Diy Landscaping Rock
Build A DIY Patio With Pavers
If you wish that you had more room in your home here is a DIY project that will quickly make your home feel more spacious. Add a patio made of pavers. A new patio lets you be a part of the new trend toward outdoor living. The patio can be used a majority of the year in most locations. If you keep the size small (approximately seven by seven) you can complete this job for under two hundred dollars. Wile you will not have to drive any nails, you will need to set some gutter spikes to keep the edging in place.
First you need to have a plan for the patio. Rope or garden hose can be used in the initial outline process. The shape can be easily changed as can the size. After determining the size and location for the patio, place some stakes in the ground in the corners. Use string to connect the stakes and then use ground marking paint in a spray can to follow those strings and mark your patio out on the ground.
The patio will need to be above ground level in order to keep rainwater from pooling up on its surface. Pavers are about two and one-quarter inches in thickness. In addition you will need to make room for another six inches of gravel and sand which makes up the foundation of your patio.
Next you will need to take off the grass and remove enough dirt from the patio area so you can add the pavers, sand and rock back and have the patio be finished at the correct level. This can be a lot of shovel work. Excavate just over eight inches below the surface of the patio.
After you complete the excavation work, lay down landscaping fabric which will keep weeds from growing up under the patio. The fabric is also useful in keeping the foundation secure.
Add gravel so that you can form a four inch bed under the patio. Use rakes and shovels to level the gravel. Then add two inches of sand. The sand should be tamped using a tamper. Hand tampers are inexpensive to buy and work well, however they take a lot of muscle. A power tamper can be rented at most rental shops and will make quick work of the job. Power tampers are especially useful for larger patios. Be sure that your foundation is well packed in order to ensure that the patio you are building will remain useful for many years.
YOu are now ready for the edging. Aluminum edging works well and is light weight. Use gutter spikes to hold the edging in place. You may need a sledge hammer to insert the spikes through the gravel.
A chalk line along the edge of the patio will help you to keep your pavers straight. You will need an assistant in order to snap the chalk line.
Start at the outsice and lay the pavers. Be sure you use a rubber mallet to tamp each paver into place. If you need smaller pavers, a cold chisel will allow you to cut the full pavers.
Once the pavers have all been set, pour a small amount of sand and sweep over the patio. You will need to continue to do this until all of the cracks in between the pavers have been filled.
The final step is to cover the patio in concrete sealer. The sealer will keep the sand in place. If the sand is kept in place, the patio should last a long time.
About the Author
Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer. Her current area of specialism is chaise longue, office furniture and christmas decorations
What’s your favorite bio media for your filter?
I like to experiment with different products. I recently purchased seachem’s Matrix bio-media & put it in one of my magnum 350 filters instead of charcoal. I also converted an emperor 400 to all bio-filtration with the stuff + some creative use of a dremmel & airstones. I like it alot but the prospect of buying 4 more tubes of it at $18 a bottle is not something I’m willing to do.
It looks like you could use other stuff in there as well… I was tempted to try lava rock from lowes landscaping section chipped into peices small enough to fit.
Do you have any favorite bio media? It can be commercial or DIY… Just share your experience.
I haven’t tried it just yet, but am excited to get some, it is a new product called BIOHOME. It is very hard to find and the only way I know of getting it here in the US is from the net. One of the people on here sells it, his name is bettachris, I will try to leave you links to the sites that describe it.
BIOHOME
http://www.reinbiotech.com/biohome/biohome.jsp
BC Aquatics (where you can order it)
http://bcaquatics.com/biohome.aspx
2. Rock Bottom Landscape Products – Retaining Walls Part II
