Owning a home is a great privilege to have and something that many strive to obtain in their lifetime. Taking care of your home can be quite a chore and can take a great deal of time and effort. When you own a home, you will most likely have an interest in hosting family gatherings or having friends over for a cookout or kid’s birthday party. Whatever your reasons are, it is always nice to have an outdoor space that you can enjoy after a long day of work or host family and friends. This article will provide some tips that will help you install a paver patio in your backyard.
- Create a design layout of the patio. Determine what your main goals for building a patio are. Once you have done that, you can then begin to work on the logistics of the project. Working with your family members and a person with great knowledge of installing patios, create a design layout that will work best for your needs. Once you have created a design layout of your paver patio, you can then begin to determine your budget and what supplies will be needed.
- Stake the area where you want to build your patio. After you have measured the area and determined the equipment, tools, and other supplies that you will need for your project, you can then stake out the area. Some find it helpful to also spray paint the area so that there is no confusion as to where the patio will reside. Landscaper’s spray is a good product to use as it will not wash away easily.
- Determine the patio height. Take into consideration how high you want your patio to be. You will want to make sure that it is above the level ground and built in a way that will not allow for rain or other water to stand on the patio. It is also important to keep in mind that you will need at least 6 inches for the base of the patio. The base, or the foundation, is made up of gravel, sand, and dirt. The more solid the foundation, the longer your patio will last.
- Excavate. After you have determined your patio height and you have staked out the area, you will then want to excavate and prepare the area for the patio. A great way to do this is by using equipment from a rental company such as U-Dig. This will save you a substantial amount of money as equipment is costly. It is imperative that the dirt is level or your patio will have problems.
- Protect and add gravel and sand to the foundation. Creating a base is very important, as we mentioned above. Before you pour dirt, gravel, or sand on to the patio area, you will want to lay out a covering to prevent insects, rodents, or other pests from burrowing under your patio. Once done, you will then want to create a strong foundation. To create a strong foundation, be sure to lay down gravel or small, tiny rocks. It is important to make sure that it is level. After you lay down gravel, then lay down sand and make sure that it is level. After the foundation is laid and all is level, you can then begin the paver process.