DIY Backyard Paver Patio

Summer is my favorite season and I love to spend every minute that I can outdoors! We have such a big backyard but over the years have neglected utilizing the space to it’s full potential! My priority this season has been changing that.

One of my summer D-I-Y projects, and best yet, was creating a beautiful outdoor space for our family to enjoy using some recycled pavers that our neighbors passed along to us as they renovate their backyard space too!

Here, I’m going to break down how I tackled this project, which was not without a few extra hands to help! I, by no means, could have done this on my own. Overall, the project was fairly simple it just required some elbow grease and man power!

Let’s get started talking supplies. This project costed us significantly less because we happened to come into the pavers from our neighbor! Though pricing out what we did spend and the cost of pavers, you can complete this project for under $500 depending on the size of your projected patio!

We used 6 x 6 inch square pavers, with alternating colors and 9 x 6 inch pavers for the border. Both were about 2.5” in depth. In total we had 470 of the 6 x 6 and 109 of the 9 x 6 pavers. For our 10’ x 10’ patio, we used only about 3/4 of the amount as we still have a ton left over. In hindsight, if I had planned properly we probably could have made the patio a bit bigger and I wish we did. But once the project started I was pretty set on just getting it done and didn’t feel like changing my plan. I definitely recommend using online tools and tips from the pros at your local hardware store to calculate how many pavers you will need. It’s dependent on size of your patio as well as design, but also the shape of your pavers and your desired spacing.

With that said, this does require some pre-planning prior to purchasing your supplies! After you’ve chosen the size of your patio, the design and have calculated how many pavers are needed, these are the other supplies you will need. Click the picture below to be redirected over to my Like-To-Know-It page with links to each product!

• 8x8 in Tamper

• Transfer Shovel

• Paver Sand

• Paver Base (we used Brock base mats for convenience sake)

• Paver Set Polymeric Sand

• Weed fabric

• Level

• Gardening Gloves

• 2 x 4 wood (to mark out the area of our patio and to later use for a skimming method to level)

The first step once you’re ready to start is to mark the size of the patio. You can do this using the 2x4’s or with chalk/paint. I recommend choosing a day that’s not as hot and creating some shade in your backyard for occasional breaks. We did this right in the beginning of the season so it wasn’t too bad! After you’ve marked out the size of your patio, you’re going to dig out the area. You’re going to want to dig out 3 to 5 inches for the pavers to sit flush with the grass taking into account the base and sand you’ll be putting in there as well.

Now that you’ve dug out the area you’ll want to tamp the grass. We used a 8”x8” Kobalt tamper from Lowes. This is done to compact the dirt. Before our next step we added a layer of gardening fabric to add extra prevention of any weeds growing through.

Next you want to add in the paver sand. These steps are a bit different than some other blogs I have read on this process because we chose to use Brock Paver Mats as the base. I chose this because I felt it was the most convenient and cost effective option. When adding the sand you’re going to want to add as many bags needed until the surface is level. This is where we used the skimming method with a 2x4 to achieve this.

Once the sand is level, add the paver mats over top and begin laying your pavers based on your design. Use your level to ensure accuracy as you go. For our design we chose to just alternate paver colors for a checkered appearance. I wasn’t too picky on this part but I did want it to look good. But I opted for something simple rather than over complicating it with a intricate design.

After you've laid all the pavers, you'll need to compact them. You can do this by either renting a plate compactor for a charge from your local hardware supply store, or you can use your tamper and a bit of elbow grease to do it yourself as we did. You'll want to have consistent space between each paver during installation to help prevent cracking in this process. Basically the tighter the look of your design and space between pavers, the higher the risk of them cracking. If they do, just swap it out with an extra paver!

Now that your patio is basically complete, the last step is to set the pavers! You'll do this by adding the polymeric sand directly onto the pavers and using a broom to brush into the cracks. You want to follow the instructions on the bag and fill up the cracks to the level accordingly. Once you've done that and each crack is filled with the polymeric sand, be sure to remove all excess sand to preserve the design and color of your pavers! Last, you'll need to wet the entire surface to activate the polymeric sand. We gave our patio 24-hours before use to ensure it fully set.

Seems pretty simple right? Truly, it was. But again, this was not a one man show. I had an amazing helper take on this task with me and a couple extra mini's that lended a hand as well. My biggest tip is to take on this project on a cool day. We were high 70's to mid 80's this day and I said multiple times as the sun was still beaming down, there is no way I could have done this if it was any warmer outside. If you live in a generally warmer climate and can't escape the heat, factor in times for breaks and if possible set up a shaded area to help take off some of that added stress on a hot day.

For this being the first time ever at an attempt of a project of this size, and to mention we completed this over just two days for under $500, I'm really thrilled with the results. It's not perfect but it's close enough! We've already enjoyed this space countless times. With added landscaping, a DIY Garden, and outdoor furniture it pulled it all together. It's even more special because we did it ourselves!

Check out the before and after below! You can also watch an interactive story on my Google account with a screenshot friendly format to bookmark for later: Click here