Boy, was I happy to finish this project. It was so unrewarding for so long but it most definitely paid off in the end. It did take a little bit longer than I anticipated because I had to wait for someone's help with the concrete stones. I couldn't maneuver the 60 lb. bags of concrete (or the stones) by myself. Of course that frustrated me to no end but I worked in the garden and searched for patio furniture while I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. (Just kidding, honey!)
This project also required many trips to the hardware store and to the landscape supply store since I didn't want to get anything delivered. Something about the delivery driver driving over my garden and dragging one of my big landscape rocks 100 feet down the street last time he was here made me a little hesitant about another big delivery. Of course that frustrated the landscape supply company to the point where we actually exchanged words in the landscape supply office. Someone was actually called a four-year-old (him). But after loading bag after bag after bag of sand and concrete in the back of my station wagon, I finally filled the giant hole that eventually became our new patio.
More about our big patio pavers here. Wood bench and lounger from Cost Plus. Pillows and chair cushions from Home Depot. Footstools from IKEA last summer. Chairs from our local Ace Hardware.
The patio has transformed our whole yard. It gives our yard purpose and has totally redefined the space. I would totally do it again in a heartbeat. Maybe not this summer, or the next, or the next one after that but maybe three summers from now. Yeah, three summers from now in a heartbeat.
As I've mentioned, I planted creeping thyme between the pavers with the hopes that it will completely fill the spaces in. It's only been a couple of weeks and it is starting to do just that. I put pea gravel in the space between the pavers and the house. Nothing can grow there and I thought it looked better than just plain dirt. It'll also help with drainage when I put the window boxes up and start watering.
And turning the stone border into a little wall wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It came together naturally, which surprised me. But I've heard that's how these wall things can settle themselves out.
There you have it! It was all done with a shovel, level, hand tamper, rubber mallet, some sand, some gravel, some concrete, and a ton of determination (especially for that digging part). Now there's only one thing left to do, enjoy it!
