The Backyard Patio Project - Check!

I am so behind on my postings. But you will understand why when I announce..."We're Done! We're Done! The Patio Project is Done!"

It took two months, a lot of money, and about two weeks off work, but the patio project is done!  

Just to remind you, here is the before:

And now for the after:

We added all hardscape, to include a 1000 sq ft paver patio, retaining wall, and shredded Juniper and pea gravel boarder.

The steps (all 22 of them) are made of railroad ties we scored for $10/piece, inlayed in left over paver stones.

I was opposed to a retaining wall, but my husband talked me into it, and now I'm happy with it.  It gives the patio another dimension and also adds seating.

We made my son a sandbox to play in and then got the idea to make the cover out of plywood coated with chalkboard paint.  So whether it's open or closed, there's something fun to do!

I love these trees!  They were $89/piece, but they are pretty sun tolerant, drought resistant, yet able to handle the freezing nights here.

The dual-hardscape was achieved by staking down weed paper and creating a boarder with ceder slats ($3.49 for 10').  The cedar slats were staked into place, then the entire thing was backfilled with pea gravel and Juniper shavings.

Instead of traditional hard-wired lights, we opted to hang solar lanterns ($39 for 4) using plant hangers on the fence.

All the plants are fairly drought resistant, so we need very little water to make things bloom.  The downside is, most of these plants are nearly upgraded weeds, so they need to be cut back every year to prevent them from overtaking the yard.

Off the left, you can see my dog's pee pole, which we turned into a directional sting.  The big rectangular structure (also to the left)--an afterthought--has become a large fire pit.

I found this porch swing for $120 at Big Lots.  It doesn't match perfectly, but seriously, how cute, right?

The Firepit - So easy to make!

We decided to use pea gravel instead of bark to backfill the retaining wall.  I think it draws in the hillside and doesn't compete with the hardscape.

This will one day house crawling purple flowers.  I saw this on Pinterest, and it ends up looking like wine spilling out of the barrel.  The flowers are still seeding, but we found some beautiful perennials, so once they bloom, we will have the blooms year after year.  My husband had to install a mister in order to water these.

The stairs.  We are still backfilling the area with rocks, but they are a bit hard to find.

My husband made me this adorable herb garden.  Another idea from Pinterest.  Can't wait until it's done, because I love fresh herbs for cooking.

Related articles

• We must be crazy putting in a paver patio in the snow!
• Paver Patio Update

Seems Like We're Building A Staircase to Heaven (feels like Hell though)

This was suppose to be the staircase to heaven.  It's turning out to be the staircase of hell!  But almost a month later, this is the progress we've made.

In case you ever get a contractor's bid for a landscaped staircase on a hill, and you think, "No way, that's too much," let me warn you that they're not crazy...it's adequately prices for the labor involved. 

This was our inspiration...and hopefully what the stairs will look like when we finish.  The only difference is we used railroad ties instead of 4x4's and our yard is a lot--I mean a lot--steaper.

Here is the before picture.  The stairs will come down the right-hand side, just to the South of the deck.

Slow going...this was the first two steps which were started about a month ago.

A little progress...

In order to make it all the way up, we had to bend around some of the larger lava rocks.  That's ok though; I think it gives the whole thing character.

It's a good thing we didn't need a permit for these...some are higher, some shorter, some longer, some square, some trapezoids.

Almost to the top...

Just keep building, just keep building...

Holy staircase of hell!

Twenty-two steps.  That's how many it took to get to the top.  But they are done and ready to be filled now.

Related articles

• We must be crazy putting in a paver patio in the snow! (newlydomesticblog.com)

Paver Patio Update

Ten looonnnggg days later this is where we stand!  My husband recovered with a bath of Epson salts, a big meal, and 10 hours of sleep.  Not only did this project give me a new backyard, but a new husband, too!  He's lost a whopping 25 pounds!

The weather permitted the last pavers to be set yesterday morning.

Once the pavers were set, the sand was brushed on the top and into the cracks.

