Patio!

It's SUMMER project time!  As you know, every summer brings a big project to our house and this year it's a NEW PATIO!  I can't find a before picture for your viewing pleasure, but imagine a big rectangle of dirt with some gravel and a few paving stones thrown in, got it?  Yep, that's what this area under our deck looked like.  I'm turning 30 this year, whoa, and Bryce decided we should have a patio so that the backyard looks great for an outdoor BBQ party.  He was trying to decide if he should start with a patio or the sprinkler system out back when a very wise friend (Jeremy) said that he should do the patio first, so he can sit on it and drink a beer while contemplating the sprinkler system.       

                                                                                                                                                

                                     

 Our friend Rick suggested bringing the brick out here to the slab that comes off the stairs from the deck so you don't have to walk/trip through the grass to get to the patio.

 And then when we had lots of extra brick my mom suggested bringing it out in front of the slider so that again you don't have to walk on the grass to get to the patio but also dogs and kids will have a few more feet  to clean their feet off before getting in the house.

Bryce really got a work out doing this project, to properly prepare to lay a patio he had to dig out about 6 inches, then fill in with gravel, compact the gravel, and then fill in with sand.  The sand had to be leveled and compacted as well (this all sounds so quick and easy just writing it out, but it was several evenings of hard labor). Then the brick laying was quick!  And thanks to the wise Jeremy for coming over and helping with the brick laying.  Then he had to put down more sand to fill in between the bricks as well as put in a barrier on the edge so that the bricks won't move out into the yard.  We were really surprised at how HUGE this area is now that it's not a dirt patch.  We are loving it!  At least we will be as soon as it stops raining and we can go sit on it and contemplate the next project!