Adventures with a patio

[Mr_Yan]

Well I am a few weeks into my formal patio project. Hope to set the pavers in place over a long Memorial day 5 day long weekend.

So when I moved in here there was a concrete driveway slab along the whole south side of my house and it was slanted so water ran toward my foundation. Needless to say that had to go. Several hours with a sledge hammer and 36" wrecking bar later that concrete was removed.


With that concrete out of the way I could finish the fence and gate arbor to define the yard and make it more ready for a dog.


Then we started layout for the sand base


And in the process yesterday we may have hit a few roots from a tree that had to be removed 4 years ago.

I have more sand to move and this weekend we will start the paver install using a herringbone pattern.

 

[Sheal]

Wow! The preparation has been tough work. I like the herringbone pattern you've chosen and look forward to seeing it finished - I bet you are too.

 

[Tetters]

Impressive job! Look out Mr Motivator, you have competition! As Sheal said it will be good to see the finished job.
Will you be rescuing a dog from a shelter? Do you have one (or two) in mind? What breeds do you get on with best?

 

[Mr_Yan]

I'll post more photos as this progresses. That was kinda my idea for this thread. But I'll move the dog talk to a different thread to keep this as patio.

Well maybe this will extend to the steps I had to tear out, the steps I'll have to build, and the pergola I will build to keep the patio on the south side of the house from turning into a griddle in the afternoon sun.

 

[Tetters]

Fair enough. If the pergola is anything like as smart as the woodwork over that side gate it will look fantastic.

 

[olly-buckle]

Hope your dog can't jump. My 'Towser' was a Springer Collie cross. One day in the village shop a man told me he had found him in with his two bitches and ejected him, "I wondered how he got in, and then he came straight back in over my six foot fence."

 

[Mr_Yan]

The pergola will simply be a scaled up version of that gate arbor. The gate is 4x4 uprights, with 2x8 main crosses, and 2x4 top pieces. The pergola will be 4x6 or 6x6 legs, 2x10 main crosses and 2x6 top pieces. Over the top of that I will either run wire or a cattle panel for plant support and train grapes (or trumpet vine) up the legs and over the top.

I don't know about the west end of the pergola. It will need something both as a evening sun shied and as a wall against the street. Long term I want a bloodgood Japanese maple in the area between the west end of the pergola, the fence, the gate arbor and that bay window.

Landscaping this well will be a job in itself.

 

[Tetters]

The pergola will simply be a scaled up version of that gate arbor. The gate is 4x4 uprights, with 2x8 main crosses, and 2x4 top pieces. The pergola will be 4x6 or 6x6 legs, 2x10 main crosses and 2x6 top pieces. Over the top of that I will either run wire or a cattle panel for plant support and train grapes (or trumpet vine) up the legs and over the top.

I don't know about the west end of the pergola. It will need something both as a evening sun shied and as a wall against the street. Long term I want a bloodgood Japanese maple in the area between the west end of the pergola, the fence, the gate arbor and that bay window.

Landscaping this well will be a job in itself.

....and when you've finished, I'm sure you won't mind popping over and building one for me will you

 

[Mr_Yan]

Little bit of eye candy for you but I'm tired and not going to surf the forum...

Been a long day - started around 6 AM

Moved 9/4 yards of sand, which was compacted, skreeded, watered, and skreeded again.

Started laying pavers. That shot with only about 20 pavers on the ground was at 6:30 tonight. The shot with much more done was at 8:15 tonight.

 

[Tetters]

That looks like a job being completed in a very professional manner. It will be impressive indeed when you have finished it.
Would it not be a better plan to slow down a bit @Mr_Yan ? If you work a few less hours, and stretch it a couple more days or so, you won't end the day, every day, feeling so exhausted.
I think you should listen to Aunty Tetters and do as you're told

 

[Meadowlark]

My back hurts when I look at those photos.

 

[Mr_Yan]

My back hurts when I look at those photos.

three points of contact when lifting and setting the pavers, both knees and one hand on the ground

knee pads are required

 

[Mr_Yan]

That looks like a job being completed in a very professional manner. It will be impressive indeed when you have finished it.
Would it not be a better plan to slow down a bit @Mr_Yan ? If you work a few less hours, and stretch it a couple more days or so, you won't end the day, every day, feeling so exhausted.
I think you should listen to Aunty Tetters and do as you're told View attachment 268

You kinda sound like Mrs Yan. Someday. Maybe.
Last night Mrs Yan told me to stop and eat dinner at almost sunset. I did. Then I got up with dawn and started again today.

Right now I am racing two things (1) vacation scheduled from work for this project and (2) weather forecast.

I'm guessing that Aunty @Tetters doesn't remember having a full time job and grade school kids at home plus trying to get things done.

 

[Meadowlark]

knee pads are required

You can say that again...knee pads are an absolute requirement as we age. Somehow the natural padding there disappears with age...at least for me.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Another photo update:

We stopped the fast work to do some of the finish edging. This way we can start using the actual entrance gate to move pavers in on the wagon and the dolly handcart which sped up the process. Now we have a heavy duty wagon and two dollys to move stones with.

Here are pics of the entry with edging and a large shot of the field when we took a break at 4 PM because of a thunderstorm. I was back out after dinner and set several more square feet.

We left piles of blocks staged plus both dollys and the wagon laoded with stones on the patio ready to start tomorrow.

 

[Tetters]

I'm guessing that Aunty @Tetters doesn't remember having a full time job and grade school kids at home plus trying to get things done.

 

[Tetters]

I remember very very well - working full time on the fields, with three kids in tow to make ends meet. The death of their father in a crash, rebuilding a house on my own with help from the kids. Running a business from my garden for a few years, saving up for a bit of land, running a campsite on it for another 40 years,and having a full time job as well in that time. Second husband got sick and died. Worked my full time job from home as self employed....still working until the pandemic hit. Had just met Zigs then. The jab caused me heart attack first, then stroke, but still determined to get my gardens straight. I'll be 80 in a couple of weeks time..... what has life taught me?
Look after your health if you want to keep your life and your family intact. Learn to pace it out. Choose sensible priorities, and listen intently to Mrs Yan as she obviously cares about YOU.

 

[Sheal]

The passing of time catches up with us but we never forget what's gone before, good or bad.

 

[Mr_Yan]

@Tetters, I expected something like that but had no clue about the details. Didn't want to drag this down. Sorry.

This type of thing is both my therapy and my exercise. I spend 60+ hours a week over a computer driving a mouse that I need to move earth with shovels and the like.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Few more pics

Didn't make it to 70 F today. Misting for most of the morning and I spent the whole day wearing a North Face quarter zip and a wool beanie hat. Don't think the sky cleared up enough for the sun to cast shadows at all.

My back is fine but my shoulders and arms are done. That beer was REALLY heavy to lift.

Drinking coffee, water, tea, and Bells Two Hearted IPA.
Listened to the last of an audio book in the Expanse series Leviathan Falls

And it was the Memorial day parade where my eldest kid was in the marching band so had to take a break for that.