(no subject)
So..it's been ages since I posted anything...and I've been promsing Charmer all sorts of pictures...for well awhile now...So I'm going to get off my duff and at least get something up here. The cruise pictures are going to be a little bit yet...mostly cause I have to write tons more for those to make sense....So patio pictures first...
So..with the hubby's brothers moving out to other states, and us being centralish to everyone, we've been trying to do a summer get together the past few summers, else everyone only see's each other at Christmas. But our house isn't the best for entertaining, get more than four or five people in it and it starts feeling cramped...least if you're trying to have everyone in the same room. And we've been wanting to add on a deck or patio for a bit now...So we decided to go ahead and do it this year, and what better excuse thatn having it done in time for the family in law bbq! (ok so it was only year two..and the one brother-in-law canceled out at the last minute even though we'd set the date back IN january...but..anyways...that's drama for another time).
And thus...we have the progression of patio-ness....we decided on a patio since long term it would be less maintenance and upkeep..verses a deck (usually being of wood), even if inital work was a lot more....Also cheaper (at least when doing it yourself....which I've had many comments of being brave, or insane for having done this ourselves).
Anyways....
This is the start of the project...lots of grass and just a bit of string still there and the beginnings of the trenches for the border stuff...
All the piles of pages of sand and gravel for leveling....all so fun to have carried to the back of the house from the front where they dropped the stuff off. Though far better than if it had been unbaged and we'd had to shovel it all to move it around..
A bit of progress, the laying out of the 'black stuff' to help keep down the weeds and grass from growing up through the cracks between the pavers once they are placed...a help to future maintence....which I'd have to do anyways...
Further progress!! Border wood..things..whatever...in place and gravel for leveling has been laid and some of the sand...and of course the mark yet from the all so fun compactor! Though we did end up running out of the leveling sand and having to get more...Mostly cause we ended up not sinking the boards quite as far as we thought we would. Though the boards were also evil...when first getting them from the hardware store, one landed smack on my thumb..which was swoleen for many a day after and many weeks after yet there is still a small knot on my thumb where it impacted.
Ah...the pile of pavers...also that which ha to be carted from the front of the house..to the back..only like a 116 of them...
Ta-da!! After a long day and a nice loveyl sun burn...a patio is born!! A little lonely with just the few chairs....But every paver has been laid and leveled (by me, the hubby has not the patience for such work).
Not quite so lonely...a grill has been purchased and set up...Woo! We can do real grilling now.
And last but not least....we managed to find a patio set that was way cheaper than most of such size and far nicer as well. As most for what we were looking at were well over a grand...just insane the prizes on patio furniture. But only a couple hundred for this set....the family ended up being quite surprised by it..as we hadn't told them we were doing it and most impressed by the work as well. Granted, we've also added little solar lamps around the one side nice as well.
And a kitty always has to appear....exploring another small project I had wanted to get done...the moving of my aquarium over to the this particular wall from right inside the door (it now taking the place where the departed Bob had been setup), but such a move has muchly opened up the room and made it seem bigger...and the kitty has found a new perch.
And next.....I'll try getting to putting up the picture of cruise that was taken mid May ~coughs~ yes, I am slow!
So..with the hubby's brothers moving out to other states, and us being centralish to everyone, we've been trying to do a summer get together the past few summers, else everyone only see's each other at Christmas. But our house isn't the best for entertaining, get more than four or five people in it and it starts feeling cramped...least if you're trying to have everyone in the same room. And we've been wanting to add on a deck or patio for a bit now...So we decided to go ahead and do it this year, and what better excuse thatn having it done in time for the family in law bbq! (ok so it was only year two..and the one brother-in-law canceled out at the last minute even though we'd set the date back IN january...but..anyways...that's drama for another time).
And thus...we have the progression of patio-ness....we decided on a patio since long term it would be less maintenance and upkeep..verses a deck (usually being of wood), even if inital work was a lot more....Also cheaper (at least when doing it yourself....which I've had many comments of being brave, or insane for having done this ourselves).
Anyways....
This is the start of the project...lots of grass and just a bit of string still there and the beginnings of the trenches for the border stuff...
All the piles of pages of sand and gravel for leveling....all so fun to have carried to the back of the house from the front where they dropped the stuff off. Though far better than if it had been unbaged and we'd had to shovel it all to move it around..
A bit of progress, the laying out of the 'black stuff' to help keep down the weeds and grass from growing up through the cracks between the pavers once they are placed...a help to future maintence....which I'd have to do anyways...
Further progress!! Border wood..things..whatever...in place and gravel for leveling has been laid and some of the sand...and of course the mark yet from the all so fun compactor! Though we did end up running out of the leveling sand and having to get more...Mostly cause we ended up not sinking the boards quite as far as we thought we would. Though the boards were also evil...when first getting them from the hardware store, one landed smack on my thumb..which was swoleen for many a day after and many weeks after yet there is still a small knot on my thumb where it impacted.
Ah...the pile of pavers...also that which ha to be carted from the front of the house..to the back..only like a 116 of them...
Ta-da!! After a long day and a nice loveyl sun burn...a patio is born!! A little lonely with just the few chairs....But every paver has been laid and leveled (by me, the hubby has not the patience for such work).
Not quite so lonely...a grill has been purchased and set up...Woo! We can do real grilling now.
And last but not least....we managed to find a patio set that was way cheaper than most of such size and far nicer as well. As most for what we were looking at were well over a grand...just insane the prizes on patio furniture. But only a couple hundred for this set....the family ended up being quite surprised by it..as we hadn't told them we were doing it and most impressed by the work as well. Granted, we've also added little solar lamps around the one side nice as well.
And a kitty always has to appear....exploring another small project I had wanted to get done...the moving of my aquarium over to the this particular wall from right inside the door (it now taking the place where the departed Bob had been setup), but such a move has muchly opened up the room and made it seem bigger...and the kitty has found a new perch.
And next.....I'll try getting to putting up the picture of cruise that was taken mid May ~coughs~ yes, I am slow!