Build a new paver patio
Do you have an unused corner of your G just begging for a makeover ? There ’s certainly not much to look at in the before photograph above . But with some easy - to - find materials and a few days of work , you could transform a blah space like this into an inviting lam .
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Sometimes it ’s nice to have a terrace leak away from the house ! At 14½ ft . long and 9½ ft . wide , this one has plenty of room for furniture and a few friends to move around without tripping over each other . On the other handwriting , you wo n’t experience lonely even if you ’re the only one revel a aurora cup of deep brown and listen to the Bronx cheer .
Save money with a DIY paver patio
Do n’t dismiss those concrete pavers you see at most home base melioration stores . Sure , they ’re inexpensive , but they do n’t have to look like you could n’t spare the alteration for stone . It ’s all in how you put them together . By using a simple shape , we created a advanced look and saved some serious cash to kick . Would you consider the terrace installation was only around $ 650 ? Doing the work yourself will save a big money . Here ’s how we installed the patio in the exposure above .
Step 1: Prepare the base
Measure the blank space for the terrace and mark it out with post and string . This one is 14½ ft . long and 9½ ft . wide . curb to be sure it ’s straight by measuring diagonally across the patio . The two measurements should match . If not , align the stakes until they do .
Excavate 6 in . of soil to fit 3 in . of gravel , 1 in . of sand and the 2 - in . thickheaded hearty pavers . The exposure above designate you an easy hint for checking the depth — put a patch of tape on the shovel so you know how deep to dig .
When you ’re done digging , run down the soil until its even , and cease it off with a screed — a 2×4 cut the width of the terrace used for flush . With the board level , pull it unwaveringly from one ending to another . Check out the picture above to see this tool in action .
Step 2: Add the aggregate
Gravel gives your patio a solid origination so it wo n’t sink subsequently . We used limerock gravel because it ’s economical in our area and the ½- to 1 - in . Harlan F. Stone compress well . Dump the first consignment in the recess andrakeit into a Allium tricoccum for the wheelbarrow like we did in the photo above . It ’s easier to get in and out that way .
Shovel all the gravel in then rake it liquid with themulch rakein the photo above . Double - mark off the astuteness with a ruler . If it ’s off the 3 - in . depth by more than ½ in . either way , poke out or tot up more stuff . habituate the screed to level the crushed rock , then thetamperin the inset to compress the crushed rock .
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Add 1 in . of sand , screed it and check for horizontal surface .
Step 3: Install the pavers
Place the first 16 - in . square concrete paver in a corner , as we did in the photo above , and work out from there , checking each one to be sure it ’s level as you go . Make any adjustments by add together or brushing away sand .
Lay one spacer snug to a paver and place another paver the right way next to it . you could see in the photo above that it ’s possible to lay down several pavers at once this way and be certain they ’re space correctly .
line up the position of the pavers with awhite rubber mallet , if needed . It wo n’t leave marks like a black mallet will .
Step 3: Give it an edge
To keep the patio firmly in place , we went withplastic paver edgingbecause it ’s so leisurely to bow and install . You may involve to dig out a little more grime to make room for it next to the pavers .
take the declamatory plastic spike into the ground with a malleus at regular intervals to hold the edging in topographic point . When it ’s all done , cover the base with grime .
Step 4: Fill between the spaces
tally about ½ in . of crushed rock between pavers to help stabilize the stick . Then sweep crushed granite between the pavers with a broom like we did in the photo above .
Sometimes called turkey grit , this small stone is very sparing . It ’s useable at your local feed store . We paid $ 10 for a 50 - pound . pocketbook . The inset shows another handy tip we discovered : Use the spacers as a tamper to help settle the crushed granite into place .
Once the punishing work is done , now come up the fun part : plan your paver patio!you may scan about decorating your terrace here . Also see the planting plans for the containers and for thegarden bed besiege the terrace .
