Installing Patio Pavers

Recently, I've been sharing our backyard makeover.  We started by adding a fence and then installing a patio.  The patio was seriously hard work and our diy installation included digging a giant hole, putting down a weed barrier, adding a 5 and a half ton layer of rocks, and about a three tons of sand.  Once all of that was complete, it was finally time to put down the actual patio pavers!

To make installation a bit easier, we decided on larger 16" square patio pavers rather than small cobblestone pavers.  We saved some serious dough by buying the pavers at Home Depot where were able to use a 10% off Home Depot mover's coupon.  We chose these BellaCobble Pavers by Pavestone.  Each 16" paver stone has a quarter circle design, so four pavers together make this circle motif:

We needed to do some more heavy hauling since the pavers were dropped off on our driveway and needed to be brought into the yard via wheelbarrow.  But once all of our groundwork was done, it was fairly simple to put down the patio pavers. The trick was to be patient to ensure the sand layer was level so the patio pavers were put down evenly.  However, to ensure proper drainage away from the house we sloped the patio by a few inches.

One by one, we put down each patio paver until we were finally done!

Once all of the pavers were down, we added more sand on top of the pavers and brushed it into the seams.  We finished up by watering down the entire patio area to solidify the sand and secure all of the pavers in place.

After a few weekends full of very hard work, we finally had our patio!  Of course, we still weren't done the total backyard renovation!  We still needed to add some furniture, decor, and plants.  Check back to see how we put the finishing touches on our backyard makeover.

This project is featured on Transformation Thursday.

Fall Natural Decor: Price Match Game

With Halloween over, it will soon be time to pack up my spooky Halloween decorations and replace them with less ghoulish autumn and winter decor.  I've come across some great fall and winter decor accents online and it's time to play another round of my price match game!  If you're not familiar, from time to time I seek out  very similar furniture and decor items in multiple stores and then match them up to see if the cheaper items can be distinguished from their pricier counterparts (check out the lighting fixtures and bedroom furniture comparisons for more fun).

First, up birch tree bark candles.  The warm fire from these rustic natural looking birch candles is sure to make you feel cozy.

Next, tree branch wall art prints.  For less than you think, you can add these modern tree branch art prints to your home.

Lastly, some more candles.  It's hard to tell these gourds and pumpkins are actually candles.

Now for the results!  Did your guess match up?


Birch Tree Bark Candles:
#1 Target:  $10 - $15
#2 Pottery Barn: $16 - $60

Tree Branch Wall Art:
#1 Target: $12.99
#2 Target: $12.99
#3 JC Penney: $69.99

Pumpkin & Gourd Shaped Candles:
#1 Williams-Sonoma: $39 (set of 4)
#2 Crate and Barrel: $2.95 - $5.95 each
#3 Crate and Barrel: $4.95 -$14.95 each
#4 Pottery Barn: $6 -$29 each


 This post is featured on Thrifty Thursday and Frugal Friday

DIY Patio Installation

Last week, I featured the start of our backyard renovation.  When we moved into our house, our small backyard was a complete blank state with just grass and a lone evergreen tree.  The yard desperately needed privacy and an area for barbecuing, dining, and entertaining.

We started our backyard makeover by installing a fence for privacy and to define our yard from the adjacent communal space and our neighbors' yards.  Once the fence was in, thanks to some muscle power from Rob, it was time to create a place where we could barbecue, eat, and relax.  We debated between a patio and a deck, but ultimately decided on a patio.  Because we could only get a 5 foot tall fence, a high-set deck would have towered over it and not provided us with enough privacy.  Instead, we chose a 20' x 20' patio which would be more private since it sits at ground-level.

After researching online, reading books from the library, and advice from friends we decided to install the patio ourselves.  But we quickly found out that a 400 square foot DIY patio installation is seriously hard work!  I think our poor muscles might still be hurting!

First, we needed to dig 8" deep across the entire patio area to dig up all of the grass and soil.  This was very strenuous, because it turns out that grass and soil are very heavy when you are digging big 8" thick chunks.  It took us about a day to dig out the entire patio area.

After the area was dug out, we needed somewhere to put the discarded sod.  Since our yard slopes down, we placed the sod chunks in the back of yard to level it out.

Next, we lined the patio area with a barrier landscaping cloth to hopefully prevent weeds from growing up between the patio stones.  Then, we put down a layer of rocks across the entire area.

The rocks were a challenging task as well because we had five and a half tons (literally) of rocks delivered to our house and dropped on our driveway.  Then we had to carry the rocks around the house to the backyard, one wheelbarrow at a time.

We made sure to put more rocks at the front so that the finished patio would slope down a bit for drainage.  Once the entire area was fully covered with rocks, we use a hand tamper to compact the rocks so they would form a solid base.  With help from our family, we were able to put down the rock base in one very long day.

Once the rock base was in place, our next step was to put down a 3 inch thick layer of sand over the entire patio area.  Using the wheelbarrow, we hauled 50 pound bags of sand around the house to the yard.  The sand was used to smooth out the bumpy rock base so there was a level area to put the patio pavers down. 

Once the sand layer was down, it was finally time to place down our patio pavers!  Stay tuned to see the pavers we chose and how we finished our DIY patio installation.

This project is featured on Diy Day, Metamorphosis Monday  and Knock Out Monday