Where are pics of the final product?

I'm still not done with the pergola. I just completed the girders. I'll be working on the rafters now. :)

I'll post pics later.

It's getting tougher lately. When I get home from work around 7pm, it's already dark. There are times too when I am the late guy for 1 week. We do rotation to support our users overseas. When I'm the late guy, I usually take the 6:40pm train which gets me home around 8:30pm :( That means, I won't be able to do any for that week. This is the reason why I don't have much update.

Anyways, I'll be off from Oct 6-8 next week! WOOHOO!!! :D

Here are the latest pictures. I'm so tired. I completed the girders and 2 rafters. The cutting of the pattern on the edges of the pressure treated wood is very time consuming. I am shocked that pressure treated wood are hard to work with or maybe because it's still wet. My right collar bone is kinda hurting.

Rafters will 16" apart.

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I've started laying the bricks. Once I complete(hopefully by this weekend), I'll backfill the dirt and design the garden bed around it.

I've been working on the project nightly. I can't afford to wait for weekend since it's getting cold now. I usually arrive 6:30pm from work but around this time, it's already dark.

Anyways, here are some updates. This was from Oct 12

October 12 pics
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October 13 pics
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I'm surprised you haven't addressed the privacy issue yet. Usually that's one of the first things to come up in a landscape design.
You should design from the outside first, then from the house out. Design your front yard from the picture window, the back from the kitchen sink or patio. Once you wander out in the yard to make decisions, you're lost.

Privacy? You mean neighbors seeing us through the windows?

I've completed more today. It looks almost complete today. I'll be cutting few more pavers tomorrow and installing the edging then I can rest finally. :)

Anyways, here are some October 15 pics which I thought I posted but I can't believe I missed it.

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You have done an amazing job. It has been a while since I have checked in on this forum, but it was a treat to watch your progress.

When can you come play at my house? :)

Thanks so much! :)

Here is my latest shot as of today. Stolen shot taken by my wife from our bedroom. :) I completed the pergola rafters.

Next Saturday, the only things I need to do are:
a. add more crushed stones at the edge and fix the pavers that aren't leveled. There are only few of them I think 4 or 5 pavers(actually seen near the foot of the ladder).
b. cut the remaining 6 pavers
c. install plastic edging
d. rent vibratory compactor
e. spread Quickrete Powerlock
g. add another layer of pavers for the firepit.
h. add low retaining wall for sitting(if I have extra pavers)
i. have a glass of milk, hehehe! :D

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WOW! that is really impressive and gorgeous! great job.

I have to confess; when i started reading the thread and I saw the photoshop pics i was thinking "here we go again...homeowners who have no idea the complexity or cost of something they can put together on the computer" but you made your idea a reality and greatly improved your home at the same time. What a wonderful outdoor space you have created - perfect for entertaining or just sitting and watching the kids play.

Thank you very much drtygrl! Those words you uttered really took away all my exhaustion. :)

I'll post pics on Sunday. I won't be able to do any work this week since I was tasked to stay late by my boss this week. I wish it was Friday today, hehehe.

Thanks again!!!

Beautiful! You've done a great job realizing your vision. What a great space you will have to enjoy next spring! (Or get a patio heater and enjoy it all winter!)

Seems like you will have lots of privacy once your trees mature even more. Lovely!

Thanks so much eightzoner! :)

The pergola does add a sense of privacy to your yard; I haven't commented so far because yours is a situation I find difficult - big houses, small trees, feeling exposed and "windswept" - I'd probably want an evergreen barrier on all sides. But that's me.

Yes, planting an evergreen is part of my plan too. Thanks.

Updates: :D

a. add more crushed stones at the edge and fix the pavers that aren't leveled. There are only few of them I think 4 or 5 pavers(actually seen near the foot of the ladder).
b. cut the remaining 6 pavers. DONE!!!
c. install plastic edging
d. rent vibratory compactor
e. spread Quickrete Powerlock
g. add another layer of pavers for the firepit.
h. add low retaining wall for sitting(if I have extra pavers)
i. have a glass of milk, hehehe! :D

Here's what I've completed today. I've installed about 75% of the edge restraint. I also removed few bricks. I need to add more crushed stones and screenings. Also this evening, I built an edge restraint from a 2x6 pressure treated wood for the firepit. I had to remove the crushed stones and screenings so I can make the 2x6 a little lower than the pavers.

