Building a backyard patio is lots of fun, and will be a great addition to your landscape. The perfect use of a patio is in front of a double sliding door. By installing a patio you will decrease the amount of dirt that is carried on the shoes of people coming through the door. The outside area will also appear more finished and inviting. You only need some simple items to complete your patio, and depending on the size you are constructing it may be complete in as little as 3 hours! We just added a backyard concrete block patio, so in this article I’ll go over the steps to complete your own!
First you will need to head to the nearest home improvement stores such as Menards, Home Depot or Lowes. Select the stones you wish to make your patio with. I’ll give instructions for using a 16 by 16 square stone. These stones come in a variety of colors. Choose the color you feel will look the best with your house color and the surrounding landscape. Purchase enough to fit in the desired spot as well as 3-4 extra for any accidents or mismeasurements. You will also need to purchase loose lime or sand. Purchase enough to cover the area where you want the patio with 2-3 inches of material. This sand or lime will provide a base for your patio and a smooth surface for you to lay the stones. The only specialty tool you need is a compacter. You can rent a gas powered compacter, or purchase a hand compacter. This is pretty much just a pole with a flat piece of iron that you can pound on the ground to compact it.
After you have your materials purchased you are ready to get to work. Bring all the supplies to the location of the new patio. If you have existing grass, you will need to use a shovel to pull all the turf up. If there is no grass growing, you can lay down the sand. Level the sand using a rack and be sure to gently slope the sand away from the door. This is very important because you don’t want the water running towards your house.
Once the sand is level, you need to compact it. Compact it until the sand appears very firm. If you are using a hand compacter pound away! You will need to relevel it at this point to be sure the slope is maintained.
You are now ready to lay the stones. Lay them one by one and start in the center. As you lay them one by one, level each one before moving onto the next. Lay them as close as you can to each other to prevent a big gap. When you feel that you have the stone just where you want it, you can move onto the next one. Lay each stone one by one, level the rows and continue until you are complete with your patio.
After the stones are all laid, you will want to throw some more loose lime or sand over the stones. Brush the sand into the cracks between the stones. It is also good to water the patio so that the sand will harden and the stones can settle completely. Be sure to relevel to ensure proper water runoff.
After all this work, which sounds so simple, your patio will be complete! So, if you have a place in your yard where you think you could make a patio, follow these simple instructions. Before you know it, your patio will be complete, and you’ll be ready to enjoy it!
