The tools: 16″ pavers
The dilemma: An ugly mudpit…what to do?
I can be a girly-girl to the max much of the time, but sure don’t mind getting my hands dirty and working hard outside for something that needs to be done, especially when I get that vision in my head. As you can see from these pics which I’ve showed you before, the area under our deck in the backyard was sorely in need of some TLC. No yard of the month awards for us, this was an ugly, muddy, complete eyesore and it’s been something that I’ve wanted to tackle ever since we moved in here over 2 years ago. I completed some gardening projects in a couple of other areas in the frontyard which also needed it desperately, so this area was next. This was the year! How could I enjoy sitting in my swing when I was surrounded by this awful sight? I’m all about beautiful things, inside and out, so this was not enjoyable to me.
Just pathetic! You can see how the mud splashes on the brick, so that will need to be scrubbed down too. Everytime I used the hose, it would create more mud and when it rained, yuck. So, plans were hatched in my head and I told my hubby that we’ve got to do something about this area. He agreed. I think them up and then he gets to help.
After seeing my friend, Mary’s patio that her hubby built, I decided that I too could do that project. It seemed easy enough and affordable. I got out there and did the prep work, bought those edger stones and put them in place, creating my patio base. 
Cleaned out all the weeds and got some leveling sand to put down. Leveling sand is a good thing, you will need it when you’re working with patio stones. This was after my dad came and built the lattice wall back in March and that was a great addition too. It really helped create a garden room under here.
Let’s get started!
Put down some black landscape fabric which is supposed to keep those pesky weeds at bay (I hope!).
I didn’t pin them down, but probably should have.
Next it was time to put down the paver stones. These things weigh a ton, but my hubby and neighbor, Grant moved them for me. That’s when you need some muscle. One of my friends, Sandy, who has a truck helped me get them to my house. The girl is strong as an ox and between the two of us we got them loaded at Walmart and then home and unloaded while my hubby was out of town.
I lined them up and used a 6″ board in between. You can see here that they are not perfect, but I’m not a perfectionist so it’s OK and I can go back and adjust a few of them. You can actually go back and move them slightly if one is not lined up. These stones weigh at least 35 lbs. so are not fun to move around. 
Ordered a dumptruck load of pea gravel and we were set. This is my always helpful neighbor, 11-yr. old Grant, who loves to help out with gardening projects. He brought over his wheel barrow and wagon to help us move the pavers and pea gravel. Very sweet guy. He always shows up when I’m out doing a project and loves to help.
The guys loaded the pea gravel in the wheel barrow and brought over and I spread it all out. Just like grouting tile, I used a large broom to sweep it off the pavers and into place. I’ve still got to stain the new lattice to match the deck.
We got pea gravel down in about 2 hours and it’s finished! Prep work was part of a day and then putting down the pavers and pea gravel was another full day. Lucky for us it isn’t too hot yet, this was a great week weather wise to do this.
It looks SO good now, I’m totally happy with it. This really is an easy DIY project that will make a huge difference in an area like this. Believe it or not, this took 55 pavers. I tried to calculate, but ended up having to go back for 10 more to finish it off. Just so you know, Walmart had the best price on these. 
I added some edging stones coming out from the deck stairs and around the air conditioner and added a thick layer of pea gravel here too. It was a mess before and looks so much better now.
I‘ll use this little area right by the steps and coming in our backgate as a planting bed and get it all cleaned up too. I’m so happy that this project is finally done. I had dreamed about it forever and now it’s complete! That’s a good feeling. I’ve got more plans for the backyard, one area at a time. Next up will probably be a walkway from the patio over to the side fence. Another day!
I love how this project turned out. Don’t you just *love* pea gravel? We just put some in on the side of our garage and it look so tidy and refined now.
Your patio looks amazing! I may try to do a nice walk way to our front porch using the pea gravel and pavers when that time comes! I’m still working on the inside of my home then it’s the outside!
Awesome job! And the fact that you got a young helper to pitch in on the work deserves a second awesome job! Love how you took an otherwise overlooked space and made it useful. You should also show off your creativity on sites like http://www.instructables.com and http://www.yardshare.com. This would fit right in!
Any chance you can provide links to the materials @ Walmart? I want to duplicate this under my deck. Thanks so much!
Patricia
HI, that project was done well over 10 years ago, so no links for that. You can find similar pavers at Home Depot or Lowes.