Backyard Patio


Backyard Patio
	We decided to put a patio in our backyard and since I've always wanted to try pavers, I designed a brick patio. Here is a before picture. The design is complete and the layout if finished at this point.
	Here is another before picture, looking the opposite direction.
	The heavy equipment has arrived, the real work can start now!
	Way cool mini diesel bobcat. You more wear it than drive it.
	It is only 30 inches wide and will fit through a typical garden gate. I made it through the gate a few times before I bumped it and snapped the post off at ground level. After that I was able to drive a lot faster. In my defense, the post was rotted most of the way through. My son still enjoys telling everyone that I took it out. Another smaller view here.
	It was amazing how fast the sod was removed with the bobcat. Almost half done in about 15 minutes. The leveling and excavation for the planter section took a few more hours but well worth every penny of the rental fees. It would have taken my son and I a couple of backbreaking weeks to do it all by hand. When I filled the tank on the way back to the rental yard it only took about 3/4 gallon of diesel.
	The refuse company didn't deliver the ten yard dumpster on time so the backyard was placed onto the driveway. Then when the dumpster was finally delivered, all the material had to be moved from the driveway to the dumpster by wheelbarrow. My daughter and her boyfriend took care of most of the pile. When we were finished the dumpster was completely full. My estimate at the debris to haul away was very close. There was a pile of soil leftover that we donated to a friends goat hill.
	The boy gets a few tips on running the bobcat.
	Then Tia gave it a go. She wasn't too happy with the whole experience.
	The Jeep gets a new parking space courtesy of the sod and dirt removed from the back yard. As if my neighbors didn't already think I was nuts.
	The forms going in for the planter on the right and the patio on the left.
	The first of many sessions under the lights. Tia and Arron mixing concrete with an Odjob mixer. Dump a bag of saccrete into the mixer, add one lid full of water, roll the mixer back and forth on the ground for about 30 seconds and dump out well mixed concrete.
	We are pouring the concrete footing for the planter. My son and daughter were mixing the concrete and dumping in the forms and I was following behind finishing.
	The planter footings are complete.
	Laying up the cinder block back of the planter. Every other hole in the block was filled with concrete and keyed to the footing with rebar. Tia and Arron became very proficient at mixing concrete.
	My wife's cousin's husband Eric shows how to fill block with concrete. Notice the intense look of concentration on his face.
	My wife's cousin, Denise, was using an electric chainsaw I modified to cut the trench for the new sprinkler feeder line. The soil is basically clay and has the consistency of concrete. Since I wanted to minimize disturbing the soil, I made the mini trencher. The PVC pipe fit snuggly into the trench and the tamper on my digging bar compacted the clay right back into place.
	The tumbled concrete blocks are being laid with a special adhesive. The bricks come in a couple of sizes and by mixing up the direction and orientation, a fairly random look is possible. The color variations were also picked to keep it looking more like a dry stacked rubble wall.
	Eric was my adhesive specialist while we laid up this portion of the planter.
	Trimming pieces to fit using a wet saw. It cut the bricks like butter. The rental company measures the blade with a micrometer before it is rented and after and then a surcharge is applied by how much the diamond cutting surface wears down during use.
	The following day my son took over for Eric and we were nearing the end of the planter portion of the project.
	We got a little creative with the adhesive application when we put in the last couple of bricks.
	The planter is complete!
	Moving the drain from the middle of the yard to the new location.
	The trench was backfilled with a mixture of sand and Portland cement to minimize any possibility of settling under the pavers.
	The pile of debris has been replaced by a couple of tons on materials that will eventually be a patio.
	Around and around with the vibratory plate compactor. Noisy and boring. This pass was just to compact the soil.
	The first lift of gravel is barrowed in from the drive way. I thought about calculating the weight of all the materials used in the project but quickly decided against it when my quick mental estimate exceeded four tons. I figured I really didn't want to know and I'm sure the kids would have gone on strike!
	Arron takes his turn with the compactor.
	This was probably the last pass, the forms are filled to the top and the last lift was carefully leveled using a string across the forms.
	Finally I get to work with the pavers! Now I get to find out if the CAD work I did a few months back was accurate. I first put down a fabric that keeps the sand from migrating down through the gravel. I used PVC pipe as a depth gauge to get the sand to a consistent depth and used a 2*4 to screed off the excess. The brick was laid gently on the sand.
	About twenty bricks laid, hundreds and hundreds to go.
	Friends stop by to check out the progress. Dick (in the grey sweatshirt) stuck around to help for a bit. I promised not to put any pictures of Dick actually working on the project, something about plausible deniability?
	We've made it to the center of the patio where we put in a subtle pattern of charcoal colored bricks. The manufacturer assured me that the difference in color would be obvious once the bricks were washed. It turned out to be very subtle. At least I know it is there.
	Heading into winter in Northern California is not the ideal season to be laying a brick patio. The sand under the brick has to stay dry until the completed patio is compacted and has the final sand to fill the joints. Every time it would start to sprinkle, we would cover everything up with plastic and hope for the best.
	All of the field bricks have been laid and I've run into the second time I received bad advice from the professionals. I was told not to use the built in spacers on the bricks when setting them but to allow for a little bit more space. The result you see here. The fix was to touch almost every brick in the patio again.
	Armed with my trusty crowbar I worked my way across the patio to even out the joints.
	I started in the far corner and slowly worked back to the corner where I started. It didn't take all that long but I was pretty grumpy.
	Dry laying the bricks for the sidewalk to the sliding glass door. Lots of precise cuts were required to make it look good. The control afforded by the wet saw was amazing.
	Just one more brick to go...
	Arron lays it neatly into place!
	After compacting the brick sand is brushed into the joints to lock them into place.
	Here it is, a completed patio. You can just make out the diamond pattern in the middle. It is easier to see the contrast on the border for some reason.
	Next up, the retaining wall for the planter across the back of the property. A neat trench was cut, then filled with gravel and tamped by hand.
	The first course of the retaining wall is laid.
	Just like the planter, the wall was laid with adhesive and went very quickly.
	I am really pleased with the way the curves came out.
	We've put in the Trex edging and have started on the irrigation system.
	With the feeder lines in place we installed the sprinkler heads.
	All leveled and ready for grass seed.
	Ok, so that looks a lot like sod. What happened to the seed? My wife decided she wanted it green now so we ordered up a pallet of sod.
	Denise and Eric stopped by in time to help roll out some of our new outdoor carpeting.
	We watered it heavily and then rolled the sod with a water filled drum roller to set the new sod. The instant gratification of the sod was heavily tempered by the fact that the thickness of the sod varied from as little as 3/4" to over 1 1/2". The soil was leveled very carefully but the final result is noticeable dips and humps as you walk over the grass.
	The final result turned out to be very nice. We now have a really nice place to entertain friends and family. Becky made a bunch of cushions to go on the picnic table and also on the wall. We can seat a decent number of people comfortably. My son strung some rope light under the head rail on the fence which provides plenty of light and sets a great mood.