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A bit of our stone work...
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Posted by
cadillactaste none (
My Page) on
Tue, Sep 4, 12 at 23:01
This project started in the fall of 2011 with the patios,stone walls and stairs.
The waterfall and flowerbeds came this spring/summer.
Lower patio
Main back patio
Bench seat
Waterfall
Idea of size of stone used for waterfall
Bird feeding station...I still need a raccoon baffle pole to the left of the patio put in for the bird station. Currently they are hanging from the pergola in the backyard.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Some of the photos were taken during the process...but gives one a general idea. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| That's really nice. I especially like the waterfall. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| What a great project! I love those stair treads! Can only imagine how heavy those are, but they sure are lovely. Are you going to plant groundcover plants in between the stones in the patio? |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Karin most all the stone was hauled on the back of the bed that was built onto our golf cart...so we used boards to roll them onto the cart due to having the treads put on a slight embankment. The last two set sadly was not delivered so we flipped them end over end with boards under to wedge them up to flip them. Very tedious task...my job was to continue to make sure we had a board under them the entire moving process. I had contemplated planting the patio...But our neighbor told me he had planted his patio and then the moss was so bad he has to power wash his patio so often that the ground cover never stood a chance. Sadly moss or green stuff that becomes slippery when wet had appeared as he said. So not sure if I want to do the undertaking of planting it each year. Because it definitely needs power washes each year. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Thanks jugglerguy... The waterfall was a huge undertaking and finally all the kinks worked out. Which allows us to enjoy it more. But there was a time I was ready to have it all pushed over into the ravine! Lol |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| I would be really careful power washing the stone patio. It seems like you could blow away much of the filling between the stones. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Karin, sadly we'll just replace it if we must I can't have slippery green flagstone with kids running around playing. Someone would get hurt. I had hopes of a flowering ground cover. Maybe I can see how others handle it...with a post topic of just that. Maybe there is a solution to have it planted a more durable plant. As for power washing you can control the pressure that comes out and attempt to only do the stone. But what ever the neighbor planted didn't hold up to his power washer. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| That makes sense, I'm sure you will do it in a way that works best. Woolly thyme is super durable and will spread and spread and spread. It does not flower though, but it's fun to walk on. That would be my best suggestion for a tough groundcover. Once established I bet it could endure a careful power washing. I bet the kids just love the waterfall, what a neat feature to play around! |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Thanks for the suggestion of what to plant! I really love planted flagstone! Maybe with luck we can do that next spring. Yes the kids enjoy climbing over the large rocks...though I did burst their bubble that they can't run over it while playing Nerf wars. Lol |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Awesome! I love your waterfall and your curving steps and wall are gorgeous. I love how natural it looks and the built in bench too. Well, I just love all of it. It also looks like an incredible amount of work. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Thank you Marti...Yes an incredible amount of work. The patio,wall,curving steps and built in bench all went in last Fall...Our poor golf cart carried the brunt of those stones. With our neighbor adding us on a bed to the golf cart to help haul yard debree up to the lake's designated compost area. Surprisingly it's still running. lol The rest of the work...sidewalk up to the waterfall and flower beds were as well as working all the kinks out of the waterfall. Was this summers project. That was extremely consuming. But we've grass finally growing in the backyard...and other than needing to deciding light features...this project is DONE! Other than come spring I'll be planting some more... |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Where did you get all the big flat stone used on the steps? |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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WOW! you have done a great job,it looks fantastic.
Bill |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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Marti those stairs came from Mathies Supply really like what they had to offer.
http://www.mathiesupply.com/ Thanks Bill! My son who is 12 yrs. old informed me we need some curb appeal out front now. Lol...so that will be next years project. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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- Posted by botann z8 SEof Seattle (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 6, 12 at 23:15
I have learned over the years that the gaps between the stones on a path or patio give the most trouble. Therefore, I make the gaps as small as possible.
Mike |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Mike...the original plan was to plant in the cracks...thus the allowance for larger cracks. Doing my research as to the most durable plant to use. Because we need to also power wash the patio occassionaly. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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- Posted by botann z8 SEof Seattle (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 13, 12 at 16:00
I understand planting in the cracks. The trouble is weeds,..... no matter what you plant. The wider the cracks, the more weeding. Most people like to keep maintenance to a minimum.
Also, the wider the spacing, the more you have to look down to see where to place your feet. That shouldn't be a concern when walking on a well designed surface.
Mike |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Mike...I see your point. But also feel it falls into personal tastes as well. I love our back patio. I can honestly say when back there I am not watching the placement of where I put my feet. We've got it pretty level for the most part. And the landscaper who brought stone asked if my husband would consider a job with him. I love larger gaps in flagstone. If I get frustrated with weeds...I may pull the stones out and cement the stones into place I the cracks to avoid weeds and such. This is what I plan on doing around the bird feeding patio. To help with cleaning the patio from degree. |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| Cadillac, I have what looks to be the very same flagstone~it's what I have on my house in Austin. I originally wasn't going to cement the patio, but my landscaper talked me into it, and I'm glad I did. I hose it down at least once a week, and if I had to deal with all the tiny stones as well as sand that's lost like the pathway, I would be in a tizzy. Also, with the recent 2 1/2 inches of rain we had last weekend, I would have an even bigger mess on my hands. I have dreamed of a flagstone patio w/ the small plantings in the cracks for years! The pathway has proven I made the right decision re:the patio. ;o) |
RE: A bit of our stone work...
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| We put down cement in the bird feeding patio. Put it down wet and put small gravel in the cracks. We'll see how it holds up. If I go that route with the rest. Thing is the clean out to our septic is under the corner of one of the flagstone so we really shouldn't cement that area. I would love to see photos of your patio though!!! |
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