What started as a deck resurfacing project turned into a patio build project.

We had a wooden deck off our sliding doors that was 35’ wide and 18’ out. The boards were old, splintering and in need of replacement. We wanted low maintenance, and had decided on TimberTech Earthwood Evolutions with the Radiance Rail, and the hidden fasteners. But when I costed out the materials it was about $11,500. That was WAY more than I expected, especially because I was just doing a resurface and doing the work myself. I talked to a friend who has a mason business, he told me to consider knocking the deck down and putting in a patio since the price could be in the same ball park, but I could start the design from scratch (tough to do after all the research done on decking).

So that’s the background to the story, now on to the patio project.

Pics of the old deck and after tear down:

Quick note on disposal ��" I took a pic of the giant pile of lumber and put it up for free on Craigslist at noon on Friday. But 3:00PM Sunday it was all gone. Saved about $385 in dumpster rental and disposal fee.

We wanted to have about the same sq ft we had. Move it over to the right a bit so that it wasn’t connected to the driveway like the deck was. And we wanted to have separation for entertaining / hanging out, and the other with the eating table.

A big decision was whether or not to raise the patio because raising it costs a lot more. Another decision was whether or not to have walls. The patio was only going to be about 18” high but safety was a concern with a toddler and one in the oven. The walls cost more but also changed the design. We decided against walls because our backyard is kind of natural and open, and didn’t want that barrier and also wanted an open view of the lawn from our kitchen.

Pics of the design from contractor:

We decided on the Techno Bloc Blu for a few reasons. We always liked the look of bluestone but didn’t want to have the inconsistency that you get with natural stone and it also gets hotter than pavers. Overall we’re very happy with the stones, but it doesn’t quite have the variation of the tans that we expected. The bottom part has it, the top part doesn’t.

Techno-Bloc Blu in Champlain Gray for the main area. $4.20 per sq ft ($3.70 for contractors)

Techno-Bloc Parisian for the border blocks

Limestone for the top section edges and steps

Eldorado - Cast Away for the stacked stones by the steps

Pics During Construction:

Danny and Rob from Eagle1 Masonry Construction - http://eagle1mc.com/ are the guys who did the work. We’re extremely happy with their work. They helped with the design, did it for the exact price they quoted, and finished within our quirky timeline (before my wife gave birth).

The materials were bought from DeMarco Brothers in Whitehouse Station, NJ. My wife and I were there many times to look at different stones, and they answered all of our questions. - http://www.demarcobrother.com/

Video Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMMgaXPccj8&feature=g-upl

Pics of the final project:

Here is a link that might be useful: Video of finished project