DIY Side Patio Update: Removing Liriope and Preparing for Cobblestone Pavers
Note: If you’re reading this during happy hour, you can make a lighthearted game of it — take a sip whenever you see the word liriope. Or maybe a half-sip. Keep it civilized.
We finally began work on the side patio we’ve been talking about for a while, aiming to finish it in time for Clara’s big birthday party in two weeks. After too much discussion, the real work began: removal of the dense rows of liriope that had been hiding the space we wanted to transform into a usable outdoor area.
We decided the ten-ish rows of liriope had to go. John did most of the digging, but two friends came over to help — and to take some plants for their own yards. Using a simple technique of sliding a shovel under each clump and stepping on the blade to pop the root ball out, the three of them cleared all the liriope in roughly 2.5 to 3 hours. I stayed inside with Clara for most of it, popping out occasionally to boost morale and hand out ice water.
When the digging was done we had a clean, bare area that will become about two-thirds of the new patio. There’s still a brick path to remove, and we’ll need to dig and level more soil before the next phases: tamping, laying gravel, and adding sand to set the pavers.
Clearing the space made it so much easier to picture the final patio. We already sketched a rough layout to help visualize scale and shape. For materials, we plan to use cobblestone pavers similar to the ones we used in our driveway. To get the best price we priced pavers at a couple of national big-box stores as well as a local supplier. The local supplier won on price per square foot and offered a quick two-day delivery window. Once the pavers arrive and we have them laid, we’ll share photos and a full breakdown of the costs and materials.
For those who like the nuts-and-bolts, here’s what we did first and what’s coming up in our DIY patio project:
- Mapped potential patio dimensions and shapes — we used a garden hose to lay out curves and get a feel for the footprint before committing.
- Visited several suppliers to compare cobblestone paver prices and delivery options before choosing the best value.
- Called Miss Utility to have utility lines marked so we wouldn’t hit anything buried under the work area. It’s an important safety step before any major digging.
- Removed the liriope and cleared the planting beds; next steps include removing the brick path, excavating and leveling the base, then adding gravel and sand for a stable foundation.
- Double-checked the budget — we expect materials like stone, gravel, sand, and delivery to be in the neighborhood of $1,000. Considering we previously paid nearly $3,000 for a smaller professionally installed patio, we’re hopeful we’ll save money by doing this one ourselves.
We’ve confirmed with Miss Utility that there are no buried utilities in this area, and we’ve settled on both the paver style and a patio shape we like. We’ll continue sharing progress photos, details on materials, and tips as we move into the excavation, tamping, and paver-laying phases. If you’ve installed a patio yourself — digging, leveling, tamping, and bedding pavers — we’d love to hear any tips you picked up along the way. We’re oddly excited about the project and already looking forward to seeing it finished.
Psst — We announced this week’s contest winners, so check the blog post to see if you’re one of them.
And yes, the word liriope came up a lot. We meant it to.