DIY Backyard Patio Remodel

Work is never done.  What we're working on now is something I've been wanting to do for years, ever since we took out the lawn and put in my new landscaping design with the path.  One day, I drew up a plan on graph paper and showed it to Mike.  The next thing I know, he was making it happen.  He ripped out the grass, moved the fountain to the center of the yard and removed the brick on the concrete patio and he relocated it out in the yard to my design of a path meandering around the fountain and going to different sections in the yard.  Then we painted the concrete patio where the brick used to be. 

Now, we're taking out the old concrete patio and replacing it with some pretty cobblestone looking pavers from Home Depot made by Basalite.  One of Mike's customer's works for Basalite and is getting us a deal on these.   The color we picked is a darkish grey, not shown here.

4 in. Square 4 Cobble Positano

Originally, we were thinking of putting in a composite decking material and then priced that verses redwood.  We also thought of just leaving the concrete and taking out the planter that ran alongside the house, filling it in with new concrete and just painting the whole concrete patio with patio paint like we did before in the light grey.  The real problem being that when it rains, the water pools up alongside the house because it slopes downward and there are lots of uneven spots and cracks in the concrete.  The cracks weren't really a big issue because they could have been repaired.  All in all, it was the sloping and pooling that decided it.  Removing this concrete is going to be a big job for the boys as it's about four inches thick.  Not sure if it has rebar or not. 

The corner showing where the planter alongside the house has been removed.

The water lines and hose hook up are being relocated today.  Happy those things will be out of the way.  After this is all completed, I'm going to get the phone company out here to clean up all the unsightly phone lines.  The phone company have made a mess of things over the years and the guy keeps telling me that one day they'll clean it up.  Little do they know that day is soon arriving.

We want to have another little garden party this summer.  This time, if our schedule allows,  we'll make it a wine tasting event. 

I have one more section of the backyard that needs some new ideas.  It's my old stone path that leads around to a dry creek bed which has a little bridge Mike built to go over the rock bed.  We have a liquid amber tree that has roots that are invading my path and lifting up the stones and causing raised sections that are a tripping hazard.  So, I'm thinking of taking them all up, putting in a path of some 3/4 inch river stones and setting the large stepping stones centered along the path.  Then taking the leftover ones and putting in a small patio under the arbor which is at the end of the path.  I'll have to get some pictures to show you.  Will post next time.