Stone patio

My sister, Glenna and her husband Keith along with their two dogs, Solas and Lyric arrived for a working visit on September 2, 2018. We did give them a little time to get settled in and go fishing but not much, it was a working holiday after all.

Amy, our daughter was still visiting and helping us out at this time as well. As a team of five we were able to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. Once Glenna and I were freed up from any jobs we decided it was time to start working on a stone patio where we can place a fire pit. A great location to sit around in the evening, to take in the scenery and quiet of a remote piece of paradise. A place to sit and visit with family and friends after a day on the lake.

September 7, 2018 The rough outline of where the stone patio will be placed. Stump removal process going on in the back ground.

September 7, 2018 Dan cutting the sod following the outline Glenna and I laid out.

September 7, 2018 Lifting the sod was a lot a back breaking work. But with a team effort it went a little better. Used the sod removed from the patio area to fill in where the little log cabin used to be. Workers Keith, Glenna and Amy back by the truck.

September 7, 2018 Glenna insisted we lay the first stone even before all the sod was lifted.

Amy, Glenna and I went on a couple rock hunting expeditions to find just the right stones for the patio. There were several rock characteristics we were looking for. We took the color of the stones into consideration along with the size and shape. We were looking for a variety of color, not all the same. Size was also important, a variety of sizes would be easier to work with trying to fit them all together. Of course they had to be a size we could work with. Shape was another characteristic we needed to be cognizant of. We needed at least one side or edge of the stone to be relatively flat.

September 9, 2018 First few center stones laid in place. The big stones in the center is where the fire pit will sit so we wanted them fairly large and flat.

September 11, 2018 Placing concrete block with date July 11, 1980 and Trojan and Dan’s name.

When Dan build the little cabin in 1980 he placed a concrete block under the cabin as part of the foundation. As the cement dried he etched in the date and Trojan (his dog at the time) and his name. We wanted to keep the block and make it a part of the stone patio. The block was placed on the east side of the patio but not due east. Instead we lined the lettering up with the buildings so you can read it from the deck of the cabin while looking at the lake.

September 11, 2018 “Trojan’s” concrete slab in place and stones being situated around it. Two lines in the photo are guide wires to help us keep the proper height and slope of the stones we wanted.

September 17, 2018 East side including “Trojan’s” stone is complete.

September 30, 2018 Nearly done, only a small section on the northwest side.

October 1, 2018 Placing the last stone in our stone patio

The stone patio project was time consuming and labour intensive but a great addition to our lake property. It will be enjoyed by family and friends for many years to come. I can just imagine a group of us sitting around the fire in the evening telling stories, laughing and reminiscing.

Come join us.

What adventure is next?