The last four days have been nutzo in Patio Land for us (not to be confused with Temptation Island- remember that show?). The good news is that it’s nearly done. Like 90% done. But since I’m a bit low on energy at the moment (and we have to wait for better light to take more pictures), I’m gonna cover as much of our four-day patio-extravaganza as I can muster. The rest will come a bit later when we’re 100% finished (and have a chance to take about a million after shots from every angle).
To recap: as of last Monday the area was all marked, leveled, and dug up.
Then on Tuesday our nearly 10-ton delivery arrived via flatbed (300 square foot patios apparently weigh more than two elephants). As far as deliveries go, it wasn’t that eventful – except that the forklift (seen hooked to the back of the truck below) got a flat tire halfway through, so it delayed things a bit while the guy left to repair it.
But eventually everything made it into our carport in one piece. If you’re keeping track, that’s three giant bags of fill gravel, one giant bag of sand, and three pallets full of cobblestone pavers (two of the rectangular variety and one of the square kind).
We picked a paver called CottageStone by a local company named Eagle Bay. Yup, it’s manufactured right here in Richmond and we discovered it just by asking for the most affordable paver cobblestones at a local stoneyard called Southside Builders Supply (it came out to be around $2 a square foot, which beat both Lowe’s and Home Depot prices by around 75 cents, which really adds up over 300 square feet). The color is a gray-ish tone that they call “Jefferson” (amongst other Virginia-tastic color names like “Blue Ridge,” “Chesapeake,” and even “Richmond”). It was pretty easy to make our color choice because we decided to do our best to roughly match the gray cobblestone pavers that are already in our driveway. So that’s how we picked our poison- er, pavers (read more about the cost of the whole project here). But enough about design decisions and money – let’s get back to the physical labor.
We took Wednesday off Project Patio because it rained, so Thursday was my next work day (while Sherry tended the blog, the baby, and brought me granola bars and water by the hour). As my trusty Lowe’s video and the saleswoman at the stone yard had directed me, the next step was to put down my weed blocker. I picked up this 300 square foot roll of Weed Block and ground staples to hold it down (weirdly called “Crampons”) from Home Depot.
Since we know from experience that weeds and grass love to sprout up between paver stones, we wanted to at least discourage their appearance (although we’re huge rebels… just kidding… we like to follow directions or we start to hyperventilate). Here’s the area all covered in the Weed Block sheets just as recommended. It was pretty easy to cut it to size with scissors and then just stab each row into place with my crampons, so this step only took me about forty five minutes.
Next up: gravel. And not just any gravel – THREE EFFING TONS of it.
Laying this gravel basically consumed my entire Thursday. My wheelbarrow wouldn’t fit through the gate separating the carport and the patio area, so I resorted to carrying the gravel bucket by bucket (thanks to a spare 5-gallon paint bucket that we had on hand) back and forth all day. It was exhausting and disappointing (only because I fully expected to look like Hercules when I was done, but still found myself staring at my usual spaghetti arms). But in the end I was glad that I went the bucket route instead of using the ol’ wheelbarrow, because it allowed me to keep my nylon strings in place, which were invaluable when it came to ensuring that everything was nice and level with a slight slope away from the house (which is really important for drainage reasons).
But my workout for the day wasn’t complete, because the gravel had to be tamped down. First I lightly misted the whole area, which started to turn the loose gravel into more of a cement-like consistency. I paid close attention to the Lowe’s video at this point in the process, which instructed me to make it moist enough to clump, but not to go overboard and get it too wet. So my advice would be not to go spray crazy and just look for that cement-like clumping action and then step. away. from. the. hose.
The tamping was a manual task again (sigh) because we opted to purchase a $30 hand tamper instead of going through the trouble / expense of renting a plate compactor (our car is small, we’re cheap, and I may have already mentioned that I wouldn’t mind bigger biceps). It wasn’t a particularly enjoyable task, but honestly at that point my arms were sorta operating on autopilot. And it was actually really gratifying. You can see how it turned my gravel pit into a flat, semi-solid, and ready-for-sand surface below. It almost looked like asphalt in the end. But sand would have to wait for Friday. Over seven hours of Project Patio was enough for me (and the sun was starting to set anyway).
