Flagstone patio
by Chris Maroudas
Flagstone Patio Hello Hans and David, My wife and I always dreamed of having a flagstone patio in our backyard but when the local nurseries wanted between $6-$8 sq.ft. and local installers were asking $10 sq.ft. with 800 sq.ft. of coverage we were looking at over $10K which wasn't possible. After doing extensive research online we found a Yard about 30 miles away that had exactly what we were looking for under $2 sq.ft.(sold by the pound)and were willing to deliver to us for only $150. Unfortunately the only installer willing to do the job was asking $10 a sq.ft. and we had to supply all the materials. I knew then that the only thing left was for me to do it myself. So I started researching online to find tutorials and your websight immediately made me feel comfortable about doing the job. Comparing other sights to yours only made me feel more comfortable about using your techniques. Everthing just made sense. So, that being said, I started the job in November of 2007 thinking a couple of months to finish. My estimate fell a bit short, like 10 months or so. There were several obsticles I had to overcome. One(1), I was alone, (2), work nights and weekends,(3)my wife was 5 months pregnant with our twins(that being more a blessing than an obsticle), (4) The rainy season in Miami which basicaly put a standstill to the project. Once my body started getting used to the soreness doing it by myself felt good, always looking forward to finishing work or the weekends to continue my project. My kids George and Christina were born in March and gave me more the incentive to finish it quicker. I promised my wife by Christmas 2008 and I made good(mind you there were several other promised dates before that one). Now that we can enjoy our patio and tell people I did it myself I would never have been able to do it without your help. Many a times I was scrolling through the tutorial I printed out from your site. I even have a sense of guilt for not buying your DVD. I hope this story and pictures helps you sell a few, you certainly deserve it on my behalf. The picture is the finished product. I have more pictures including some before, please let me know if you would like them. P.S. You might notice some light wigly lines on some of the stone, that's from using a pressure cleaner with the Prosoco masonry cleaner which was recomended in the Prosoco directions but also said to be carefull to use the proper pressure nozzle which I didn't(someone said chlorine diluted in water will get rid of them). I would appreciate any suggestions. Click here to read or post comments.
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