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Look great but,man, you're making us all look like slackers.

:D hehehe, thanks so much!

Update(s):
Just got in from working outside. I'm so glad that it didn't rain anymore after 11:30am. I was able to complete the remaining pavers. I was also able to spread interlocking sand and showered them gently. I can now work on the steps and as well as the firepit!

Anyways, here are the latest pics taken 30 mins ago.

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Wow! Great work, it looks fabulous. Are you going to plant any vines to grow on the pergola? It might be nice to someday replace the play-set with a water feature, so you can sit under the pergola and listen to the water while you enjoy your new patio. I'm sure you're biting at the bit to think up your next project ;oP

You are correct. The playset will go away. Even the kids seldom play with it anymore. Looks like I made them addicted to gardening/landscaping too! LOL! HAHAHA! :D

And yes too on the vines. A very nice friend of mine will give me her clematis in spring. I will also put big planters at the bottom of each pergola posts so I can grow hyacinth bean vine. I also like to have honeysuckle. I'm still debating which vine to grow. :P

I need to put the final overlay on top of the rafters to minimize warping.

Thank you so much for the kind words. :)

I completed the firepit yesterday. I completed the installation of overlay over the rafters using 2x2 pressure treated woods today. I had extra pavers so I laid down some pavers to check how the sitting wall is going to look like. I have not put any landscaping adhesive yet. It's a dry fit. The count is just enough for the sitting wall but I don't have anymore left for the 2 pillars.

The only thing remaining is backfilling the dirt but I've already started last week.

Anyways, here are the latest pictures taken this afternoon.
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I have kept up with the progress since you first posted! I am so Impressed. I know that the work you did was hard work. I can't wait to see the yard take shape around the pergola. Keep us posted. Your vision was wonderful.

And all over the neighborhood, if you listen carefully, you can hear the neighbor women saying to their husbands, "Now why can't you make me a pergola like v1rtu0s1ty built?"

... and the neighbor men taking your name in vain....

It's all wonderful, but I'd particularly like to mention the ways you've used the two paver colors. Also the giant-stone-block effect you're getting with the vertical pavers on the (temporary) benches (in the final version, will you use pavers inside, or cheaper concrete, blocks, etc.?).

I look forward to seeing how you finish the "edges" -- the flowerbed expansions and whatever else you do to deal with the grade differential around the patio, and the paths or other ways you handle the transitions from the patio to various parts of the yard. You have a nice long winter to polish those plans.

Thank you so much mjjones453 and missingtheobvious! I'm so very happy with your posts. :) :) :)

I have kept up with the progress since you first posted! I am so Impressed. I know that the work you did was hard work. I can't wait to see the yard take shape around the pergola. Keep us posted. Your vision was wonderful.

Thanks again! My other very long thread with the title "help please on existing bed and shape", taught me a lot. I remember, someone posted not to just jump on a project but plan, plan and plan. I followed their advice and this is what I came up with, I was able to use it here. :)

in the final version, will you use pavers inside, or cheaper concrete, blocks, etc.?).

Inside will still be hollow. Those gaps won't be seen since both ends will have pillars(please see picture below). I am really shocked to the strength of the LocTite Landscaping adhesive I used for the steps. I didn't put a lot but it's very strong. I tried pulling one paver but I failed. :)

I look forward to seeing how you finish the "edges" -- the flowerbed expansions and whatever else you do to deal with the grade differential around the patio, and the paths or other ways you handle the transitions from the patio to various parts of the yard. You have a nice long winter to polish those plans.

I'll definitely need some guidance from everyone here regarding the edges. Right now, I'm thinking of putting 3 narrow varieties of arborvitaes. I'm thinking of putting it near the pillar(not the pillars on the pergola). Then also plant perennials. However, I remember I was told from this forum before not to put perennials along with the evergreens. I might have misunderstood it. What I'll do is visit the pictures of 4 beautiful gardens I went to this year and I'll use it as a reference plus the guidance I'll get here. :) I'll incorporate colors as well as patterns(not just rely on flowers).

Also, I will put 4 huge containers/pots near the posts then plant hyacinth vine/scarlet runner beans. For the other 2 posts near the lawn, I will plant vigorous clematis, maybe 2 plants for each posts. I'll build something for them to crawl on.

