we started out with this.... our deck was on its last leg, it was a breeding ground for wasp and hornets and just all over ugly. granted, this is a picture prior to us buying the house, so we did clean it up a little bit and our furniture made it look better.
our project began with just wanting to rip out the deck and put a patio in where the desk use to be. however, our backyard isn't as private as we would have liked so we decided to move the patio seating area to the other side of the house where the house blocks the view to the street. so then we began ripping out the cracked sidewalk. nothing gets your anger out like take a sledgehammer to cement... great workout option too. additionally we had to cut down a tree (again, like everything else, it was in bad shape)
then came the cleanout and getting rid of 12 TONS!!! of dirt... who knew this amount of dirt existed in 400 square feet. we had to dig out about 9" all around in order to make room for 6" of limestone, 1" of sand, and the 2 3/8" pavers.
then came the limestone - it was shot in from a truck with a boom, it was pretty cool to watch. the dogs were a little confused on this pile of stone ... plus the alley cats all seemed to think it was the local litter box, unfortunately.
we spread the limestone and tried our best to ensure it was level, and the water would run away from the house and garage.
the patio really started to take shape. we were finally ready for our screed board, sand, and pavers. we laid our line level which ran from the existing sidewalk back towards the garage, this was our check to make sure we didn't have low/high areas. this is after day one of screeding and laying pavers.
day two.
now all we had to get was a wet saw to cut the pavers to size for the empty areas. this was generally pretty easy... just make sure to measure twice, cut once....
the finished patio!!! then we had the pergola to complete (plans from Ana White, Knock Off Wood - PB Weatherby Pergola) had to modify the plans for the size our 4x4 posts had already made - we had placed them prior to finding the plans.
so now that the patio and pergola are complete we are ecstatic with our work. however, i don't think you will find me doing this much work again. it was a great experience and gave me the knowledge of how it should be done, but next time i will hire someone (and know whether they are doing it correctly)
