Thank goodness we have friends and family to help. When we find the ideal limestone ledge rock at a farm auction south of Aurora last fall, we win the bid for a whopping $50 and start planning a patio.
With the help of our nephew, his skid loader and trailer, the ledge rock is soon residing at our home. Some say the pile of rock even begins to taunt us as we take our time planning our course of action. 
The large, well-constructed, 2-level, wooden deck was built by the homeowners two times removed and was starting to show its age.
In removing the deck, we work toward three goals: reduce annual maintenance, increase yard space, and expose the rock foundation on the east side of the house. We get to work removing the wooden structure with the help of our friend Randall.
And we find a good home for the lumber too!
We borrow our nephew's hydraulic Deweze hay truck to help extract the deck posts.
And voila! The wooden deck is gone.
A lot of work is needed on the former-coal-chute-turned-basement-window now revealed by the removal of the deck. The plywood window covering is replaced with masonry and glass blocks. The dryer vent, electricity, and sump drain are re-routed through the glass block.
We are happy to learn that our great-nephew excels at washing basement windows.
Finally, we get to examine those individual pieces of ledge rock up close and personal as we figure out the puzzle of making them fit, lay them down, and make sure each one is level with a slight tip away from the house.
After we fill in some gravel around the rocks and dirt around the patio,
it's time to enjoy a well-deserved hot dog - on the patio, of course.
Yours in appreciating family and friends in our transition from deck to patio,
Mary Jo
Wow can’t wait to see this improvement! Good thing you have Sam to help!
ReplyDeleteMargie