Backyard Patio - QUASI-FINISHED

we still have some work to do, but here is the patio
quasi-finished.


the back door still needs trim; andrea's coop
walkway needs the Baby's Tears to propagate more.


this path will soon lead to a door to the upstairs
of the garage.


we now have a strategic location for our fire pit!


we removed the step, and will soon build [and finish]
an outdoor dining table for our friends!



ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS
FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK IN MAKING THIS
A VERY HOSPITABLE SPOT! YOU SHOULD KNOW I'M
SERIOUS BECAUSE I NEVER USE CAPS! :)

WE LOOK FORWARD TO ALL OF THE CHATS, FOOD,
DRINKS, AND LIFE WE SHARE WITH YOU BACK HERE!
ALL ARE WELCOME!

Backyard Patio - GRAVEL

after we were done excavating the area,
we laid down landscape cloth and gravel.

we got 4 yards of gravel, it was quite a lot to rack out smooth.

rich knows how to water the gravel, with mike's margarita!

say it with me, ambidextrous.

"rich, it's like a mini-zamboni. feel the zamboni, be the zamboni."

rich is our hero! not to discount anyone esle,
but i think he did the lion's share of the work.
he didn't complain once and was always willing
to do whatever needed to be done!
we appreciate you greatly!

Backyard Patio - Demo/Friends

this project would not have been possible without our friends!
here are a few:

rich - he'll go to the ends of the earth for us!
he also cooks some killer food!


carter - he rocks in more than one way!
he showed up, grabbed the jackhammer,
and went to town for an hour!


janine - despite getting hit in the head with a rock from andrea,
she loves us! we love her too!


stan - you have to have a middle schooler's mind
to get stan's sense of humor! although he had a
big date in the evening, he still gave up his
primp time for us!


sarah - the wheel-barrow-one.
she eggs andrea on; andrea eggs sarah on, all laugh!

see the video below:



john - navy shirt guy. although he had a big softball game,
he came to be on our "team" for the morning!

THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED! OUR PATIO WOULDN'T
BE AS AWESOME IF YOU DIDN'T PUT SOME SWEAT INTO IT!

Backyard Patio - BEFORE

this spring's project was a back patio/entertaining area.
below are the before photos:

the notorious sidewalk that leads to nowhere [no joke about federal dollars :)]



the random rocks on top of a crap load of mulch on top of mud.
not friendly for our seattle rainy days. :(


slippery, mossy bricks with weeds between them.


random bricks with a random wood step and [bottom left]
crawlspace vent covered over by more random bricks.