Monday, August 30, 2010

For Susan's Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday: From a Pile of Leaves to a Mini-Brick Patio!




Today I'm doing a happy dance.   Here's why. 

Since my husband is a jack-of-all-trades, I asked him to create a little patio area in our backyard, complete with a small fountain.  See how wonderful it is to have such imagination as well as a versatile husband?  I tell my ideas and my husband puts them into reality. ha! What a great arrangement.

Anyway, there came a moment of discouragement when he said bricks were far too expensive to buy. I would have to settle for gravel, instead.  Not.

A call to Restore, a big recycling store, the proceeds of which benefit Habitat for Humanity, revealed they had bricks!  Guess how much they were?  40 cents each. Now that's a bargain and a half.

Three or four trips later, in the trusty old 12 year old hatchback car, my wonderful husband delivered a big, gigantic pile of bricks, ready to be transformed into a beautiful mini-patio.

First, a huge pile of leaves from last fall had to be raked and bagged. My husband enlisted the help of a friend to do this wretched task.

(After the old "mountain" of leaves disappeared, this is what the project looked like:)



After clearning the ground, at last, he measured the brick area using geometry! He put a stick in the middle of the area and attaches string.  Then, somehow, he got a measurement of how the bricks should be laid out in perfect symmetry.

 Now if you think this explanation borders on ignorance, you are absolutely right. Never, ever has any geometric reasoning made sense to me. The most important thing is it worked for the patio!

He started laying out the bricks.  When he came to an area that needed the bricks to be rounded, he chiseled into the regular brick and voila! , a rounded piece evolved.

(Taking shape):



Can you believe that in one day, yes, one day, he laid out the entire patio?

The next day, my husband, the brick layer,  covered everything with cement for grouting.
(Wheelbarrow plus buckets of cement and Honey Cat supervising water drips from the hose):


(Yuk. Sloppy grouting gets applied):




By the end of the second day, my husband completed the project.  Then he planted white and red impatiens near the patio.  Now, we will have to be on the lookout for a fountain and maybe even a little bench or lounge chair or two.




  I love looking out the back door and seeing the mini-brick patio. The whole project is a shining example of "where there's a will, there's a way."  Talk about a metamorphosis!  A former pile of rotting leaves has been transformed into a very sweet brick mini-patio. Hip hip  hooray! 

If there were such a thing, I'd submit my huband 's name for the "brick mason" of the year award.

Now hop on over to Between Naps on the Porch to see other metamorphosis projects by simply clicking  on Susan's button in the sidebar.

DID YOU HAVE SPECIAL PROJECT AT YOUR HOUSE THIS SUMMER?

19 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

I'm at a loss for words. He sure can do anything. It is wonderful. Great job. Sandie

Allison Shops said...

Wow! He did a great job. Reminds me of a turtle shaped patio we did in a elementary school science garden. (the center section). Can't wait to see the fountain installed.

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Domestic Diva said...

What a wonderful husband - and a wonderful new area to enjoy. Thanks for the inspiration.

Kansas Amy said...

Your husband did a wonderful job!! Count yourself lucky with the patio and the wonderful husband! ;)

Eileen said...

Gorgeous. I wish my husband was a little handy. I laid a patio myself once when I was younger. It is hard work and took me about a week. But I did have the little ones to tend to or I would have finished it sooner. your honey did a fab job!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Love, love, love it. Bravo to your husband. Me and geometry don't understand each other either. :) In that first picture, it almost looks like the patio is laid out in a leaf shape because you can't see it is connected to the fence on the right side. I thought you went from a pile of leaves to a leaf shaped patio. It's gorgeous however you look at it. And with flowers blooming, the peaceful lapping of a little fountain and a little bistro table, you are all set for a lovely afternoon. Best wishes for the week ahead, Tammy PS with the muffin recipe, I throw in all kinds of stuff to change it up -- usually some chopped pecans, oatmeal and cinnamon make their way in. Delish and always perfect. :)

mo said...

Hi Susan! It is simply beautiful! Great blog today and you are lucky to have such a wonderful husband. *hugs*

Judy @ In His Grip said...

Thanks for stopping by "In His Grip". This is awesome. I have been talking about a patio in our backyard and this totally give me inspiration! Great job to the hubby!

Claus said...

wonderful transformation!! Congratulations for the handy husband! You are very lucky indeed.
Have a wonderful day!!

The Old Parsonage said...

Wow! It looks amazing!! Guess we should have listened more in geometry.

Leann

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

I admire people who can lay bricks. Looks great!

Anonymous said...

oh yes! what a great team you make indeed!
Terry and I are the same way...I say HONEY DO and he DOES! heheee...

it looks great!
I can see you on a cute little bistro set with a laptop blogging away...oh and don't forget your cup of tea or coffee!

ciao bella

CREATIVE CARMELINA

BECKY said...

So beautiful!! And what a talented hubby!! Does he do out-of-state work?! :D

Heaven's Walk said...

What a sweet hubby! And a hard worker, too! Your patio turned out so sweet, Susan! A fountain is going to look just perfect there, and you're going to love to hear the sound of the splashing water......mmmmmm!

xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

Unknown said...

this is SO nice :) come on over and link up to MMM!

diane stetson said...

Yes for such a talented husband Susan....it looks great and with the fountain it will be splendorous!

Leigh said...

That looks amazing! I'm so impressed! Thanks for finding my blog and leaving me a nice little comment! And by the way, I LOVE old homes.
--Leigh

Susan said...

Ohhhhhhh, thanks so much everybody. Your sweet comments made me sooooo happy. Glad you like my honey's brick patio. When we get the fountain in, I'll take more pictures! Love, Susan P.S. You are all SO AWESOME! I love you girls!

Lisa said...

Love this! What a great husband!

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