July 5, 2008
Do-It-Yourself Pool Patio: Part 4
NO MATTER WHERE I go this summer, it seems everyone's asking me the same question: "How's your patio coming along?"
Until about a month ago, my response was pretty negative. To be honest, I was having a bad time of it.
For the first time in a long time, I was worried: What have I gotten myself into? Maybe this job is just too big for me.
But I'm here to tell you that the summer project I've been chronicling in this space - building a 1,500-square-foot patio out of paving stones around my in-ground pool - finally is on the right track. I was on a working vacation last week and made significant progress. I have laid roughly two-thirds of the pavers, and my oldest daughter might just get that Sweet 16 pool party near the end of August. (Don't hold me to that, Melissa, the patio isn't finished yet.)
I decided to tackle this job in the early spring. It was my first try at installing paving stones, but I was confident. And I admit that most of the steps have been satisfying, from removing a small concrete patio with a jackhammer to excavating the soil around my pool.
But things got a lot tougher in the middle of June when 18 yards of crushed gravel and 9 yards of fine sand, along with my paving stones (about 4,000 of them), were delivered. My yard had two large hills that would be the envy of any ski lodge and more stones than the Egyptian pyramids.
And here I am in my driveway with a shovel and wheelbarrow.
Uh-oh.
Luckily, I had two great friends and a loyal 18-year-old son to help me move all the crushed gravel. I was sure that the worst was over.
However, I found it nearly impossible to deal with the sand. No matter what I tried, I could not get a flat, level bed, which is necessary to lay the stones upon.
For small jobs, such as 100-square- foot patios or narrow walkways, preparing the bed is quite simple. The border is created first out of wood or brick edging, and then the sand is poured into the interior. The sand is then "screeded," or leveled, with a piece of lumber that is notched at both ends. The notched pieces rest on the border, and as the lumber is dragged along the outline the sand is leveled.
But my pool patio was too huge for this; I needed to screed an area nearly 12 feet long in some cases. Plus, I wanted to start against the pool and work outward. Initially, I figured I could level the sand with one-inch PVC pipe and a long 2-by-4. Using the suggestion of one paving stone manufacturer, I set my PVC pipes in a thin layer of sand, about 10 feet apart, then dragged a 2-by-4 across the tops of the pipes. I couldn't make it work. The area was too large. I couldn't get the pipes to stay in line, and I couldn't put enough pressure on the 2-by-4 to create a flat bed.
My solution was to build a screed box, or a form. Using my table saw and dado blade, I built a form out of 2-by-4s, roughly 3 1/2 feet by 4 feet (just about my wingspan). I notched another 2-by-4 at each end to use as a screeding tool. Now, to create a flat bed of sand, I level the top of the screed box with a row of pavers, pour sand in the box and screed.
In addition to the screed box, I have some other tips on working with paving stones:
Get help for the grunt work. If you don't have friends with shovels and strong backs, rent a loader or a Bobcat (about $200 a day), a small bulldozer-like machine. It's worth it.
Be prepared to take down a portion of your fence. Then your supply company or nursery might be able to deliver your stones, sand and gravel right next to the work site instead of in the driveway. Because it comes in a dump truck and my lot is sloped, the sand and gravel for my job could get no closer than my garage door. The pavers, however, are delivered by a machine that resembles a forklift, and it was able to set the stones around my pool. It took about 5 minutes to disassemble a portion of my chain-link fence and about 10 minutes to reassemble it.
Pace yourself. This is backbreaking work. The sand, gravel and stones are heavy, and there's a tremendous amount of lifting and bending. Even so, I did a great deal of work last week, on a day that hit 92 degrees. I started in the shade at 5 a.m., then took a break at noon, when it got hot. I swam in the pool for a while, had some lunch, then went back at it for another 5 hours. Every time I got hot, I jumped in the pool. When I was cool, I jumped out and started working again.
Work gloves, knee pads, work boots with steel toes - my hands would be rougher, my knees sorer and at least one of my toes broken if not for these essential supplies.
I'll get back to you when I've finished.
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