I think I took this whole wasted space idea too literally. I made use of a friends wasted space and my wasted time. For our wedding gift my wife and I helped transform a wasted space in the newly weds back yard (with their help of course). A lot of sweat and a few aching backs and we made the best use of what they had. Take a look at the before and after. I go into a step by step process on my blog for more pics
Our friends had an existing area where there were some stones laid in sand from the previous homeowners. None fo the material was level, the area did not drain and their dog kept tracking dirt through the house. We wanted to revitalize the space for their grill and a future firepit/seating area.
First we removed all the sand and existing rocks from the area and pulled string lines to set our patio level and determine how much material to dig out. We also had to check to make sure that the water would be directed toward our new drain and away from the house. Typically you want to have a slope on any patio of 1/4" fall for every 4' feet of patio.
Our second step was to dig into the dirt so that we could fill it back in with an appropriate ROC base.
The entire patio sloped toward the house before so to eliminate this problem we added a drain by the porch.
After we were finished digging we added 4" of ROC Limestone base. ROC stands for "Run of the crusher." This material is an inexpensive limestone product that has large pcs as well as small fines that when compacted combine together to provide a solid base.
After adding the ROC we rented a maching compactor from the Rental supply place. Approx $50. When ran the compactor back and forth over the area the area several times and followed up by using a hand tamper around all the edges.
Laying the Stones
Check out my mixing crew. You have two options when it comes to mortar. You can by the pre-mixed variety that they sell at Lowes that allows you to just add water (more expensive). Or you can mix your own. I would recommend Type S Mortar for laying flat stone. The mixture is 1 part mortar to 3 parts sand. You should first dry mix this and only do half a bag at a time. Once the dry mix is thoroughly mixed slowly add water to a cake like consistency.
While you are laying the stone it is always important to make sure your stones are level. Constantly check with a 2 foot and 4 foot level. Also it is important to make sure the stones you are laying do not get out of square. Every so often it is important to pull out a string line and check the patio for square and that the joints line up.
I always save all the cutting to the very end. If you cut the pcs as you go you will have trouble with your mortar getting stiff on you as well as creating a lot of dust in the area you are trying to work.
Check out the Finished Product
