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The ground was dry, the weather was ideal for working outdoors, and I checked off one of the projects on my 'To Do List' for this summer! I corrected the curve with the paving bricks in our backyard. After completing this last September 2022, I wasn't really satisfied with how it turned out. You can compare the two photos to see the difference.
On a side note, I actually used one less paving brick by rearranging them and softening the curve.
And no, I do not hire out!
My supervisor, Bear, was out this morning, giving his approval of all the work done (in his absence) from yesterday.
End of Day 1. The goal of 10 bricks has been met; it was time to quit for the day. Note that Bear is not here. He was called indoors for his supper! I had to work unsupervised!
Note: I do have some weeding to do around that Rhododendron Tree that will be done the next time I'm out there. Getting this part started today got me started. I hope to finish placing all 100 bricks by Labor Day (September 5th).
I mowed our lawn on Tuesday afternoon, we had rain Wednesday and Thursday, and sunlight greeted us for Friday and today. This view is from the south edge of our backyard looking north. You can see our patio to the left, the bird feeders toward the center with the Magnolia tree, and our shed on the right. To my far right (no photo today--nothing to really report) is another flower bed, creatively called the "Missile Silo" (I'll explain when I get a good photo of that later!).
I recently discovered what's been disturbing things in my yard - - I had suspected it for a couple of summers now - - but finally I spotted them a couple of weeks ago - - I have a half dozen garden fairies that have moved into the abandoned bird houses around the yard.
They were hard to spot at first but now that they are more accustomed to me - - I'm able to start seeing them a little more out in the clear.
Here's one of my first successful pictures of a male fairy that was hiding in my shoe tree.
Garden Fairies - Beeton, Ontario
What lies ahead: So far, 18 bricks of 105 (or so) have been installed; the hardest part has been covered, so now the rest of the 'journey' will be easier to do. The cardboard you see by the one bush is only one of about 5 that have dirt on it. Those will need to be distributed around the yard as all of my 5-gallon buckets are full of sifted dirt. Need any? Come and bring your bucket and I'll fill it for free!
This is what remains to be done. You can see the pile of bricks next to the berry bush. The bench will be disassembled and stored as I need to replace the wood slats. The finish point is in the corner where the lilac tree is located. I hope to get this completed by Labor Day weekend (September 5).
Okay, this was from back in September 2022. Since then, I didn't really like how I did the curve by the gate. That was changed today, June 7, 2023.
This is the view of what I accomplished yesterday. 24 paving bricks were installed, bringing the total to 42. I was blessed with a great day and cool breeze to work. I did spend a little more time on that one berry bush, thinking if I do so now, it will spare me some time later this fall.
This is how things were left on Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday's work. I dug the path for the paving bricks, so all I needed to do what sift the dirt, toss the grass, prepare the bricks, then backfill. Simple, right?
This is the last stretch of the yard that will see transition from 'messy' to 'organized'. I will need to shuffle some bricks to make this work out. You can see my 'sifting table' as well as the many sheets of cardboard. (Thank you, Lego, for all the shipments of Lego kits) I repurposed those boxes to hold dirt and stones. I can lift, fold, and deposit the dirt or stones where I need them. It's also easy clean-up, and I don't have to pick out all the rocks from the grass. I don't know where I got that idea, but thanks to whoever shared that!
Friday's progress: 8 paving bricks. We had about 0.8 inches ~2 cm) of rain in about 20 minutes with lightning and thunder around 10 pm. That left the ground a bit wet, but I had covered the area with plastic sheets to keep it somewhat dry. The soil took a little longer to process, hence the shorter progress today. I did have to level the ground for two patio blocks which will serve as a walkway from the patio to the yard.
I'll be taking Saturday and Sunday off as we're expecting very hot weather Saturday and rain showers on Sunday. I've got other 'projects' lined up for indoors!
As always, thanks for your visits and encouragements. I appreciate them very much.
The view from the other side of the patio. Too bad I don't have a drone where I could fly up and take one looking straight down. But then, you'll see all the 'stuff' I pulled out of the way to get this photo!
The bench had been dismantled, and now the next 'project' is to replace the boards and clean up and paint the iron parts, Oh, the fun one has in retirement!
The patio stone at the entrance of my shed was raised, the rocks removed, and dirt was added to bring up the level of the bricks. I used the umbrella from my patio table while working in the sun this afternoon, which provided excellent shade. Once raised and tamped down, the landscape fabric was laid, blocks set, and stones returned. 2 hours of work that went smoothly, along with the usual iced tea breaks!
