Digging has become almost as tiresome to me as reality TV. I expected a fair amount of it when we decided to DIY our patio, but I got overconfident after pulling up that liriope so effortlessly last week.
Next on the list was removing the brick path. Because a few edge bricks were loose, I told Sherry it “shouldn’t be that bad.” I can point to the exact moment I jinxed myself—the universe responded with a good laugh.
At first the bricks came up easily. The first half were simply laid in sand, so I could find an edge with my shovel, pry a bit and several bricks would lift out at once. That easy start tempted me into the dangerous “this’ll be a breeze” mindset.
Then I literally hit a roadblock: concrete. The second half of the path was set in mortar. Initially it wasn’t too bad—some solid blows with a sledgehammer loosened the bricks and I could pry them out. But it took much more effort than the sandy section.
By the time I’d pried, smashed and carried the bricks away to stack in the carport for a future project, I was exhausted. Ten feet of concrete still remained. I briefly considered renting a demolition hammer like the one we used to remove the old bathroom floor, but decided to give the sledgehammer a few tries first.
Miraculously it shattered.
That little victory gave me a second wind and I kept smashing away. As I worked, the concrete kept getting thicker: what began as an inch or so turned into slabs about six inches deep in places. I must have been leveling out a steeper slope underneath.
To psych myself up I started talking to the concrete. My trash talk was more geeky than fierce—“By the hammer of Thor!” became my battle cry. Whether the squirrel I thought I heard was laughing at me or cheering me on, it worked: by day’s end the concrete was broken up. I saved hauling the debris for the next day and left the rubble tucked behind some trees until I had more energy to deal with it.
There was more breaking to do. The bottom step of an old brick staircase was two inches too high and had to be removed so it wouldn’t interfere with the new patio’s perimeter. On my less-exhausted day two, the sledgehammer reduced that brick to pebbles. Thor prevailed.
With the liriope and bricks cleared, we could begin preparing the patio foundation. I followed instructions from a series of Lowe’s patio installation videos and advice from local paver pros who confirmed the steps. The next phase required about $40 worth of supplies—wood stakes, a line level, mason string and a hand tamper—plus things we already owned like gloves, a yard stick, scissors and a shovel.
Before digging, I staked out the patio perimeter. We’d already traced the shape with a hose—mostly straight sides with a gentle curve along the back—so I drove stakes into key corners and turns, making sure to drive them deep since I’d be removing a lot of dirt around them.
I used string and a line level to mark where the tops of the pavers should sit while ensuring a proper slope away from the house. For a patio, a good rule of thumb is a one-inch drop for every four feet of run. With two stakes about six feet apart I adjusted the string to reflect that slope, moving my strings instead of tying new ones to save time.
This string setup took longer than expected because our yard isn’t flat and the patio is gently curved. I had to align three sides with existing features—the carport, the deck stairs and the fence—and fight the existing grade that sloped toward the house. Eventually everything was lined up and the strings indicated the correct slope away from the house.
I also added internal guide strings across the patio so I could monitor slopes in the middle, not just around the edge. Those cross strings helped prevent a sunken center that would collect water and debris.
And if you don’t have a line level, a helpful chihuahua can provide moral support—though I’d still recommend the line level for accuracy.
The actual digging phase involved a lot of repetitive work: measure, dig, haul dirt, rest, recheck with the level, cut roots and repeat. It took about a day and a half—roughly six hours total—to dig down 6 3/8″ below my string lines. That depth leaves room for 3″ of gravel, 1″ of sand and 2 3/8″ of pavers so the finished surface will sit flush with adjacent areas. When the excavation was done it looked a bit like an archaeological dig.
After one last check with the level, I tamped the area thoroughly with a hand tamper. I considered renting a plate compactor, but didn’t want to remove the guide strings I relied on. The tamper took effort, but after a few hours the base was compacted tightly and ready for the next phase.
I won’t sugarcoat it: it was harder and more time-consuming than I expected. But the hard part of leveling and compacting is behind me. We now have a big pile of gravel and sand to spread and level, followed by the pavers themselves. On a lighter note, the new wheelbarrow tire came with a warning that made me laugh—so don’t plan on taking a wheelbarrow on the highway.
If anyone’s feeling generous, a hand hauling and leveling all that delivered gravel and sand would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime I’m gearing up for the next steps—layering gravel and sand and starting to lay pavers. More updates soon.