Anyways, I drew this plan about a month ago while I was on my way to work. Oh, I take Metra when I go to work. :) Honestly, I think I used more than 10 pages of this notebook. I had so many different plans. I can't decide which one to implement. Hehehe.

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Thanks dminorfmajor! :) By the way, I like your GW handle, it's totally cool! :D

Today, I finally put adhesive on the sitting wall. I've also completed backfilling the exposed areas with dirt. While I was backfilling, I created a bed around the patio too.

I'll hold off for now on the building of the 2 pillars. I will build it next year along with the lighting. I want to give myself a rest but will continue to plan. :)

You have done an amazing job on building your pergola and laying the bricks,etc. May I ask how old are your children? You mentioned that they rarely use the swing set anymore and that it will be going. Did you rent a sod cutter? Everything is cut so straight. What does a sod cutter look like and what was the rental cost? Hourly or daily rate? Did you know how to use it before you rented it? Did the neighbor who suggested you rent one to make the job easier; did he help you? The depth of the area, is that done by the sod cutter too? Or manually with shovel and sweat equity?
I assume since it looks like your bricks are almost laid up to the foundation that you plan on using containers for your flowers. I noticed that you had started out with a drawing of some tall arborvitae. This may be a stupid question but why would one want a fire pit that close to the house and to the pergola itself? Is the purpose of a fire pit mainly ambiance? I hate to see your vinyl siding melted or the cedar pergola go up in smoke. Now I need to look back and see if that pergola is made from pressure treated wood or cedar, as I make this comment. I noticed on one of the pictures, there is a black, plastic mold where you might have used to guide you in laying your bricks..am I seeing right? Where do one purchase that mold for such a large area? I've seen these molds advertised but they aren't that big. Do you just have to buy many and hook them together somehow? Oh, I'm full of questions I know but I'm fascinated and would love to replace my concrete breezeway or build a patio in the back of our house. Since we live in a gated, Sr. Citizens community, I'd have to get approval and submit plans,etc. before we do it. Since we are not physically able to do stuff like this anymore(knee replacements and aging)we'd have to hire somebody. Great job, pat yourself on the back. I can invision some flowerbeds along the fence line, after the children's swing set is removed, and patio containers under the pergola. Go for the "fiberglass look" containers rather than terracotta because they are much lighter in weight. They have really improved the fiberglass type, so they look like terracotta or stone. Terracotta has a tendency not only to be heavy once the soil is in them but they can crack from cold winters. Great job! Many thanks for sharing this project's pictures with all of us.

I've got 4 kids. I got married at a very young age. :) My eldest is 16. I'm 39 right now.

I didn't rent a sod cutter. If you look at the first pictures, you will notice that I sliced each grass with the shovel. First, I marked the area that I want to dig. Then I started digging them with a shovel. I didn't remove the grass yet. What I do is put the shovel on the grass and jump on it to make a really deep cut. I overlap each cut. Then I brought in my tractor and cut and started pulling each grass. It was very quick yet a little pain on my back since I was bending. I was able to fill the cart in less than 2 mins.

When all the grasses with dirt were removed, the area was left with so many uneven level. I was planning to remove the dirt manually using shovel but I was told to use a gas powered tiller to loosen up the dirt. So I rented one from Home Depot. I think it was $34 for 4 hours. I was wrong with my impression when I used it. I thought it was easy but it was not. It almost ripped my back apart. I used it continuously for 2 hours with few rest since I didn't want to add more cost plus it was getting dark as well. After the tillering, my whole body was shaking body and was so painful. Oh, the reason why I tilled it is for easy scooping of the dirt. It was really easy scooping. If I didn't till it, I don't know how long it will take me. However, I missed few areas but not that big.

The firepit is about 18' to the house. I don't think that will melt the sidings. When I use the firepit, it will have a metal mesh cover. The wood I used is pressure treated wood.

Yes, I put a plastic edging all around. I secured it with 12 inch nails, 20 inch gap per nail. I also backfilled the dirt over the edging. I bought the edging from Home Depot. I spent $241. However, a customer was telling me that I will save tons of $$ if I go to Aspen Valley in route 72(Higgins). I went there and bought the same total length and was able to save $90+. I returned the edging to Home Depot. :) Each edge piece is 8 ft long.

Question about those fiber glass containers, can I leave them outside?

Thanks!

Absolutely AWESOME! Hmmm...northern IL....perhaps you'll travel! I'll hire ya to come to Madison and do a patio like that for me next summer! ha ha ha....

