Patio

For many years I have wanted a patio in my yard. Of course, I want a pergola over it with beautiful vining plants growing up the corners and over the top. But step one of this plan of mine was to simply get a patio. We excavated the area in early spring 2007 and then looked at a big hole in the yard for the next year. Everyone that saw said hole asked if we were installing a pond or building a pool. The nice pile of dirt just beyond this crater was a harsh contrast to the large hollow we were living with. I was desperate to build my patio. If you remember from the last post, I was anxiously awaiting drain rock for this project when instead I randomly received goats for my birthday. I still wanted this space either filled back in or a patio constructed. My brother and his girlfriend came to help and brought rock smooshing stuff with them. Our project went rather quickly once it actually began. After many wheelbarrows full of road grade followed by sand and lots of compacting between layers, the pavers finally went down. Only one injury occurred and no one died because of it. We finished it off by dusting sand into the grooves and back filling around the perimeter with dirt. I would recommend to anyone wanting a simple but nice looking patio, to consider pavers. We used the Harvest Blend tumbled variety from Home Depot and it picks up a nice assortment of colors from the surrounding area. Grass grew up to the edge quickly and it now looks like it has been there a while. Well, now it is covered with snow, but in the summer it looked like it was supposed to be there. We added an outdoor fireplace to the center and this coming year we will add nicer chairs (I am thinking Adirondack chairs). The big pile of dirt left over from the original excavation was mostly carted away and the remaining shape was the perfect outline for a butterfly garden. I will show that project later.