Archives :: Patio
- Posted
- June 5, 2008
- Finished patio. Table, dog not included
One of my projects this summer was to put in a backyard patio. There was a bare spot in the grass right by the back door that was completely shaded by the house and our huge oak tree, so this seemed like the perfect place.
The first aspect I considered was size. I had read that many people size their patios too small, then are disappointed when their outdoor table barely fits. To avoid this, I set out all the things we would want to put on the patio, then made sure to size the area accordingly. This meant, for one thing, taking account of the size of the table and chairs not just in storage mode but also in usage mode (with the chairs pulled out). Since we want to use a grill and fire pit on our patio, and since the patio is a partial replacement for a broken old sidewalk, I chose a 12 foot by 8 foot area to pave.
Once I removed the sections of broken sidewalk, I started in on the patio by carefully staking out the excavation area using a square. Since I used plastic retaining strips, I had to calculate an extra four inches on all sides. The excavation itself was time-consuming and physically taxing. In retrospect, I should have rented some kind of excavation machine as the digging was literally two solid days of prison-labor-camp style work. While a 12 by 8 area is not that large, digging it out to the 8 inch depth required is no small task. If you live in an area that does not freeze in the winter, you may not need to dig to this depth. The 8 inch excavation depth is largely to prevent the patio from “heaving up” when the ground beneath it freezes.
- The patio area, staked and excavated.
Drainage is always to be carefully planned with any patio, for a couple of reasons. First, rain and snow should shed away from the house to prevent water entering the basement or getting under the foundation. The second reason for proper drainage on a patio is that if water is allowed to pool beneath the paved area and then freeze, the paved area can “heave up” leaving an uneven surface. Some sources have claimed that the slope for proper patio drainage should be a quarter inch per foot, but I found this to be too severe to set a table on. I ended up using about two inches on the long (12 foot) side, and about one inch on the short (8 foot) side. This seems to drain fine. Our yard is on a hill, so I made sure that the slope both follows the hill and carries water away from the house.
- Levelling and checking the excavation depth.
The next step was to add the base. I chose to use granite as the crushed stone base because it compacts very well, even with a hand tamper (which is the tool I used). I put a layer of landscaping fabric between the four inches of crushed stone and the two-inch layer of levelling sand to inhibit future weed growth. I used an old two-by-four as a screed for the sand layer, carefully making sure it was level and even throughout with the slope I had chosen.
- Compacting the layer of crushed stone.
Finally, I started laying the bricks. The pavers I chose are concrete paving bricks, specially made for patios and paved surfaces. They have little raised guides on the edges that are supposed to make sure the bricks are evenly spaced. These usually did their job, but sometimes made the bricks hard to fit together. As I laid each brick, I tapped it into place using a rubber mallet, then checked level. I installed the plastic retainer with 12 inch spikes as I went to make sure none of the brick courses got too confined. The last step, which had to be repeated, was to fill the gaps between the laid bricks with play sand (not levelling sand) using a broom.
- Laying the paving bricks on the levelled sand layer.
Laying this patio was a lot of work, and took about four days to complete in total. I could have decreased this workload if I had rented some excavating equipment, and I would absolutely do so if I ever do another patio. I found a great local company that delivered all the materials I needed (crushed stone, sand, bricks, retainer) for about a third of what everything would have cost at one of those big home improvement warehouse stores (about $450 for everything). The tools I found indispensable are: stakes, twine, digging equipment (see above), mason's level, hand tamper, wheelbarrow, and rubber mallet.
The patio has been a great addition to our back yard, allowing us to sit outside without being in the grass or mud, grill on a steady surface, and have a fire in the pit without killing the yard. I would recommend putting one in to anyone who has the space and enjoys being outside in the summer.
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