Normally, I wait until a project is somewhat complete to write about it here on the blog, but I’m bending the rules a little this time.
This weekend, we got started working on our Flagstone Patio Project, and we aren’t done yet. But, I want to share some sneak peek pictures!
Who says divas can't be backyard landscapers?
The three of us take a break.
Here’s a little background:
When we bought the house 8 years ago, there was a 3-tiered deck on the back. We instantly fell in love with it. A couple years ago, when we were going to repair one of the levels, we discovered a flagstone patio underneath. We knew there were flagstones under the deck, because we’d “harvested” them for other projects around the property:
We relocated these flagstones from under one part of the deck.
But, until we’d removed the dilapidated wood in that section of deck, we had no idea the flagstone patio was so extensive and elaborate…it even had a step! Rather than replace the deck with wood, we decided to rip out part of that section and restore the flagstone patio.
We were able to rip out the wood and finish the edge on that level of the deck. It’s taken longer to muster the energy to tackle the flagstone patio project, but this weekend, we decided to give it a go.
Do we know how to do this?
No.
Has that ever stopped us before?
Of course not.
We’ve been doing this for so long that our concept of “easy” home-improvement projects is a tad distorted, and we often bite off much more than we can chew. But, we both have good appetites and strong teeth.
You won’t be able to see the finished product, because that hasn’t happened yet, but we’ve got a wonderful start.
So, stay tuned for the full story…in the meantime, here are some pictures!
Close-up of the patio.
View from the top.
You can see the flagstone patio off to the right. This photo gives you perspective of the deck as a whole.
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Looks great. hope the project continues to go well.
Looks like a deck in need of a party!
What a nice space. We tweeted about your project on Sunday and now that I see what you’ve done, I’m inspired – but scared. Your patio is about the same size and style I’d like for our front patio and we are also doing a pathway along side of our home. Did you do a lot of research about materials needed, how-to, etc. or did you simply dig right in and follow your instincts? What I really want to know is can you walk upright today and would you do it again yourselves or hire it done? Thanks for sharing. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of enjoyment here with your family in the future and somehow I see some shadow pictures being created here as well.
Thanks, Melissa!
Lori, I think you’re right!
Rajean, My husband and I have been doing DIY projects for over 8-years now. You can check out when we did the Main Bathroom: http://thecasualperfectionist.com/category/home-improvement/home-improvement-main-bath/ and the Master Bathroom: http://thecasualperfectionist.com/category/home-improvement/home-improvement-master-bath/ Those were our biggest projects…well, the largest ones we’ve documented on the blog. Prior to the blog, we’ve worked non-stop on the house and landscaping. Refinishing the deck you see in that photo was quite the undertaking!
We did research the best way to do the patio. My husband has a book on decks and patios, and we found a ton of information online. That being said, nearly everything we found was somewhat contradictory, so we just had to go with our gut feeling. I’ll write more about that when it’s done.
We can walk upright today, but it was quite the workout.
We would do it again, and we don’t usually hire anything out. The only project we’ve hired out was the painting of the exterior painting of our house.
I hope that answers some of your questions, and thanks again for commenting!
WOW!! Looking good!!
Thanks, Jess!