Our Garden re-Birth Project

Four tons? :eek:

Ohhh, my aching back!

Interesting to watch, Frank. So do the flagstones go right on the gravel, or do you first put down some gravel dust (or suchlike) to make sure things are good and level and flat?
 
Four tons? :eek:

Ohhh, my aching back!

Interesting to watch, Frank. So do the flagstones go right on the gravel, or do you first put down some gravel dust (or suchlike) to make sure things are good and level and flat?
Yes Art, 4 tons should give me a good workout, eh! :D

About your question Art, I am placing about 2 inches of limestone screenings above the gravel and leveling it. The gravel is already as level as I can get it -but not as level as I would like. Here is another picture, this one being a closer view of the other end of the patio where I have started to put in a border and to put down limestone screenings.

Border bricks cut out to accomodate drain pipe -small.JPG

Then after the flagstone is down, I will use Envirostone (http://www.envirobond.com/products/envirostone.htm) between the cracks.
 
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Frank,

Sorry, I've been somewhat remiss in my reply posts...The landscaping work you have been doing is very nice! I agree, the small stone path from your front porch to the driveway looks great! Whe whole yard is so different from before....

The herb garden, deck and stone "patio" are awesome. It's obvious that you enjoy your home, and are adding a lot of value as well. Laying the stone is going to be quite a chore, but the result will be well worth it, I believe.

Thanks for the updates.
 
Boy Frank, that is looking really, really good, have you found a place to use your Festool sander yet (not the bench!) ?? ;) :D

I'm sure the added pleasure you will get out of your yard will be worth it, sure does look like a LOT of work, but is the kind that must give you great satisfaction.

Cheers!
 
...The herb garden, deck and stone "patio" are awesome. It's obvious that you enjoy your home, and are adding a lot of value as well.
...
Thanks Greg. I am not very much concerned about adding value to our home, because I hope that we can live in this house until they cart us away.

Now that I have the perfect (well, perfect for me anyway) workshop, I do want to make sure that Margaret never wants to move again.
 
Things are looking great, Frank. :thumb: The base you're using for your flagstone is excellent. It should be very stable. The limestone screenings (a.k.a. crusher fines) will really help lock the gravel in place.
 
Thanks Greg. I am not very much concerned about adding value to our home, because I hope that we can live in this house until they cart us away.

Now that I have the perfect (well, perfect for me anyway) workshop, I do want to make sure that Margaret never wants to move again.
I love the garden improvements and it is very unlikely that I will want to move again. :) By the way, all but one of our past moves were instigated by you. :p
 
June 27th Update -Hard Hot Work

I am writing this paragraph on Tuesday evening after an exhausing day. It got up to 34 in the shade today (that's over 90 Farenheit) with about 80% humidity and I worked outside for about 11 hours. And some of it was HEAVY work because the flagstone came this afternoon. The delivery truck was outfitted with a crane which was used to set two very heavy pallets down on my driveway. Here is a photo showing what four tons of flagstone looks like.

Four tons of flagstone in  our driveway (06-26) -small.JPG

I am not positive, but I think that the rock is shale.

I moved about 30 stones to the back, placed thjem beside the patio and washed them with the power washer. There are a few stones which I think weigh close to 150 pounds. The stones are more varied in colour, thickness, and size than I expected them to be. The sample bunch (about 50 stones) that were layed out at the place I bought the flagstone were not as varied. The photo below illustrates some of the variety:

Flagstones placed beside patio for selection (06-26) -small.JPG

I worked at laying flagstones for somewhat over an hour and only managed to lay six (seen in the bottom left of the photo to the left above). This is going to take a LONGGGG time.

Today, we had an engagement in the afternoon and, what with other tasks, I only spent about three hours laying flagstone. I am now doing a bit of cutting which makes it easier to get stones that will fit and that makes things go a little faster. Today I put down 24 stones in three hours. That’s up to 8 an hour from 6 yesterday. I might eventually get up to about 10 an hour but I expect that will be the fastest that I can (and want to) go at this. The weather was just as hot and humid. It is supposed to cool down tomorrow, but Isla and Ethan will be here during the day and we are having company in the evening so I probably won’t get much work done. Here is a photo taken at the end of today’s work:

Laying flagstone for patio (06-27) -a little progress in 3 hours -small.JPG
 
Frank,

The flag stone looks good! :thumb:

If Toronto is getting the same heat that Buffalo has been these last few days.... Take it easy out there and stay cool :cool:

I am not positive, but I think that the rock is shale.

You can tell if it is shale by looking at the edges. Shale will have lots and lots of layers that will flake off if you push on them. Also shale is usually all black or dark grey. From your pictures it looks like it might be various shades of sand stone (like the Grand Canyon).
 
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Frank,

The flag stone looks good! :thumb:

If Toronto is getting the same heat that Buffalo has been these last few days.... Take it easy out there and stay cool :cool:

You can tell if it is shale by looking at the edges. Shale will have lots and lots of layers that will flake off if you push on them. Also shale is usually all black or dark grey. From your pictures it looks like it might be various shades of sand stone (like the Grand Canyon).
Thanks for the compliment on the flagstone job Sean. I do think that I am doing a good job, but getting things right is much harder than I thought it would be.

I am staying as cool as I can, working in shade as much as possible and drinking lots and lots of water.

Your description of shale matches the rock I have except that, as well as being grey and black, some of my rocks also have a brown tone. I am quite familiar with sandstone and I am fairly sure that is not what I have.
 
The flagstone walk is going to look very nice, Frank. :thumb: Knowing you, it'll be built with lots of attention to detail. It'll be worth the effort in the long run. ;)
 
Finished!

The construction phase of our garden transformation is now complete. I completed the patio last week:

Patio from the garage roof -long view (07-07) -really small.JPG

Now, there all thast remains is some clean up and some planting. :) Oh yes, I almost forgot :eek:, and some weeding.
 
Frank you do good work! :thumb:

I'll bet if you paid a pro a LOT of money, it would not have come out as nice.

No go rest up some, I'm sure you have earned it! :clap:
 
Hi Frank.

Terrific job!! Once I'm finished with my new workshop, I'll start with the garden as well and problably I will need some advice from you;).

My wife has asked me already to build some sort of "pergola" ( I don't know the translation into english) so projects are piling up:doh:.

I wouldn't mind having a helping hand:D
 
Pergola, I think we call them Pergola in English :D

Something like this.........?

Pergola.jpg

I wish I had a garden I could build one in :D

hey Frank, have you got that weeding done yet?

Won't weed itself you know.......... ;) :wave: :D

Cheers!
 
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

That is exactly what my wife wants! As usual you got it right at first go Stu!
:thumb:

I don't know if I should show this picture to her.:huh:

Thanks
 
Thanks Greg, Stu, Toni, and Vaughn. I am happy with the results and so is Margaret.

Toni, we call a smaller version of a pergola an arbour (or an arbor in the USA ;) ). I plan to build an arbour much like the one in the attached picture

Arbour for Side Garden.JPG

and place it at the side of our house where it will act as the entry to our patio. It will be built out of cedar.

November 2009 Update: I did eventually build one -look forward to post 72 in this thread.
 
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Way cool Frank.

Now my english vocabulary has been increased, thanks for the info.

The pergola I'm thinking about making will measure 5x5mts (16x16 feet) aproximately.

I'll come back with some questions if I may.
 
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