Patio: A Place to Relax

Fall came quickly after we finished the deck. We began dreaming of our patio before realizing that there just wasn’t time. Although September in Seattle is typically a mild month in terms of weather, the days get noticeably shorter and the evening air starts to bite. We were tired, anyway. So, the next year we set our eyes on the patio! We had a good idea of the materials we liked and where to get the best price, so it only took a quick refresh of our memory to finalize our purchase. Unfortunately, it was a several week delay for the granite we wanted. Not to worry! The amount of excavating and back-filling with gravel took every bit of the three week delay.

Excavating.	Screeding sand for pavers.

The materials were delivered in pallets by a big truck with a fancy machine attached to the back. Our good friends offered to help us carry the materials from the driveway to the back yard. We were so grateful for their help, especially on the big granite pieces!

Weird machine.	Materials.

Laying the paver patio was relatively easy. You’ll notice that we dug holes and poured concrete footings for our future pergola. The hard part was laying out the big granite pieces and fitting them together just right. We didn’t want to cut the stone, preferring a more natural look. That said, we still wanted to minimize the gaps between stones. We lifted, turned, flipped, lifted, moved, turned, and lifted. I am famous at our house for ending a weekend by saying, “I’m so tired. I’ve never been this tired before.” On this day, when I laid down for a short rest on the work site and feel asleep, it might actually have been true.

Figuring...requires lots of staring.	Will this work?
Man kills wife in epic patio project.	A miracle!

I never could have imagined that we’d be able to put the puzzle together, but Nick figured it out! I love the way the patio curves at the left. We just happened to have all the right pieces and a guy who could see how it would go together.