Using a rented compactor, the sand was compacted down into the pavers.

Then the sand was brushed off, leaving a paver patio that is up to five times stronger than concrete (according to the cement warehouse we bought the pavers from).

 A big thanks to Cement Manufacturing Products in Redmond, Oregon, who delivered the pavers, showed us how to do the entire project, and even came back to move the pallets for us to a more convenient location.  What an awesome crew!

Also thank you to Jesse Anstat who helped my husband excavate the entire thing.

Thanks to my husband, who worked his butt off to do this whole thing!

I only have one "no thanks" for you.  A big "no thanks" to Hooker Creek Equipment who we rented the excavator from.  They asked us for $300 to repair a toe that broke on their excavator within the first hour (hmmm...do you think it was cracked to begin with???).  We argued with them that if we were renting a car, and the tire blew, we wouldn't be charged for that, so we shouldn't have to pay to weld a toe that broke on a excavator, especially since they do not offer insurance on the equipment.  They did not give in, but did lower the repair cost, so it only cost us $180 for the fix, plus $350 for the rental, so over $500 to rent an excavator for the weekend!  No thanks!

--

Now for decorating the darn patio, which I haven't a clue on how to do.  Can anyone offer suggestions?

Related articles

• We must be crazy putting in a paver patio in the snow! (newlydomesticblog.com)

We must be crazy putting in a paver patio in the snow!

We will never admit when we've bitten off more than we can chew.  Note that I said admit.  That doesn't mean that we've never had to tear down one of our projects and re-do it when we figured out the correct way.  Or, the serious moment of buyer's remorse when we entered our newly purchased home and realized it was merely a set of stringers and logs on the water.

Yes, we've definitely taken on our share of challenges.  And what doesn't kill you, is likely to grow your property value.

This is the latest project: a paver patio and set of stairs for our sloped 1/4 acre desert backyard.  We were planning on hiring out the work using some of the cash from the sale of our houseboat.  But after a $4,000 bid for the stairs alone, we retreated and decided to do the work ourselves.  Ok, so my husband decided to do the work himself.

Here are the pictures from beginning to now:

The Stairs to the Patio.  I didn't know how we were going to tackle this.  It's just a hillside made of lava rock with no way down to the bottom.

Days later, this is the only progress made trying to "carve" steps out of the hillside.

It was about this time that I was screaming, "What the ---- have you done to our yard!"

Bring in the heavy machinery!  With an excavator that we rented, we were able to dig a pathway down too the bottom in a matter of hours.  Now for the steps...

Using some old railroad ties, concrete blocks, used all-thread from my husband's work, and make-shift scaffolding from two car jacks, my husband has managed to build two stairs in two days.

Each step requires drilling through the railroad tie, and sometimes the lava rock below, and holding into place with foot-long all-thread.

All the meanwhile, work on the paver patio begins.  We were worried that the snow would prevent us from excavating, but thanks to an expert friend, we plowed through the excavation and gravel laying in two days.

Day two of the excavation and the site was leveled, gravel was down and compacted.  We ended up having to make our patio two levels because the ground was too uneven and too much dirt would have to be excavated to make it a single level.  The step down was finished, and we were ready for pavers on Sunday.  Then it snowed until Thursday.

After the ground was compacted, my husband spray painted the dimensions of the patio out so we could get a visual.  It's actually much smaller than anticipated!  Yeah!  Less money!

A view of the patio and where the staircase will come down.

All compacted and ready to go--pre-snow.

My husband decided to add a ramp to one side of the patio stairs so we could move things easier, like lawn equipment.

Waiting for pavers...

Thursday (Day 7 since excavation).  Snow is finally melting enough to install pavers (on the right side of the picture).

Patio install begins.  This is the easy part!

Stay tuned for updates on how the project is going.  Hoping to have it close to done by the end of the month!  Given it ever stops snowing!

Related articles

• Patio Project on a Budget (newlydomesticblog.com)