Patio Project

May 27, 2012 I wanted to get back to my deck stairs and patio project. It took me quite a while to figure out the rise and runs for the steps and where I would need to have the 3'x3' pad at the bottom of the stairs, but once I got that figured It took about 16 bags of cement and about three hours to get that project done.

Then I started looking at and pricing out the blocks, the pattern I was going to use, and how to make the retaining walls on either side and how I was going to keep it all level as I went. I started the base for the wall from the cement pad I poured for the stairs and leveled the block all the way back to the house. When I got back there the blocks laid in perfect without having to cut one and giving us about two inches for sand under the pavers. On the other side we started from the house and went out to the poles for the landing of the stairs and again it turned out perfect. As we started laying the pavers across the foundation to the pad at the basement door the pavers fit in perfect there without having to cut any. For not figuring on those things we did pretty good!!!

Can you see our little friend that came to watch us work on this day?

A baby Toad!!!!

First of June, we had to put the patio on hold for a couple of weeks while we saved the garden from disappearing and moved some families into the Ward and had Stake Conference and waited til the next payday. Trying to decide how to finsh up the edge also. Should we get an under the ground guard rail system to keep the pavers in place or dig out a trench for the bigger wall blocks to lay even with the pavers but give it a nice thick border. In the meantime we are going to glue the block walls on either side into place.

Here is the patio all done. Lori got it cleaned and sealed this morning. We now are just going to build up the block walls on either side about four rows high and plant flowers under the windows.