Phase II - Paver Patio

Hello and welcome to Phase II of the Farber Backyard Update!

At the end of last month, we bought pavers. 325 twenty-pound pavers, to be exact. Our goal? Lay a paver patio by ourselves. Creating this patio was a daunting task. We had to carefully mark out the dimensions, remove excess dirt, level the space with the hand tamper, pour sand, level the space again, then lay the paver base. We went with this new product, rather than 4 inches of gravel. {Pretty cool!} All of this prep had to be completed prior to actually laying the pavers.

We did the prep work on Friday 5/23 & Saturday 5/24, then took a break on Sunday for church & family cook-out festivities. The hardware store had been keeping our pavers to deliver at our ready - what a lifesaver! We called & scheduled delivery for Monday 5/26, Memorial Day morning. That day, we each essentially moved 6,000 lbs of rock in 4 hours - FIST PUMP! Andrew carried pavers from the driveway, through the garage, to a pallet in the backyard, where I picked them up & placed them on the paver base. Once I completed that giant puzzle, we added landscape edging & extra soil to build up the perimeter. Polymerized sand was our last task. This stuff gets swept into the cracks and hardens in 72 hours so that the patio is one cohesive, strong unit; and you can no longer pick out where each individual paver is located. We'll be putting grass seed on the dirt areas so that eventually the grass will meet the patio seamlessly. The patio measures 12 x 17 feet.

Yesterday we got a {great} patio set ~ two chairs, a bench & a table. We are so anxious to set it all up and host company. As far as finishing touches go, we'd like to put in a 6 x 8 foot privacy fence by our lilac bush & add some large planters with assorted ferns, grasses, and annuals. I want to screw hooks & hanging lanterns to the fence - cozy outdoor lighting for when the sun goes down! Our muscles are definitely sore, but we are really happy with our new patio! Special thanks to Randy K for help with leveling & prep.

>>>Check in with us after a bit for the FINAL REVEAL<<<

Phase III of our backyard project is replacing our deck. We're guessing it is probably as old as the house {20ish years} so it has led a good life. But alas, a new one will be born soon! We plan to enlist the help of Andrew's dad & a family friend for the job. After lugging all those 20 lb. pavers around just the two of us...we feel we are ready for any challenge!

{PS: Update on the traveling garden...it's been 3 weeks and nothing has sprouted. To quote Andrew, "I have low hopes for those things!" You win some, you lose some!}