Mrs. C Does Stuff

Here is what our patio looked like when we started after prepping the ground .  It was still a work in progress.   We decided to make pavers for the patio using a mold.  This is a mold made by Pathmate in the Belgian style.  This seemed to be the simplest method for creating the patio.  By using the mold we saved money on the purchase of individual pavers, and saved time because we did not have to design and layout a pattern.  To use the mold, we simply mixed concrete and poured it into the form.  Smooth off the top of the mold.  We allowed the concrete to set for a couple of minutes.  Then, gently we removed the mold. This is how it looked when the mold was filled with concrete. After letting it sit, we lifted the mold. You can move on to the next mold setting immediately after lifting out the mold. This is how the pavers looked as we moved along. This project obviously took several days to complete.  We di...

This is one of the major projects we have been working on the past few weeks.  Since moving into our house, we have discussed this patio.  We have spent a great deal of time planning the entire outdoor living space.  This space will be done in stages.   The first stage is laying a patio with pavers.  The second stage will consist of us building an overhead cover.  We are still working out the design elements and a plan of execution for that stage.  The third and final stage will be to build an outdoor kitchen area.  Because there is a pond behind our house, we would like to create a place where we can not only barbecue, but also clean and cook any fish we catch.  About a month ago we finally began working on phase one of the backyard, the patio.  The hardest part of this project is leveling the ground.  The first thing we did was mark the area with stakes. Then, we had to dig up the sod.  At first, Mr. C thought he co...