Stone Terrace continued…

When last we left our heroes… Victor, Fraser, Rick and Ben were setting the flagstones on the patio and installing the bottom step of the back yard steps.

Now, the patio stones outside the dining room have been set, much of the rest of the stones have been laid out, and it is time to get more stones set.

If you are wondering why we have left some areas void of stone, those are the places where our form boards were that we used to determine our finished grades.  (Drainage is a delicate thing with mortared stone patios.  If the patio is too steep, you notice it.  If it is not steep enough, the irregular surfaces of the stones may hold water.)

Meanwhile, the stairs have progressed a bit.

Once all the stone was set, we spent time with a straight edge and a the grinder, making all the joints seemingly perfect (ha! it’s stone. but we aren’t too bad at it.).  Then it was time to grout the joints and set a couple remaining stones.

As the crew moved on to the next project, Rick and I returned to take care of a couple last things. There were a couple stones that came with saw blade marks on them, and one particularly warped stone that needed a corner taken down about an 1/8″.  No problem – just bring in the trusty oxy-acetylene torch and fix it.   And with one final acid washing, the patio was ready for Marcus and Pat’s return.

Marcus and Pat came back to Seattle last weekend, and they LOVED the patio and steps!  Woohoo!  High fives all around.