Project Patio Phase III: Almost Home...

107 degrees, 2400 lbs of gravel and rock, 20+ trips to the backyard carrying the aforementioned gravel and rock, 1000 lbs of pavers, two trips to Lowe's, one curious baby, and one solid neighbor. These are the necessary ingredients to extend my patio.

Saturday afternoon, we innocently enough asked Eric & Lisa (aka "the Doctors" -- Eric, Pediatric Orthopedics Resident and Lisa, Family Practice) to drop by later for a drink and desert. This is a big night out for the Schwangstons these days - my how the mighty have fallen.

Eric shuttled me to HD last week to rent the sod cutter. He asked if I'd made any more progress and needed help. I told him I was just sixteen 24" & twelve 16" pavers away from a "patio victory". He graciously offered his truck and services to help me make some serious progress on the project.

I don't know if I've explained this yet, but the most difficult part of the project was transporting the materials to the site. My driveway is roughly 100' away/around the house to the patio. Transportation by wheelbarrow or dolly was required for all the materials. Once there, I just dumped (easy), raked (kinda easy), leveled (very tedious), and placed the pavers (not fun).

In the heat, we laid stones like Egyptians on the pyramids, though I have no doubt that they were better equipped for the heat and the job. Four sweat soaked t-shirts, 3 showers, and two Advil later, Phase 3 is complete. Stay tuned for the staining and ribbon cutting - it's almost time for Mrs. Schwangston to buy patio furniture.

Thanks for reading...