project said it wasn't going to work, that it would frost heave, that it would look bad, has since admitted it worked well. Those red and gray pavers aren't the most beautiful, but the price was right, they have 'aged' a bit, being on the north side. They blend in nicely with the existing stoop and driveway.

The only thing is ants always tunnel under the pavers, so I sweep sand off during the summer. After five years, the whole thing has sunk down about an inch-inch and a half, so it's no longer level with the driveway. Amazingly though, it sunk completely evenly. This summer, I'll pick up the pavers, add some more sand; it should be good to go for a few more years. I'm thinking if I use some gravel, maybe the ants wouldn't be able to 'excavate.' I don't think I'd use pea gravel, as it might shift, being round. But see if you can find some sharp gravel. (I'm not sure what it's called, but a gravel yard would help. Probably just sharp gravel.)

Good luck with your project. Someday, after we remodel the entryway to the house, I'm going to do that picket fence, with the patio behind the fence :-)
cantstop

I would suggest using the geotextile fabric against the dirt, then putting on the pavers and surrounding dirt or stones. Anything we don't use fabric under just goes back to mud, fill sand, rocks, mixes into slurry with use. I also would suggest using crushed small stone as the base layer on fabric to allow good drainage, no shifting of material above. Crushed stone or stonedust will pack down very hard, but still drain, not move like peastone or sand. I had peastone, just travels in your shoes and boots! All over the back room floor to step on. OUCH!! Stonedust is a little more expensive, but very good base material. I like it better than gravel, packs harder, all the same size pieces. Sand is not a stable material for me, moves, ants. We have used quite a bit of the crushed stonedust over fabric around the farm for wet areas, doors, gates, that get a lot of travel. Seems to stay in place, dry the area out well. Rocks on fabric don't get crushed into clay dirt, disappearing. Ants don't make homes in it! Pavers stay put, level for paths.

We rent a gas-powered tamper, since we usually put in a very thick layer of stonedust, for heavy loads of tractor, truck, wheelbarrows traveling on top. Tamper does a good job, really packs down layers of stuff, base dirt, stone on fabric, evenly, hard. Much better than anything you can do by hand. Not hard to run, inexpensive to rent.

I have seen the geotextile fabric in DIY places, small rolls 3ft wide, different lengths. Not expensive, very tough. Easy to use, cut. Really good for holding dirt, rocks in place. If you put in the work and buy good materials, fabric stabilizer makes quality of job higher, longer lasting.

Crushed stone- that's the stuff!!