How We Assembled Our DIY Backyard Pea Stone Patio
This is how the patio began. Our yard was a large blank slate which was good and bad at the same time. It took a long time to decide where to start digging in and transforming the outside to a more livable space that was user friendly. There are so many options but one thing I wanted to do was keep the cost down. Outdoor spaces are the best, but in the Northeast you don’t really get to use them year round so we’re choosy about what we invest in. We had the picnic table in that same spot for a long time, but found we didn’t use it much. It honestly just wasn’t that comfortable. I wanted more seating options and something prettier.
We began by surrounding the picnic table with stones we had left over from a rock garden. The border ended up being 12′ x 12′. We went back and forth regarding the shape. A square gave us the most options for furniture.
To back up a bit. This was our original plan. To connect this patio to the house, porch and grill. This lasted one day until we figured out it went over the septic system. Yes…the septic system has been a major player in trying to make this backyard space usable yet keeping it accessible when maintenance is needed. Plan two…
The square ended up being plan two and with plans of adding some kind of arbor or canopy this shape and size will accommodate whatever we decide to fill it with.
The next step was to do some leveling. All we did was dig down enough on the elevated left side, shake out as much soil as possible, spread it towards the lower side and the get rid of the extra sod. Sorry no pictures are available. You wouldn’t want to see how grubby and gross we got anyway:)
The weed barrier went down next. We made sure when we laid it we also placed it under the surrounding rocks to prevent grass and weed growth. After all your hard work you don’t want to be cleaning that out from between the rocks.
TIP: Don’t use weed barrier from dollar tree. The grass and weeds will grow right through it. Invest in a product that is heavier duty.
We purchased our pea stone from Home Depo. We ended up needing 2+ cubic square yards of stone to cover this 12′ area with a 3″ thickness.
We have yet to get the furniture, some decor and lights to dress this area up. But until then this is fine for us with some lounge chairs, a table and enjoying morning coffee almost completely bug free.
The next step was to move the firepit further back into the yard to make room for another update that we are planning on making.
My husband and daughter took this job on all themselves. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciated it. Hauling rocks in 90 degree weather is hard work! But I figure they must be looking forward to the changes being made as much as I am:)
Thank you for stopping by…
Roni
