I am planing on building a 600 square foot brick patio next to my house.

I'd like to know if anyone sees any issues with the plan.

For the perimeter I am planning on digging down about 8", using 1/2" rebar (2 rows) and 5" of concrete. On top I'll lay 1/2" of mortar and the bricks. Inside of the perimeter, I'll remove 7" of dirt and put in 4" of class 2 baserock and a half an inch of sand. I will use a vibratory compactor and add a little basebrock at a time. As for drainage,I was planning 1/8 of an inch per foot in each of two dirctions, so it comes out to a little shy of 1.5% slope. Does this all sound good? Should I be using stone dust instead of sand?

I purchased some new bricks with an aged appearance. To my surprise, the dimensions varied by 3/16". Is this normal? I would have expected much tighter tolerances on the dimensions. Is there a particular type of brick I should ask for to get a used look without the dimensional variation?

Thanks!
Bob