Home Improvements anyone?

Haven't even closed on the house and already thinking about home improvement. What I want to do is build a paver patio behind the sun porch. I've been doing some research and found that it takes a lot of sand to do what I want. I think the project would be a lot of work, but I also think it could be a great addition to the house. As it stands now, there really isn't a good place for my grill.
It looks like I'd need to put a base of at least 4 inches of compacted sand below the pavers, and then fill in the cracks between the pavers with polymeric gelling sand. It would cost a couple hundred dollars to do, I could possibly even substitute gravel for the sand if it were cheaper.