How Do I Go About Creating A Patio Out Of Ordinary Bricks?
 |
My front lawn is a rock lawn. The previous owner of my home moved the rocks away from a large area in front of the house and created a “garden”. It’s a messy mass of weeds and grass. I started pulling out all the weeds and plants, so now it’s all dirt, and instead of putting in more plants, I’d like to create a patio out of plain red bricks, like the kind you’d build a house with. What do I need to do? Do I need any specail tools? Do I need to level with dirt? If so, how do I do that? Please help me as I have no experience in gardening, landscaping, or building!
- Is Foam Board Insulation Strong Enough To Be Placed Over Floor Joists And Then Install A Floor Over It?
- Types of Garden Tools Required for Gardening
- How To Take Care Of A Mass Amount Of Weeds?
- Creating Mediteranean Style Garden And Patio – Ideas Please?
- How To Build A Cheap Studio/shed?
I’m planning on doing this myself. First, you need mark out where you want to put the patio–use stakes and string to get straight lines. Then put down about 4″ of pea gravel and tamp it down firmly. Then put down a couple of inches of sand (contractor’s sand, not playground sand). Tamp this down firmly, too (you can either use a hand tool available at most large home improvement stores, or rent a machine that looks like a lawn mower for about $50.00 per day (this will be a lot easier on you).
After you’ve done this, start laying out our bricks. you can try several different pattersn, but a basket weave (II=II) may be easier, since if you have to cut bricks, you’ll need a wet saw.
Once you’re finished laying the brick, there are special metal ties to put around the brick to hold it in place–set these around the perimeter of the patio to hold the edges in. Finally, spread more sand over the top, sweep it into the cracks between the bricks, and wet it. That should hold the bricks together for years to come.
Ideally, you want to lay a couple inches of gravel, leveled and tamped, and then a couple inches of sand. Lay the bricks on there. No special tools required…I’ve done it myself. Just time and effort. After the bricks are laid together tightly, put sand all over the top, and brush it in with a broom.
You can also mortar the bricks…but you’d need more tools for that.