Paver Patio Fairytale

Sep 29, 2016
3 min read

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl and a duplex apartment. The boy and the girl lived on the second floor of the duplex and often looked out the window down at the back yard, where the first floor tenants had a cozy setup in the sun. The boy and the girl wanted an area they could call their own in the backyard, but the sunlit area of the yard was beyond their borders. "What about that dark shadowy place, behind the garage?" asked the girl. "Everything the light misses is our kingdom," said the boy.

So the boy and the girl had their kingdom, but there is more to being king than getting your way all the time. No grass grew there. The woods were overgrown and full of poison ivy. Broken glass and garbage littered the land. Mosquitos thrived. But most importantly, there was no where to sit. So one night, the boy and the girl stole pallets from behind stop and shop and built their own pallet furniture.

With seats, the boy and the girl could enjoy a fire. But first, the girl spent some time pretending she was a convict and picked up as much garbage and broken glass as she could. She raked and cut the overgrown woods and learned what poison ivy looked like (a bit too late unfortunately). The boy sprayed bug repellent and the girl picked up sticks.

Even still, the yard seemed a bit sad, and so the girl took some leftover retaining wall blocks from her parents with hopes of building a beautiful garden. With so much shade, however, the plant choices were limited. And what's more? The yard was sloped, and the girl had to painstakingly level each block so as to allow proper drainage for the plants. Even after all these obstacles, the garden succeeded, but the yard was still not fit for a king. The boy and the girl took to a new plan. Craigslist.

After scouring the internet for days on end, the girl discovered a deal! Brand new belgian block pavers, over 300-SF worth for only $40. What a steal! What robbery! The girl and the boys brother went to the address together so as not to get the girl murdered, and the girls parents also made a trip. The pavers were delightful and worth every penny (much more, in fact..) and the man on craigslist to this day is remembered for his sacrifice and generous gift to the boy and the girl.

The boy and the girl then had to figure out how to create a patio without hiring landscapers and without renting tools because screw that noise. They spent a long day out in the heat digging up rocks and sweating. They smoothed out dirt and compacted it as level as they could. Don't be fooled by the photos, the girl did a lot of work, too! Together they poured a sand base and laid pavers according to a custom designed style by the girl, using string as a boundary. Once the pavers were all laid, the boy swept sand into the grooves, and the girl planted her garden. The fire pit and pallet benches were arranged on the patio and potted plants were added for additional opulence.

It was nearly perfect. Something was still missing. Ah, of course, a path!

The next day, the girl built a walkway with the leftover pavers, hung strands of lights, and added outdoor pillows. Then, the boy and the girl enjoyed a cozy fire together on their custom pallet benches outside on their very own hand-built paver patio. Following that day, the girl hung a hammock between two previously overgrown trees and read a book with her lizard.

Behold: A fairytale patio fit for a king and kween. (yas.)