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DIY Patio Update #2

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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

Last week I introduced you to the huge DIY patio project we’re in the midst of. (If you missed the intro post, you can check it out HERE.) Well, the past week has been full of lots of and lots of hard work, but we’ve made some awesome progress!
Although my mind is completely preoccupied with planning our first patio party, and all the fun accessorizing DIYs I can’t wait to get started on, I had to stick to the Patio Plan and stay focused! Our last post ended with us beginning to measure and plan. Here’s what we’ve accomplished since then!

Step # 3- Measure & Plan
Now, we already had our plan on paper and even roughly spray painted on the grass, but now it was time for the dreaded exact numbers.  Now, I’ll admit, my hubs is one smart guy (remember, Chemist by day, DIYer by night?) but we called in the big guns for this one.
Meet Mark & Connie
(you might remember their guest room??)
Well these two love math and nerdy stuff, so we said hey come over for dinner and help us do patio math.  They couldn’t resist the offer.  I’m not going to give you all the exact equations etc (because I don’t understand them) but I’ll just emphasize that the math does matter.
We used string tied on to rebar to get straight lines. 
We marked, measured, did little intersection things etc..
Then it was time to DIG! I helped with this part (some of it at least).  Eric used the pickaxe and I’ll shovel in the wheelbarrow and dump.  Fun Times, let me tell ya.
We’ve had a TON of rain lately and we live in ROCKhill Township, so it took a while to get the entire thing dug.  I loved seeing the outline begin to take shape!
While we were digging, look what arrived from Stone Depot and EP Henry?
We didn’t have time to waste, so we were on to
Step #4- Remove the Patio Grass
Nothing fancy to this part, just dig away at the grass and haul it into the woods.  By this point Eric was still okay with me saying, “Wait! Pose! Let me take a picture!”  Not so much anymore! I knew it would ware off eventually!
Another Delivery! This is the 3/4 Modified stone that goes down first.
Step # 5- Build Boarder Wall
The first part to building the wall was filling in the trench we just dug! WHAT??!!  I was totally not cool with this at first.  It seemed like a waste, but the wall needs a solid foundation.
We filled the trench with stone, raked it, and tamped.  What Eric is using is a tamp.  You just bang it really hard over and over and over.  Again, fun times!
My job was to bring load after load after load of stone.  It was a good upper body workout!
Oops! Step # 4.5- Run Electrical Wires
We almost forgot about this step.  We’re adding lights on the sitting wall, and four pillar lights.  Eric did all the electrical himself because he’s experienced in this area, but if you’re a rookie, call in a pro to help.
Finally we were ready to lay some pavers!  These were the first ones and I can’t tell you how excited I was when they went in!
 There are some definite DIY tips and tricks we’ve learned about building a wall, so we’ll be back next week with a post chock-full of helpful tips!
So, how are we doing so far?  
Any guesses on how long this DIY is going to take us? 

The comments +

  1. Stacey M says:

    Looks great so far. 🙂 I can imagine that every aspect of that job is quite a work out. Kepp the pics coming (and helpful tips… we need a patio too!)… and hey… w/ the sponsor spots, I’d guess those pics are helping pay for that patio, so smile & say cheese! =D

  2. BeingBrook says:

    Oh my gosh you must be sore! I bet it will be amazing. I would totally need measuring help too!

  3. 2busy says:

    Holy cow! That looks like a ton of work. You will certainly enjoy it when you are through.

  4. Looks amazing. I love the picture of Mark and Connie.

  5. Shaunna says:

    Girl, that is AMAZING. Kudos to y’all for tackling such a huge project! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
    🙂
    shaunna

  6. carrie says:

    How exciting ! Can’t wait to see the finished project (like you, I’m sure !). Remember to hydrate…and take breaks, strenuous work to say the least 🙂

  7. Debbie says:

    That is going to be awesome! Maybe 1month? Are you thinking of staining the concrete? Can’t wait to see photos as it moves along

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