Naw....this girl will learn how to do it herself by then! =) This post has helped a great deal! Everything you've done is absolutely amazing!!

Angie

Thank you so much Angie!!! :)

Hi, I've been away from the forum for a while so just now read through the entire post. It was quite cool to see the project unfold. It looks great. I put in a small flagstone step this summer and that was plenty of work--I'm completely impressed by what you've accomplished! Re finishing the edges, I happened to pick up a new landscape design book from our local library this weekend called "Home Outside -- Creating the Landscape You Love" by Julie Moir Messervy. Just checked and it's on amazon with 6 five-star reviews so I must not be the only one who likes it. Loads of beautiful pics and a lot of useful layout suggestions. I bet it'd be fun reading for you and your family this winter. Good luck with all your plans!

Thanks dsb22! I'm sorry, it's just now that I saw an update on this thread. Been so busy with schedules plus I got hit by a flu.

I'll check the book that you mentioned above. :)

Thank you so much!

Nice results! The finished product looks better than the mock-ups, thanks to your meticulous work.

One photo left me a little concerned -- the wood posts appear to be set in concrete in the dirt. I wonder if there is gravel under and around the concrete? To prevent rot? On our patio, the wood pillars are not in contact with the concrete; instead they are bolted in place to metal fittings with a very tiny airspace between concrete and wood -- no rot. Won't even treated lumber deteriorate in a wet setting? I have NO expertise in construction, just curious and concerned.

Hi catkim,

I did put pea-sized gravel under the post. I think I put 6" thick and it's compacted. I'm also not concerned about the water it's because I witness the 48 inch deep hole after we had a strong rain. The water was like 1.5 - 2ft deep. I was really upset since I wanted to work on it. After a day, I looked at the hole and the water is gone. It's still muddy though. If you look at one of the pictures above, the cement is sloping away from the wood. I made it like that so water will pitch away from the wood.

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Here is how it looks right now.

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Impressive - inspirational even. Very nicely done, and thank you for sharing the photos!

KarinL

GREAT JOB!! I was in the planning stages of my project and your pictures have answered alot of questions I had. Time for me to get started.
Thanks again for all the pictures...

Thanks Karin and Rosa!

By the way, I made a blog site the other night. I put my patio/pergola build in there. I'm glad that I can change the date of the post. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening Blog

Just read this post for the first time and I'm salivating. Can't wait to see what you grow on the pergola!

You must be so excited for spring so you can fully enjoy your gorgeous project!!

Hi editornj and drtygrl,

I'll start planning next week. I'll definitely post pictures. :)

Thanks!

Neil

Thanks eddie. I wasn't able to do anything at all this year. I was down. I had a knee operation. Hopefully next year, I'll be able to add some to it.

I'm back in the saddle! :)

I noticed my images are gone. My old domain is gone. Anyways, here are few of the pics I posted before plus new ones taken yesterday. :)

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and this is it as of yesterday
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This post was edited by v1rtu0s1ty on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 17:49

Beautiful! Well done! Bravo! You should be extremely proud of your work.

Thank you so much duluthinbloom! Everyday, I go there when I wake up and once I get home from work hoping I would see morning glory blooms. :)

The threads detailing the progress in your yard are among GWebs best threads ever. So sorry to see the earlier pictures are gone. Thanks for posting before and afters.

In retrospect, anything you would have done differently for size/placement, etc?

Honestly, I'm very satisfied with the size and placement. However, It's not complete yet. :) I will put lighted pillars on both ends of the low retaining wall(seat). My wife is also asking me to put a counter top for her bbq grill. I'm trying to figure out the best place for it.

I'm also thinking of adding 5ft wide stone walkway or crushed limestone that will lead to the patio. I am also thinking of putting a pergola like structure similar to the pergola. It will be on the north side. However, I'm not sure when I will start it.

All the pics I posted before can be seen from here
Patio/Pergola Build

I imagine your future projects will turn out well too. Sounds like you will have quite the garden hideaway there.

Thanks for the link to old pics too. I'm sure it will be fun to browse through (and great material to show DH for yard ideas!) but I think I need to be on a pc to view them so I will have to enjoy them later.

I should convert it to browser friendly page. I will remove the javascript code and use plain css instead. :)

Have fun!

This post was edited by v1rtu0s1ty on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 23:57