I had never done a patio before, but I figured “it can’t be that hard”…wrong! The stones were all delivered to the front yard and with no equipment other than a wheelbarrow, I had to move them all to the back. I picked up the rock dust and gravel base in my poor old Dakota pickup truck (what a trooper by the way) and then had to unload all of it by shovel into patio. I layed out the design I wanted with a garden hose and went to work with a shovel to excavate the area…a back hoe sure would’ve been nice. The project took me way longer than I expected, about 3 weeks after work and on weekends. I am very happy with the results though, and saved $1,000’s by doing it myself.
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
![](https://images.finehomebuilding.com/app/uploads/2024/05/21132755/01232436-i-beam-to-rescue-feature-scaled-thumb-16x9.jpg)
When a common remodeling project can't be accomplished with a common material, this builder turns to the strength of steel.
Related Stories
Discussion Forum
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.