Flagstone Patio

Project Summary

UPDATED JOURNAL 3-11-11.PLEASE READ JOURNAL FOR ADDITION OF KITCHEN. CURRENTLY THERE ARE 13 PAGES OF ENTRIES.I have always wanted to have an outdoor kitchen so I decided to try it out, unfortunately in the middle of the summer. I still have the framing for the kitchen counters and island counter but it has taken me 63 days to get to this point. I plan to do the framing this coming weekend and start the veneer the following weekend. Laying the flagstone was definitely the hardest part of the whole project. I started laying the flagstone as it came off the pallet, but I soon realized it was a bit easier picking the stones and cutting them with a rotozip to make them fit. I formed my own concrete pads for the grill and counters using 2x4's. This was my first concrete pouring experience but it turned out better than I thought. Mixing the concrete was a chore. I rented a cement mixer but I did one or two bags and it seemed to be more difficult than mixing in a wheel barrel, so the next 25 bags of concrete, I hand mixed with a garden hoe.I still need to lay sod and add a water feature. Overall I am pleased with the result, but I am not sure I will try this again in the future, but you never know.