The weather is getting very cool here in North Carolina, which is the perfect time of year to sit around a fire. I didn’t have a safe level area for my fire pit, so my dad and I decided to build a gravel patio in my backyard to house my fire pit.
This project took us 2 weekends, but was relatively simple and affordable! We started by drawing out the area I wanted to use and then my dad used his tools and engineer brain to determine how much dirt we needed to dig out and add to level off the area. We ended up having to level the area over 2 feet from one end to the other.
Next, we started digging. My dad honestly did a lot of this himself, which I truly appreciate. It took a few hours to dig out and move dirt around but we finally got it level enough that the chairs would site comfortably on the area.
I decided I wanted the outline of the patio to be concrete pavers. I found some at Home Deport for $0.58 each and bought (and used) 120 of them. We lined the outline of the patio with the pavers to make sure we knew exactly where we were going to put the gravel. Next, we laid weed cloth across the area to prevent any unwanted growth from popping up from through the gravel down the road.
After the pavers and weed cloth were laid, it was time for gravel! I bought 2 truck loads of White Quartzite 1/2” rock from a local landscaping company. They made it super easy to drive in, pay, and have the rock loaded into the bed of the truck. We drove it back to the house and started filling the patio with the rock and evening it out. (As you can see, Corona was a huge help!)
It took us a few hours to get the rock all in place and evened out, and we decided to use our last few pavers to create a level pad for the fire pit. Once we were done making things even and smooth, we moved the fire pit and furniture back in and it was ready to go.
The fire pit I chose was honestly just the only one available in May when I bought it, but it works great for now. I found the chairs on Home Depot and they were the best deal I could find. They are currently sold out, but I did find some similar ones here.
I have used this area every weekend since we finished it, and I couldn’t be happier with it! It’s the perfect day to wind down with a charcuterie board and glass of wine on a brisk fall night! If you’ve thought about doing something like this, go for it! It was so easy and quick!
Costs:
Concrete Pavers– $70
Rock- $230
Weed Cloth– $30
Labor – Free (thanks, Dad)
Total – $330
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John or Jo Ann Purvis says
Good job, Clare. (and Mike)
Looks like a peaceful setting to wind down.
Sissy says
You do have a talent for making things look easy and beautiful. Your right hand man does a great job also.