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tiffany04_gw

Ideas for this outdoor space??

Tiffany04
11 years ago

Hello, everyone. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this. I'm moving into a new place and while I am excited to have an outdoor space, this patio area definitely leaves a lot to be desired. The space is 22 feet by 17 feet and it is on a down slope -- the area outside the gates slope upward which is another issue.

I would love to have a paver patio but the costs are adding up rather quickly especially since I don't even own a shovel....yet.

Any other ideas as to what I could do to make this space better so that I can enjoy it while it's still warm?

I could only figure out how to post one photo so I hope that will help.

Thx!

Comments (7)

  • designoline6
    11 years ago

    You use some bricks to pave the patio,it need slope ,the grading should be either 1/4" per foot or 1/8" per foot. it is berrer that some curve stamp on paver.

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    11 years ago

    Tiffany, add other photos in the same way you added the first... by pasting their html code into your message. I'm looking at your space "with blinders on" so it's not possible to get a feel for how it relates to the building.

    If your goal is to have a paver patio, but you need to budget it over time, you might consider preparing the base (compacted gravel... which would work as a temporary patio area) and installing the paver surface later. Getting advice on the layout would require better pictures... some that convey the totality of the space. It seems that you have gravel already, but you'd need to make some exploratory examinations of it to determine it's thickness and extent to see if it's suitable to build on as a base, or part of a base. It looks like the only plants are weeds. You might begin by spraying all with Roundup and "cleaning" the area before you go forward with anything else.

  • Tiffany04
    Original Author
    11 years ago

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    Yardvaark, thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately I don't have a single shot of the patio in its entirety. Included in this post are a few more pics I had in my phone.

    The first pic in the post is the right side of the patio (taken standing in the doorway). The second pic is the left side (also taken standing in the doorway). The third pic is looking down while standing in the doorway -- previous residents layed two rows of pavers down on the existing area. The fourth photo is a ground shot to show a large tree root.

    It's not gravel but some time of wood chips sparsely spread around over dirt.

    Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll just have to be patient and take it one step at a time so that's it's done properly.

  • patty_cakes
    11 years ago

    Tiffany, if you have a city near you that offers craigslist, it might be worth your while to look under the "free" listing~~it's in the column that starts with "antiques". You can also look under "farm and garden". A lot of the time people have things left over from a project or they're re-doing. If you don't need a particular paver, you could also use bricks, timbers, or even large pieces of cement from a driveway/sidewalk/patio that's been torn up. ;o)

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    11 years ago

    It's clear in new pictures that it's bark, not gravel. A real patio would require an excavation and the addition of a 3-4" packed gravel base and an inch of sand in addition to the pavers themselves. Pictures still don't show how it relates to house floor level (on which specific suggestions would be dependent.)

  • Tiffany04
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Patty, thanks for your Craigslist suggestion. That's a great idea.

    Yaardvark, I'm not officially moving in until later this month so I don't have any other photos just yet.

    Thanks, everyone for your help. Once I get to diggin' I may have more questions.

  • GardenShananigans
    11 years ago

    You may think about taking the patio all the way out to the fence line and remove the bark. Then, you can put outdoor furniture and BBQ and fire pit on the new solid surface.