DIY patio
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Anonymous
| I’m a busy working mom with young kids and not a lot of extra money for home improvements. We have a blank slate backyard with nothing in it but a sandbox and some toys. I’d love to put in a patio of some sort for our grill and a table/chairs but think that installing a professional patio would be pretty pricey. Google says it’s cheap and easy to install a gravel patio. Good idea or ugly and annoying to take/maintain? |
Anonymous
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I would not do a gravel patio because my young kids love digging and throwing rocks. So I feel like it would just drive me crazy and be a mess.
Maybe some deck tiles from IKEA? |
Anonymous
| I want to diy as well. Thinking over pavers |
Anonymous
| I thinking of pouring concrete in 3’ by 3’ squares. Bricks outlying the squares. How hard is this? |
Anonymous
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Honestly I DIY so much around the house but I would at least hire someone to help with this because it is so much brute labor, especially in the summer and you will be exhausted quickly. Definitely if you're talking about pouring concrete squares that is so much work to build the frames, you'll have to hire a mixer, and worse if you f- up you'll have to deal with busting up and hauling away the mistake. Pavers would maybe be easier but it's so hard to do it well and you'll just be frustrated and tripping if they start to pop up on you. You also need to make sure you're not setting up a drainage problem against the house.
If you're looking for an easy but non-permanent option while you're saving up, maybe try the IKEA tiles if your area is really flat and/or if it's pretty dry, just mow the grass really short and throw and outdoor rug down for your party. Put up an umbrella. I would use your own labor for planting/mulching for sure but definitely let pros do the hardscaping. |
Anonymous
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I did a diy 12x15’ Pennsylvania flagstone patio. I hired some day laborers to dig down the 6”. I had a place to put all the dirt. You will have to think of where you will put that dirt.
Then the sand. Rented a pounder and a 2”x6’ board for leveling. Then the stones. All in, it took 2 weekends. Looks beautiful. Manufactured stone would be a million times easier for laying because the depth would be consistent. The natural stone looks great, but the depth of the stones was inconsistent, making the leveling process more difficult. |
Anonymous
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Where are you going to find the time with 2 young kids underfoot? Is this a team project with your DH? So at least theres 2 people wirking?This isn't a 5 min project you can do while your kids are plunked in front of an episode of Paw Patrol.
Have you done any research/utube watching on this DIY? Think through the logistics yet? Everything on pricing out your materials to renting a truck to get pavers/concrete mix, mixer, digging, leveling, and that is for starters. |
Anonymous
We did it too. Not a big deal. |
Anonymous
Just buy them ready made. I just put them in my SUV and made several trips. |
Anonymous
OP here. This is a different app saying they’re going to install a concrete patio. I’m only thinking about doing the gravel/pea stone kind and wanted people’s thoughts on that. |
Anonymous
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I literally just took on this project today! I am a single mom with two kids 10 & 12. We’ve measured the space, purchased materials, and plan to start digging tomorrow. I’ve watched tons of YouTube videos and I am willing to try and see how it goes before spending the estimated $6k that was quoted to me for a 10x12 space. I’ve spent $300 so far and anticipate spending at least another $200-300. If it goes well I save over $4k and if it doesn’t I love $600 small price to pay. Very very high level video of the process that I am using linked below:
https://youtu.be/JutlQlD-fsY I’ll report back on the outcome. I say try it! Good luck OP! |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
Good luck. You can do it. We did ours as well as a retaining wall. The digging was the worst. |
Anonymous
| How difficult to stamp concrete |
Anonymous
| I used forms for mine and spread it out over a few weekends. That was five years ago and it still looks good. No cracking. |