After taking Clara’s 51-week photo on Friday morning, I threw my patio pants back on and got to laying down a 1″ layer of sand. I couldn’t have done this part without the brilliant tip from the Lowe’s video involving two pieces of 1″ PVC pipe. Praise google.
You basically lay them down side-by-side and then dump your sand over them.
Then using a spare piece of 2 x 4 (or in my case, some extra trim molding) you scrape off the excess sand which leaves you with a flat, paver-ready surface of sand (which is exactly an inch deep thanks to the pipe “spacers”).
Then you carefully pull out the pipes and fill the empty “pipe lines” with a little bit of excess sand (by hand) for a totally flush look. Let’s just say it was a much faster process than the gravel was (since it only had to be an inch deep instead of three, which made it a lot faster to haul). Here it was half-complete:
I would’ve finished faster had I not run out of sand at the very end. But fortunately a quick trip to Lowe’s for a few extra bags did the trick (notice the color change at the far end of the area?).
The last step before we could fiiiiiinally get to putting down stone was to install the plastic edging to hold all of our pavers in place (which will end up being virtually invisible once we backfill it with dirt/mulch on one side and pavers on the other). We had heard different theories about whether you should do this before or after you put your stone down (apparently it can work either way) but we thought it’d be easier to plan our curves with the flexible edging than with the heavy stones themselves. And we can tell you from experience that it was the right way to go for us – definitely consider adding the edging first if you’re doing any sort of curve and would appreciate a nice set guide to follow.
By this point it was about 4pm on Friday. I really wanted to call it a day, but Sherry and I were determined to get some of the pavers down so that we could at least start to see the patio come to life. So I charged forward and promised myself that I’d just put down the entrance area. A couple of hours later (yes, it was slow going at first), I had this:
I’ll get into the ins and outs of cutting and laying the pattern in the next post, but below you can see things progressing slowly but surely. Sherry snapped this pic right after she put Clara down to sleep for the night (hooray for a 7:15 beanette bedtime, which gave us some daylight to work together on it- enabling us to move twice as fast during that narrow evening window). And thankfully we didn’t hear a peep from Clara (you know Sherry had the baby monitor outside on high, just in case). But Clara must have known we were busy making a patio for her birthday bash. Smart kid.
We both decided to put all the cuts on hold for the night so that we could focus on just filling the central patio area with as many whole pavers as our arms could carry (and avoid operating a wet saw in partial darkness as the sun began to set).
By some miracle, our energy held out ’til about 9:30, when we finally laid the last full paver at the far end of the patio. So you can sort of start to see how things are coming together, despite the darkness and all those missing stones around the borders that we still have to cut.
Our camera batteries only lasted long enough to attempt to snap a few totally normal pics of us “conquering” this task. So we just got a few blurry shots like this winner before the camera shut itself down:
Notice how I chose the role of laying down and looking exhausted? I plead that so-tired-you-feel-drunk phenomenon that occurs after a loooong day (when everything makes you die laughing and you kind of lose your mind for a minute).
So now you know how the Petersiks spend a Friday night. Actually, we did cap it off with a Netflix movie (after a much-needed shower, of course). We saw Love & Other Drugs if you’re wondering. And we thought it was just as naked as the critics said, but not bad. Just don’t rent it with the extended family over the holidays or anything (awkward).
Jen G. says
My husband and I watched Love and Other Drugs (from Netflix) last night…. um, holy nakedness. I will never be able to look at Anne Hathaway the same, especially while watching The Princess Diaries with my 5 year old daughter. Yikes.
Amy @ This DIY Life says
We’re planning on doing our nice straight driveway and sidewalk like this next summer. Thought I’d give you a heads up in case you want to plan a family/working vacation to the midwest next summer ;) It’s okay, I wouldn’t want to either :) It looks great!
Kalie says
Love it. And how rewarding to know you did it yourselves!
KB says
the pictures on your site havent been working for me for over a week now…im dying without the pictures! are you guys having any issues with the pictures? or is it just me?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! It’s nothing that has changed on our end, but maybe try viewing us from another browser (if you use Internet Explorer, try Safari or Firefox for example). So sorry! Your office could also be blocking them if you’re at work trying to read. Boo!
xoxo,
s
Barb says
Looks great…Nice job John and Sherry!
