Installing a Patio and Pond at Chez V

Before, During, and After

Well, gee wiz.  Summer break is in full effect at Chez V.  I have no idea what I did with The Monster last summer to keep her entertained but now that she has one year of pre-school under her belt, well, she sort of expects rainbows, fireworks, and 3-ring circuses on the daily.  Daily blogging might be a little sporadic until September.  But I am excited to share more of the fun  that goes on around here, so I will do my best to provide entertainment in both arenas.

scene from the patio on Friday evening

I promised a while back to share some updated pictures of our patio and pond project, once things came into bloom.  You can read some details about the project here, but today I will share a lot of pictures of the evolution of our outdoor space.  To trigger your memory, the executive summary reads:  we tore out an old rotting deck, we dug up a bunch of dirt, we installed a large paver patio, I planted a bunch of trees and shrubs, we dug up fieldstone from building sites, we dug up tons more dirt, installed the pond, lined it with the fieldstone, brought in more dirt, filled the pond with water, threw in some fish, and planted lots more plants and trees.  We saved over $25,000 doing this ourselves armed with little more than two shovels, a pickax, a dolly, a wheelbarrow, and some ingenuity.  The end.

AFTER

NOW

BEFORE POND

AFTER POND & AS IT LOOKS NOW FROM SIDE GATE

THE INITIAL OUTLINE OF POND

DIGGING HAPPENED FOR A LONG TIME

SOME OF THE FIELDSTONE WE COLLECTED FROM BUILDING SITES

THE POND LINER

COVERING LINER WITH ROCKS TO PROTECT AGAINST UV RAYS

DURING

EARLY PLANTING STAGES

TODAY

NOW

NOW

that smallish shrub is the tall one below that now masks that hideous crawl space hatch

AFTER & NOW

BEFORE PAVING & PLANTING ALONG BACK DRIVE

NOW

NOW - ARBORVITAES PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED SCREENING - PLANTED 2007

NOW - VIEW ALONG BACK DRIVE TOWARDS BACK GARAGES

Most people ask how in the world we knew how to do this.  The answer is we didn't.  We read a lot of How-To patio & ponds books from Home Depot.  And we talked to a lot of people who know things about this stuff, all of whom had differing opinions on certain aspects.  So in the end, after much research, we just did it and learned how along the way.

Because Chez V is so teensy tiny, we wanted to create a nice little outdoor space where we could relax that would feel like an extension of our living space.  And we do just that most nights.

All photos by mrs. V

kisses, mrs. V