And yes, that is my shadow as I took this after finishing up the other side of the yard.
This was the progress as of Wednesday night. I finished cleaning up in the dark, so I waited until this morning (Thursday) to grab this shot. Rain was forecast for today, so I covered part of the area to keep it dry for Friday when the weather will be cooler. So far, 70 paving bricks have been installed.
Having dug back part of the corner, I installed the landscape fabric (to reduce weeds) and placed the paving bricks in place. I then would backfill with the sifted stones, and then fill in the outer side with the sifted dirt. You'll note the feet of Bear as he 'supervises' my work.
The completed path! Last bricks were installed this noon. Good timing, as the temperature was just under 90 degrees F (32 C). Time to go in, shower, and eat lunch.
Today's work was completed by 9:15 am, long before the sun heated things up. I worked in the shade beginning around 6:15 am, took a half-hour iced tea break, then completed this first phase of the project. I sifted the rock from the soil, and now the next phase is to level the ground and start laying the patio blocks. That will come on a later day when the temperatures are cooler. Tomorrow, I'll show you a draft of how things are planned.
The lawn had just been mowed, the fence around the raised Zinnia bed had been removed, and the bird baths had been cleaned and refreshed for more bird guests.
August 16, 2022--Work has begun! I excavated the stones in the corner of our back yard, sifting out the dirt, separating the stones, and discarding the weeds and grass. I was 'supervised' by "Bear", our neighbor's dog who kept a close eye on my while I was working. This was the toughest part of the job, as there is a chain-link fence in that corner. My goal is to install 10 bricks each day I work out there.
This is another angle from near the center of the yard, showing the edge where these bricks will go. The whole length of this side of the house will be done, similar to what was done last year on the other side of the house. (See comments)
This was a 'rough fit' to see if I needed to add one more brick thus saving cutting one (which I don't wan to do) or if I can just finagle them in place and into a nice contour line. Any guesses on what will be one?
The weather forecast changed, taking the rain out until later in the evening, so I was able to concentrate on the 'finish line'--the lilac tree area in the other corner. I ran into some 'problems' as two bricks that were placed last summer had shifted, so I had to relevel them. Then, I had issues with roots that would cause the bricks to be higher than intended, so some pruning was required to get the level right. So, today's bricks numbered 8, bringing the total number to 90. Yes, I counted! That leaves about 15 more bricks to go.
76 degrees F (24 C) this afternoon, sunny skies, and just enough of a gentle breeze to make working outdoors a pleasure. I had to switch out the corner posts on my raised garden bed, so one-by-one I removed each post, inserted the new post, clamped and attached the sides, and continued on. Here, you see three of the four corners have been switched; the fourth is left for this 'in-process' photo for your information. I use cardboard boxes when working on the grass to serve as a place to put tools, supplies, etc., as well as one for me to sit upon. My Zinnias will be planted here later.
I worked about 3 hours on this today, after having worked by the shed for the other 2 hours on my back yard projects. The dirt I had sifted went to leveling the blocks in front of my shed, and by the end of today's work by this bush, all the dirt had been distributed! (I still have 4 5-gallon buckets of dirt.) I'll be taking a break from this as my schedule for the weekend has me busy doing other things, and rain is forecasted for the weekend anyway. So, a good time to rest.
Thanks for all your comments and faves on this project. My reward is not only seeing the day-to-day progress, but also reading your kind encouragements!
Note: While uploading the original, I noticed how 'washed out' the green grass had become. This is the edited photo.
This is STEP 1
The floorplan:
"When I see outdoor hardscape ideas that I like I take notes of the materials that are used which help create that aesthetically pleasing environment. Before I start the project I draw my outdoor floorplan on a notepad to see how it could fit into my backyard or tie into my existing garden elements. I also budget so I have a clear idea of how much everything will end up costing in the end."
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☆How-to-make-garden-patio-lighting for free!☆
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mikie p on trowel - building an outdoor brick grill at my campsite
want to know how to build one? or do you live in Indiana and want one built for you? My friends at www.outdoorroomscapes.com can help. Check them out on Facebook www.facebook.com/OutdoorRoomscapes
Photo is best viewed LARGER
I completed this portion last night, but the shadows of darkness would preclude any good photo. I waited until morning to take this photo.
Compare with how this began in the comments below.