Bre says
My coworker and I have not been able to see your pictures for about a week now and we are DYING!! We want to see this new patio! Has anybody else been having problems viewing the pictures?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! I would bet your office is somehow blocking them. Argh! Nothing has changed on our end, so that is the most likely possibility (some software update to block outside hosted pics). We would also suggest trying to view it in another browser (Internet Explorer instead of Firefox, for example) but other than that we don’t have any ideas:(
xo,
s
Cindy says
I had this issue at an old job as well. They blocked pictures from anything home improvement related.
YoungHouseLove says
Boo! I hope it clears itself up. The pics are the fun part. Words are boring. Haha.
xo,
s
candace @ thecandace.com says
Beautiful work! I’m sure the blood, sweat and tears will all be worth it! Thank you for documenting it – I’d love to do something like this one day!
Monika says
The patio looks amazing! You guys did a really great job on such a short timeline. Clara is going to have an amazing party this weekend, I look forward to you sharing the celebration with us. :)
Melissa Hoffman says
i am so impressed. that was some time consuming stuff but you guys pulled it off so quickly! Way to go!!!
Virginia says
Holy Cow! You two are amazing go-getters! I can’t believe you’ve done this so fast. It looks awesome. What a wonderful addition to your home. Can’t wait to see the after pics!
Jen Migonis says
John, this looks totally fabulous! It’ll be perfect for your patio! Thanks for the great tutorial!
Sarah@StyleandCentsability says
So worth the blood, sweat, and tears! Looks fantastic!
We are currently tackling a veggie garden and that is not so cut and dry- I can only imagine how tired you two are!
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
Amy says
Love!! We want to put a patio in this year so I really love this post….and thanks for explaining what the pvc pipes for actually for…..I never understood what they were using them for in the videos!! Now it completely makes sense :)
Radhika Paruchuri says
Wow… great job done by you both! It looks so lovely!
Sarah says
Wow. That looks amazing. Also an amazing amount of elbow grease – I had no idea how much gravel/sand was required.
Brandy G says
EEK! Just saw your photo wall on the Daily Thread :-) Here’s the link http://daily.thredup.com/pages/every-picture-tells-a-story–2
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
Adam says
You two, that patio is looking great! So much work now, but you (and eventually the home’s next owners) will enjoy it for years and years to come! Major points for taking all the time and energy to do it right so it continues to look great years from now!
Ashley says
LOVING Jeff’s pattern. I’m totally impressed.
Kevin M says
Looks great, just one question….how deep is the gravel? Did you just lay it to the height of the strings? Sorry if I missed that part before.
YoungHouseLove says
We followed the Lowe’s video recommendations and did 3″ of gravel and 1″ of sand. The height of the strings were actually set at the top of the pavers (where the patio would end up in the end) just so we could make sure the height worked with paths that led to that area from three directions (didn’t want a huge step up or down). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Emily says
Wow – you are awesome. Awesome. It looks GREAT. And what an incredible feeling to look out the back door and remember what it looked like just a week ago!!
Ashley says
Baaahhahahaha! Temptation Island!? Uhm YES! So bad… but SOOO GOOOD!
Love the Patio! You guys are truly decor/hard labour ninjas.
Jenny B says
Amazing job, guys! You almost make me think that we can do it, too. As always, thanks for the inspiration!
Jessica C says
amaz-balls!!! loves it! good luck with those thor arms!!
rosie-b says
My 4 year old son saw the last picture and was very worried.
“Hey! that guy is dead!”
“Why did she kill him!?!”
“Maybe he was bad. . . “
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love that stream of consciousness kid chatter. Totally makes sense to me…
xo,
s
Anna says
I know you haven’t officially finished it yet but it looks awesome and will be completely worth it. We plan on tackling something similar in the fall…ok maybe next spring since baby #2 is joining us in Sept and I’m pretty sure the hubs won’t let me help 9 months pregnant! Great job!
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
looks gorgeous guys! LOVE the “conquering” photo! :)
Cassie says
I am SO impressed! When we first bought our house we ripped out the deck and wanted to put down a paver stone patio. We seriously thought there were only a few steps..1.) level out ground 2.) put down down sand and level again 3.) lay down bricks!! Hahaha..needless to say we hired professionals for a slab of concrete! I adore the way it looks in your backyard..and John, you have some serious patience. This is a big project. Super impressed you two!
