If you can install a patio in the backyard of your house it will no doubt be an attractive feature. There are lot of stone or brick type models from which you can select the one which is more suitable to your expectations and is the most liked by you. Engaging some stone patio contractors can be very costly. So in this article I am going to explain how a stone patio can be constructed in the backyard of your house as a DIY project.
Overview of how to build stone patio
Building a casual free-form design patio will be a relaxing and creative activity as it does not necessitate any worrying regarding matters like precise cutting and filling. Even though it may seem like a big project, once you read this article you will understand that it is not very complicated as you used to think earlier.
Select a suitable site
As a first step towards building a patio in your existing plot, one has to find a suitable site in the backyard of his house. The following aspects have to be considered while selecting the spot.
Shade: The sight you are selecting should be a sight where there is sufficient shade. If there is no shade, do not forget to plant trees there immediately so that by the time the patio is completed they would have started growing up.
Drainage: Select a spot that is having good drainage facility. Do not select low spots. A spot with a slight slop will be the most suitable one.
Order stone and base materials
In patios we often think about stones and bricks only. But things like landscape fabric, sand, gravel etc also have to be procured for constructing a patio. If your brick supplier is not having some of these products you can check online and order through them. Depending on the soil of your plot you may need 4 to 10 inches thick layer of gravel. Less gravel is required for sandy soil. Over the bed of gravel one inch layer of coarse washed sand will have to be spread as an attempt to fill the cracks between stones and bricks.
Flatten the base and pack
For creating a channel for draining of the water you will have to do some digging. Before starting digging, it will be better to make a string line through the middle of the patio in the direction in which you want the water to drain. Slop of the string has to be adjusted to 1 inch per 10 feet. With the help of this string the depth of holes can be gauged and set the slop of the entire base. You will have to remove dirt and put it in a suitable place. This can be done by hiring an excavator and skid loader and truck to dig and remove the dirt. If the soil is soggy or soft you will have to put more gravel to make the base stable. Before filling the area you have to spread landscape fabric at least 6 inch beyond the boundary of the patio
Lay stone border
To get even on the top follow these steps. Measure the thickness of some stones from which one can find the average thickness of each stone. Adjust the depth of the sand so as to compensate for the difference in thickness Set up strings around the area parallel to the base as reference. Setting the stones will need time and patience. Try to stagger the joints as you fit stones so that they join well leaving a gap of about 1 mm.
Lay the bricks
Simple running bond is the pattern suitable and commonly used and easy for laying for patios. Start to screed a layer so that it ends up 3/8 inch above the top surface of the stone. Drawing chalk lines on the sand will help you to keep the bricks running straight. Fill the area with bricks. With the help of a diamond blade used for wet cutting the bordering brick can be cut.
Spread sand
After completing the setting of the bricks, you will have to run compactor over them so that a level surface is created. If the sand is damp you will have to spread it before you start to sweep it into the cracks so that it becomes dry. The patio construction can now be finished by landscaping the area around the patio.
In this manner if one is dedicated and determined he can himself create a patio in the backyard of his house avoiding the costly and troublesome patio contractors. lagrass
