How To Create A Patio Near Your Backyard Pond
One of the most desirable things about a potential property is water. Lakefront, pond front, or ocean front property is highly sought after. If you are lucky enough to have brought a piece of property with a pond, then you should make sure you enjoy it to the fullest. This means setting up a nice patio near the pond.
Here is a simple step-by-step guide to set up a nice patio by your pond.
Frame Out The Area
The fist thing you need to do is determine how large you want the patio to be. Use a measuring tape and set up the patio dimensions. If you are planning on putting a table and chairs on the patio, make sure you factor them in. You don't want to have a patio that is too short for your furniture.
Dig Out The Area
You should dig down at least 5 inches deep. You will want to dig this deep because of the aggregate you will be laying down.
Lay Weed Barrier
Once you have dug down at least five inches, it is time to lay the weed barrier. This is a material that is designed to prevent weeds from sprouting up through the stone and gravel you will eventually plant. You roll it out like a carpet over the entire area.
Weed barriers are either plastic or fabric. Fabric weed barriers break down faster than plastic, and you will need to replace them. These barriers are fine for a garden where you will be digging up flowers and replanting things, but for a patio you don't want to have to dig up anything once your done. For this reason, a double layer of plastic weed barrier is ideal.
Get Stone Delivered
You are going to want to have crushed stone delivered to your home. The stone doesn't have to be smooth because it will be covered by sand. The purpose of the stone is to drain water.
You will want to have 4 inches of crushed stone in the dug out area. The amount of material you have delivered will depend on how large of an area you framed out. Here is a simple way to calculate the material required.
Tamp down the stone. This is so that the stone doesn't settle too much once you are done laying the sand and top stone. If you don't tamp down the crushed stone, everything may end up shifting and uneven.
Get Sand Delivered
The next step is to have sand delivered. You can have sand delivered from local companies like McNabb Construction Ltd. The sand will be placed over the crushed stone. You want 1 inch of sand on top of the crushed stone. Here is a calculation to help you figure out how much sand to get.
Spread out the sand and rake it until it is completely level.
Add Top Stone
After you have added the final layer of sand, it is time to top off the box with a final layer of stone. Smooth stone is the best type of stone for a final layer. because you can get an even surface.
Once it is all laid out, you should go back and tamp it down with a tamping instrument. This will make sure that there are no air pockets or empty spaces. When you are finished tamping it down, spray down the entire patio with a hose. This will help the sand settle into the cracks between the stone.
This will finish your backyard patio. You can set the tables out on the patio and arrange the chairs. The area will be stable and won't change due to the weather or time of year.