Julie Rae says
So impressed with how great it looks. You guys always make your projects look so easy and not intimidating! (maybe not easy … but certainly doable) Thanks for the inspiration!
Collette Douglas says
Simply stunning. And I am not talking about the patio. LOL! JOHN you are a CHAMP! What a workhorse! Sherry you got yourself quite the catch! And ohmygoodness the patio is flippin awesome! You guys uh-MAZE me with your skill for choosing treatments and your incredible diligence in adhering to the plan and the installation guidelines. What an impressive accomplishment, that patio!
Audrey says
I totally remember Temptation Island…although I didn’t think it was nearly as awesome as Paradise Hotel or Love Cruise. However, I have moved on to my latest guilty pleasure, DIY blogs :)
The patio looks awesome btw!!
Cindy says
John, This is awesome! You are a brave, brave man! I’ll be filing these away when it comes time for us to start working on some paver projects ourselves. Thank you so much for all that you and Sherry do. Inspiration!
Laura says
Congratulations Sherry and John! John, I am completely impressed by your patience and hardworking attitude…you’re a rock star!
Christina says
Congratulations! This looks amazing- it makes me nervous and excited to start our own patio re-do later this summer. But it looks like the hard work is worth it. Awesome!
liz says
Spaghetti Arms are so hot right now.
YoungHouseLove says
Amen. I totally agree. Haha.
xo,
s
Lara C says
great work! and your last pic reminds me of the virginia flag…sic semper patio-pavers? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sure!
xo,
s
Joy says
That looks fabulous! Almost makes me want to DIY pavers — ALMOST! I’m exhausted just looking at all the hard work!
Libby says
This is fabulous…it really gives me some ideas for our own patio.
Rocky B says
I would have killed to know about that pvc pipe trick when we did our patio! What a time saver. After our weekend of laying pavers we realized that the sand we bought was full of sand fleas. We were both bit head to toe :(
Looking awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds like a nightmare! So glad you lived to tell the tale (and that there weren’t any sand fleas in ours). Whew.
xo,
s
Cheryl Ferreras says
Isn’t that the Seal of Virginia you all are acting out in the last photo?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, could be. We were totally delirious at that point.
xo,
s
Jennifer says
1. That looks great!!!
2. hahaha crampons!
Aja says
Looks fab!
You just reminded me that I went to high school with one of the ‘singles’ on Temptation Island III!
Arielle says
First ever commenter says:
A-FREAKING-MAZING.
You’ve moved me to words.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that made me laugh out loud. Way to go with your first comment. You’re one for one!
xo,
s
Tia says
I just showed my husband this…kind of a if he can do it so can you type of message :) We (meaning my dear,husband) plan on tackling this in the next month or so, and I really appreciated all the details. We also planned on following the Lowe’s video, but needed some guidance on sloping. It looks great! Way to go!!!
Bentons says
I am exhausted for you after reading all that you both did to get the patio in place. What a lot of work!!! Obviously, the whole job is very impressive–you both are amazing! And, I’m sure those arm muscles will pop on out any day now…listen for the sound of tearing tee sleeves!
kat says
What a job! And it looks fantastic!
Congratulations!
Trude says
OMG it looks amazing! You guys must be so proud! I can’t believe how much energy you have. :)
Jami says
That seriously looks ridiculously amazing! You rocked it!!!
We’re in the same boat with a time crunch but it’s the front yard and creating a pantry in our old laundry room, oh and taking out a couple of walls before our party. Luckily we have till June 12th to tackle both those tasks! Not too sure that devoting only our weekends to it will give us enough time but we never claimed to be sane!
Love and Other Drugs was very… naked!
Karla says
Amazing effort guys! Looks fantastic!
Carly says
Looks awesome! You guys did a great job! You’re such an inspiration for me to tackle the projects I’ve been putting off. And you’re totally right about Love & Other Drugs… luckily I saw it with my boyfriend.
Jenn from The Mustard Seed Blog says
The new outdoor space looks absolutely gorgeous!!! I cannot wait to see it in action for the party! This is so inspiring. We have a spacious patio outside of our condo but we haven’t done a thing to it. We do have some options even with our HOA and this project is really making me want to at least pressure wash it or do a paint treatment!