Who says women aren't as strong and capable as men?
Here's a homeowner who converted her ordinary and very hilly backyard into an 800-square-foot patio. With the help of her faithful dog, and after just a couple months of blood, sweat, and tears, she'd created a private patio that looks simply beautiful next to her already adorable barn.
"So we bought a house last year, and there was no outdoor living space," she said on Reddit, where she first posted the photos you'll see below. "So one of my first major projects was building a deck or patio. This patio took me 2.5 months of working on weekends (not every weekend). I built it with a shovel, pick axe, pitchfork, wheelbarrow, and hand tamp mostly. I rented a plate compactor to compact the foundation of the patio area."
At first, I was expecting to see a wooden deck, as many of these types of DIY projects tend to reveal. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. (And even a little bit jealous…)
The process looks painstaking to anyone inexperienced with home projects, but she clearly had the confidence and know-how to pull this off. Plus? Compared to quotes that contractors gave her, she saved herself about $15,000 by doing it herself. You go, girl.
I just wish we could see the patio after she completed the landscaping!
Check out the photos below, and please SHARE them with your friends on Facebook!
There wasn't anything wrong with her backyard beforehand, but there wasn't any kind of outdoor living space. So, this Reddit user decided to change all that, and share her progress with the world.
Here's a before shot of where the patio would go. There was nothing but patchy grass, dry leaves, and a ton of wide open space.
Her dog was there every step of the way, and here he is helping to dig up the yard.
The first delivery of materials arrived. The tools that were used included a shovel, pick axe, pitchfork, wheelbarrow, and hand tamp.
Then it was time to excavate the upper terrace. Once that was complete, she needed to reroute some drainage pipes.
After the draining pipes were successfully rerouted, she began work on the foundation of the first wall.
Here, the first set of stairs were on their way — then onto laying down that first wall. It was a daunting task, to say the least!
The corner and side wall were finally framed out before adding a sitting wall to the first wall.
Once all of the wall caps were installed, along with backfill and drainage, the second delivery arrived.
The foundation and sand were then leveled, and here are the pavers going in.
Here's the superheroine herself sweeping in sand.
No patio would be complete without a fire pit and river rock. I love it so far!
Then, it was time to install the patio. Here's a side-view of the finished product.
And finally, the full view of her newly completed private patio with plenty of seating for all her lucky friends and family members. Can I come over?
