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 It's time. Spring has arrived and I'm feeling frisky, so we're back to work on the back patio. For those who missed the build-up, you can read about last year's projects (preparing, pouring and staining concrete, and laying pavers) in Concrete/Stone/Masonry projects archives. I've begun tackling the path that leads off the concrete, through the two garden beds, and onto the grass.
Working with concrete/pavers requires just a few basic tools. Since I've decided to create a level path, rather than one leading down into the grass, I'll need a fairly long level (2' level is adequate, a 3' level would be better, but ours broke), gloves (PLEASE wear gloves, pavers are murder on your hands), a straight edge (I'm using a leftover piece of wood), knee pad, and grit (or sand, it's up to you). Oh, lest I forget, be sure to get enough pavers for the entire project or you may end up with mismatched pavers--and that's a nightmare. I speak from experience.
 
I like to work in the early morning before it gets hot. As you can see from our initial picture (taken last fall), the path will be fairly long--about 12 feet. Since I wasn't exactly sure what I'd be using for pavers, I experimented with different options. Ultimately, hubby and I chose these tan capstones. Capstones are not intended for use as pavers, but that's what they'll be for this project. I laid out a trial row, just to see how wide a path I wanted and how many caps were needed to complete the project. At $1.88 per cap at Lowes, this was a great deal--less than I would have spent on pavers. Since I was using my car, I only bought 20 at a time (for a total of 60) and stashed them in my car trunk.
 I already had a layer of limestone screenings on the roughed-in area for the path (leftovers from the paver project). I wasn't too picky about the drop from the patio to the path, but went with what I'd already dug out. I'd guess it's about a 4" drop. Using that as my guide, I starting smoothing out the area with my straight edge. This is where the level comes in. It isn't enough to get a level lengthways, but also sideways. Because I don't want the water pooling, I gave my path a very slight decline lengthways and sideways. It won't be noticable in the finished product.
If you want a very straight path and the pavers aren't straight but angled (like mine), you might want to use a string guide. I didn't, but that meant I had to keep readjusting my path to straighten it.  As you lay the pavers, keep checking your level. The capstones weren't exactly the same size, so I had to scrap out screenings at different times to keep the top of the path level. Some of the imperfections will disappear once I place risers on both sides of the path, but I don't want to rely too heavily on it.
As seen by the last photo, I'll be laying the risers 1/2 on the pavers, with the back supported by limestone screenings. These risers will leveled and go all around the bed. Because the soil level does drop, I will probably have to double up the risers on the outside of the beds.
NEXT -- Patio Path with Risers, Pt 2 |
