Patio Progress...

Step two, sod lifting, is complete. We saved some sod for lawn repairs and topsoil for beds that I’ll make on the periphery to soften the bluestone perimeter.  In laying out the patio,  we took into account the wellhead, which is close to the house, and the budget, which determined the patio’s relatively small, 200-square foot...

Note the Grade...

As you can see from the photo, the grade slopes down and away from the house, as you’d expect, and down from the back of the lot toward the house. The two down slopes meet near the house, forming a  swale slightly tipped toward the far side of the property. Runoff flows in that direction, toward a rain garden farther down the...

A Patio – At Last!...

For 17 years, I dreamed of sipping coffee on a patio after my morning walk. Pretty soon I’ll be doing just that. Why put off building a patio for such a long time? Kids, college, and other priorities such as buying plants and painting the house came first. But now’s the time to take action. Dean Ludington, my favorite stonemason, is doing the job with his capable crew of two. They started last Saturday and should finish next weekend. In honor of making my own dream come true, I’ll follow my patio’s progress in this blog. Step one was coming up with...