Our new patio

Update Thursday June 24, 2010: I did not think the landscapers would be back until the water barrel was delivered, but I was wrong. When John got home from his run this morning he told me "the boys are back". I immediately walked out to our back deck and was surprised to see the edging had been installed!

They also leveled the space under the steps where this water "barrel" will be installed.

Update Monday June 21, 2010: The patio furniture was delivered this morning! This will make it slightly more awkward to apply the sealer but not a big deal.

Over the weekend I bought this clock which also tracks temperature and humidity.

I hung the clock this morning as well as filled in the holes on our stone foundation with "great stuff foam". The landscapers pointed out that we have carpenter bees burrowing in this wall.

It doesn't look pretty but we will sand down and someday get our whole house tuck pointed. I kinda felt bad for the bees trying to get back in, possibly for their babies. May be risking bad karma but it certainly helps protect my home.

The before picture (less the rotted out railroad tie bed borders).

First the layer of limestone mix was added for weed prevention.

John and I decided to go patio furniture shopping at this point. First we went to Frontgate Outlet and then Watson's. Surprisingly, we found what we wanted at the 2nd stop.

The name of this set is Como, made by Parker Jones. We like it because it seems like it will compliment our deck railings and patio "street" light in both style and color. Oh and the fact it is affordable and low maintenance was good too.

The manufacturer's description of this set is "timeless blend of yesterday and today, retro and contemporary". But what sealed the deal for us is the fact the chairs are stackable.

We delayed delivery for one week to insure the landscapers are finished. Next is a picture of how far they were the day we made the above purchase.

The landscapers laying the pavers on top of the leveled sand.

Pavers set ready for edgers to be set and sealer applied.

We are happy with the way the tumbled bricks add an antique look. We also like the pattern the different sizes form.

A 100-gallon rain water barrel is going to be installed under the steps. Overflow will still be piped underground as apparently 100 gallons tank can fill up quickly from roof run-off.

It was nice the landscapers could use the pet door to run electricity from the basement.

We had the pet door installed in May 2007 for Lucy. She didn't mind wearing the door sensor (blue thing on her collar) but refused to use the door. Lucy expected us to open doors for her. She was not shy so letting us know when she wanted out was no problem for her.

I found it so odd she would let you hang anything off her neck. Man do we miss that quirky cat.

While the landscapers were here for the patio they also replaced the perennial/ vegetable bed tier! Yeah no more pea gravel (like walking on marbles). The stone edging is a also a huge improvement over the metal border kept lifting.

A big reason we did this project now is because we still rent the apartment on the first floor and can take 1/3 of the cost off in taxes as improvement for rental property. We think we will keep renting the 1st floor apartment for the next couple of years but just don't know how adding a baby to our home might change that plan. This is also the reason I want to re-model the first floor bedroom in the next couple of years.