This stone patio was almost free. I received a 15 ‘ circle from someone who was replacing their stone. 2 tons of screening ($75) and 2 bags of sealing sand ($25). There was of course the back breaking labor but it is satisfying pain when you build something yourself. As you can see, I was not blessed with an elegant backyard oasis:
The old stones were pulled up, the sod peeled back and the whole area dug down to a 3″ - 6″ depth. The land sloped down from the back of the house so I didn’t dig down very far on the outside. That area had at least 6″ of screening under the new stones. Once the screening is spread out evenly it has to be tamped down. You soak the area and bash the hell out of it with the tamper (you can rent one for less than $20)…it is a flat metal plate on a pole with handles on the side.
Once the area is thoroughly tamped (I soaked it several times and spent at least 4 hours on this) you start laying your stones, starting in the center and working your way out. Each course has to be carefully laid and checked for level. More than once I had to step back, look, adjust, and sometimes take up several stones and level the ground underneath. Once you have a good sized circle, a straight 2×4 around 5 feet long can help you level the stones.
Once the stone laying is complete the patio needs to be sealed. There are many different products that can be used, and all are applied in a similar fashion. The sealing sand that I used was poured into all the gaps between the stones. I used a broom to gently sweep all of the excess off the stones and into every last space. Then I watered the patio using a fine mist. The patio was watered several times and allowed to dry. I repeated this process a few more times throughout the first summer.
The end result was an almost professional job which took 2 .5 days. As you can see in the pictures, this is a townhouse so all the materials were carried through the house. On an accessible site, with all the materials at hand, this was a 1 man, 1 day, job. I had done this once before (helped someone 15 + years ago) so I had a little experience and the hardest part is definitely the labor. By the time you are half way through the job, you will officially be an expert stone patio layer, or at least, well on your way to becoming one.
I phoned around and got 3 quotes after I finished, just to see what it would cost. I was quoted $800 -$1500 for materials and no less than $1000 for the labor on any of the quotes. One of the quotes was actually $4000 for a 15′ circle kit like the one I built.
Thanks,
Mike
