HOW WE BUILT OUR BACKYARD PAVER PATIO

We love spending time in our backyard, and for some reason we always ended up in the same area of our yard, even though we have a covered patio. The down side… Our chairs would fall into mole holes.. While we finally got that pesky problem under control, we decided that it was time to create a paver patio for our favorite area which gave us space to include a fit pit.

So, today we are going to walk you through DIYing your paver patio – and how we created a great backyard space to enjoy (almost) year round.. I mean we do live in WA! My mom and I (Kate) basically followed Home Depots instructions (which you'll find below, with things we did differently too) but also, because I can be impatient and chose not to wait for Joseph, I may OR may not have made more work for myself & mother... (Ill be honest, I made WAY more work for us). I'm sure your saying to yourself - your husband is a contractor, why didn't you just wait for him.. Solid question, but if you missed the key word IMPATIENT, there's your answer.. We did wait for him on some things & he gets credit for laying half the pavers, but really I needed him to cut the pavers. LOL

If I was to give this project a DIY review, even though I love the final product, I would NEVER do this again. It wasn't even close to being easy (my back & knee's killed me by the time we were done). You can't really be willy-nilly with the pavers because if they are not even, the patio wouldn't be level, which I know would drive me crazy. So, if you are a perfectionist, I would hire a professional for this one!

HOW WE BUILT OUR BACKYARD PAVER PATIO

SUPPLIES

• A 6-inch layer of gravel for the paver base

• A 1-inch layer of sand

• Patio pavers

• Paver sand 

TOOLS

· Measuring Tape

· Garden Stakes

· String

· Spade/Shovel

· Weed Block

· Rake

· Plate Compactor

· Level

· 2 X 4 Foot board

· Masonry Saw / Tile Saw

· Protective Gear (Gloves, Protective Eyewear)

· Push Broom

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: WHAT YOU'LL NEED & HOW MUCH OF IT

First things first, you'll need to find the square footage of the area you want to lay your new patio! So, go grab a tape measurer! This way you can figure out how many pavers, gravel, sand and paver sand you'll need.

To figure out how many cubic feet of gravel you will need, multiply your square footage by 1/3.

You will also need a one-inch thick layer of paver leveling sand.

All gravel and sand can be found at your local Home Depot or Lowes, but for larger areas it might be more ideal to check out your local gravel/bark companies. In our area we used Puyallup Bark Supply

STEP 2: TIME TO DIG

Measure out the perimeter of the patio area and then put garden stakes into the ground (or be like us and use screwdrivers) just outside the perimeter markings and attach a string line, use a line level to make sure the strings are level. 

When thinking about how high you want your pavers remember, the pavers should slope away from your house with a drop-off of about one inch every eight feet, so water can drain away. Mark the height on the stakes and adjust the string line. 

Use your spade and shovel to dig up the grass and dirt from the marked area. Remember you want your pavers to sit at or a little above ground level.

** Add a layer of landscape fabric to block weed growth.

** Be sure to pay attention to your depth and slope against the string line!

** When digging, remember that you will be adding four inches of gravel base and about one inch of paver sand before you add the patio pavers. (Side note: I got a little carried away and did not wait for Joseph’s instructions and ended up adding and removing gravel and sand TOO many times..)

STEP 3: PAVER BASE

Use a rake to help move the paver base material to a depth of four inches throughout the marked area. Compact the area until you have a firm base. 

Use a garden hose to lightly wet the paver base to make it more solid.

**To save time we used a plate compactor, (a machine that compresses gravel and different kinds of soils) which we rented from Home Depot.

STEP 4: PAVER SAND

This next step is up to you.. We did not use a electrical conduit or PVC pipe, but we want to give options and other steps you might find helpful...

We simply poured the sand, then dragged a 2 x 4 foot board from one side to the next to smooth and level the sand layer. Then, checked it with a level.

You can however, place a length of electrical conduit on top of the base. The conduit will form “tracks” to help guide you when you level the paver sand OR Lay lengths of 1-inch outside-diameter PVC pipe across the area. The pipes will help you get the correct depth of leveling sand.

Pour the sand, then drag a 2- x 4-foot board across the conduit OR PVC to smooth and level the sand layer. Check it with a level.

Take out the conduit OR PVC and fill the spaces with more paver sand. Level these areas before moving on. Continue this process until the entire patio area is covered with level paver sand. 

STEP 5: PAVER STONES

Starting at the edge of the layout, lay out the paver stones one by one. If possible, start at a hard edge like the house or wall. 

When setting the stones, place them straight down into the sand and fit them together snuggly. Make sure you're not dragging the pavers across the sand or pushing the pavers into place. Continue until all the pavers are in place.

STEP 6: CUT THE PAVERS

There's a good chance you will need to cut pavers to fit. Place the paver over the space in your pattern and use a straight edge and marker to trace the cutting line onto the paver. We used a Tile Saw... but a masonry saw is a quick way to get a clean cut too. Be safe and be sure to wear the correct protective gear, such as gloves and protective eyewear when using the saw. 

STEP 7: ADDING EDGING STONES

Place edging stones along all the exposed patio edges - because our edge was bordered with rocks we did not need to secure them with landscape nails, but this is an option.

STEP 8: TOP IT OFF WITH PAVER SAND

Spread a layer of paver sand over the entire area. Use a push broom to sweep the sand into the gaps between the pavers and run the plate compactor across the patio surface.  Add another thin layer of sand and use the push broom to spread it across the patio. Run the plate compactor over the area one last time.

Installing your DIY patio pavers is a project that can take a weekend to a week, depending on the size of the patio you are trying to create. If you make your own Paver Patio, we want to see it! Be sure to comment below with you pictures, and tell us what you found easy or hard!