Pattio design view

Pattio design view, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Initial design....

From South West

From South West, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

From Lake

From Lake, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Night View

Here are some night light views of pattio, one of my neighbour Jeremy said it is Oscars airport. It feels like it when you walk without the furnuture between the lights. :) 

Summer is over still i have remainings to clean up and some gardening. Next year kitchen sink needs to be build and I have still not decided what I will put. If I win the lottery Granite, not concrete top. I will take more day pictures and add. ask me if you have any questions I'm not pro but I would give you some directions. 

If time and Money allowes I will build a pergola over it. 

Fiber Optic lights

Fiber Optic lights, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Fiber optic light are looking good, I put them color changing mode. They have four colors but while changing they are transitioning so it is very nice looking.

Onder Compacting

Onder after we put the polymeric sand compacted the pavers and they are locked now. Before when I was stepping on the pavers I feel like i was going to move the pavers. Still I feel like the smae way but they will go nowhere. It is looking and feeling great. 

Side Stairs

Side Stairs, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Arda came and helped me after being sick for a month or so. I couldn't touch the patio past month, i guess working nights at work and days at home did not help. but still we will fnish it in this summer. Rain and being sick delayed us so much.

From Top

From Top, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

A top view of the patio it is coming along.

Nice day

Nice day, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Almost summer is over we are still working. I had so many projects at work. Lots of night works are helping me to work on the patio during the day time. I'm getting tired but I would like to finish it up quickly.

Deniz Paving Through

Deniz is paving throught. She did all the patio by herself. I did the cutting and carriying part.

Bora

Bora, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Bora is always enjoying the project.

Paving

Paving, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Deniz started to pave from the corner of the house. We are doing it first time so it is taking some tme to get it right.

Paver Steps

Paver Steps, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

This view is when you come out from the house looking on tho the steps. I finished putting pavers on to it. The white brick is fiber light that i bought it from a web site called Wiedamark.com. After I searched the paver lights I decided to go with fiber optic lights. Easy to change their colors from one source which is in basement. Saves energy 75 w lamp for 20 lights. No electricity in the cables no changing bulbs and no worries about water getting in the lights. If i have a problem with pillar light probably I will go with solar lights so...

Compacting more and more

Compacting more and more. getting ready for the sand and laying pavers. 

Pillars, Stairs...

Pillars, Stairs..., originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We install the lamps on the pillars and run the cables, working on the stair. I used PVC pipe to have nice curve. I'm already started to enjoy spigot.

Compacting Gravel

Compacting Gravel, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Deniz is compacting gravel as we carry from front side of the house.

Stairs

Stairs, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

With the walls and stairs patio area now all closed and ready for more gravel.

Gravel

Gravel, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We got 20 more tons of gravel. This time truck couldn't get back to back side of the area so he dump the gravel on the drive way. I guess we will park on the road for a while. Onder is helping with carriying to front side.

Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor Kitchen, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Outdoor Kitchen area; BBQ will be in shorter side of the wall.

Spigot

Spigot, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

I add a spigot on one of the front wall. It is really helpful for us we don't have to walk around the house with the long hose anymore. It has a slop and I will drain it when it freeze.

BBQ and Outdoor Kitchen

BBQ and Outdoor Kitchen, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Outside kitchen hat and cold water pipes coming from basement. I did put a slop on the water pipes and did add drain pipes to sump pump to drain it in winter times. Kitchen sink outlet is going to sewage pump.

Bora and Grandma

Bora and Grandma, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

I'm glad Birsen came to take care of Bora. We started to have serious project idea arguments with Bora.

Coming Along

Coming Along, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

After putting caps temporarily. On the curved walls I had to cut every single brick. I did not count how many but takes time. First you have to mark it where you have to cut . Since I was using we saw I marked those with permanent marker than cut it. I can't compare my work with somebody else, I never done this before so I had to come up with lots of new thing to me. I read and watch guides but they don' tel you everything.

Pilar Lights

Pilar Lights, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We bought one pillar light and put on one of those pillars. It looked just fine.

Hardworker

Hardworker, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

After walls are started to raise we completed the pillars and start to padd more gravel. Deniz really worked hard on this patio.

Stihl 14 inch Concrete Cutter

Stihl 14 inch Concrete Cutter, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

I enjoyed using this strong Stihl cutter. I used water, i have no idea how they can cut without water. It gives more lifespan and cuts the almost all the dust. it is a must in the neighborhood.

Playground

Playground, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Our backyard was a big sand box for Bora. So it was a bigger litter box for our cat.

Unilocks are Going Up

Unilocks are Going Up, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Unilock's are Going Up we are getting there but little bit more.
As long as we don't get rain I'm working until 10pm. Next day it is getting hard to get up but that is fine, I can get so many thing done since dayts are long.

Filling and Compacting

Filling and Compacting, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

we are filling and raising the base, Deniz is compacting.

Team Coskun

Team Coskun, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

I can see a great team. I'm proud of my family. Nobody stands still like a British Soldier Guard.

Start to lay Bricks

Start to lay Bricks, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

After compacting trench we put gravel and compact more and start to play bricks. For the pillars I decided to put concrete blocks instead of regular Unilock bricks since they will not be visible. I believe I saved so many expensive bricks.

Rain?

Rain?, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We got more rain=mud.

Rain news at IndyStarNews

More Rain

More Rain, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Mid June we were still getting rain I was tired of it because every weekend every other three days it was raining. I'm glad I borrow a water pump from a friend. It helped me so many times. I was afraid Bora going to fell down in to one of pillar base. He is my best worker. I wouldn't finish this without his help.

Sand and Concrete Pad

We received our first 20 tons of gravel from IMI irvington Meterials Inc.  They call it Concrete sand, first I did not like it but it was ok I guess. Deniz bought a Tarp to cover it. Than we pour the concrete pads. Feels like It was going slow. I kept blaming rain, but I was right we got so much rain and all of them came when ever I was going to start. When I talked to some profesional patio builders in the neigbourhood they complain about it too. 

Digg in to

We dig as long as rain allowed us. Sometimes friends came for help sometimes bymyself. 

we had to go 3 feet deep under the pillars to pass frost line. Only thing in my mind was not to see next year it is sinking in to ground  and I'm trying to fix it and working on it again. 

Spring=Rain

Rain, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Rain as expected, it is Spring.

Digging

Digging, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

As a family we dig more around the trench line.

Killing the Grass and Compacting/Tools

After we killled the grass we compcted the area. They say compacting is very important for pavers for future stability. Especially we are building a raised brick pattio, it is crutial to compact every 3 inch or less sand and gravel. That is the reason I decided to buy a compactor instead of renting it. I will be working bymyself, it wiltake time to build 900  sqft patio. Renting is 100 a week I paid 710 for my compactor. I would say it will pay itself when I sell it. Plus it saved me multiple trips to rental store. 

I used the same logic for brick cutter. I bought it online and I will sell it when I complete the project. Will I? Will see. 

Playing around

We lay the bricks around the future pattio line to see the size will make us comfortable and get a feeling of it. Also i wanted to see will the bricks enough or not, i had doubts about the caps i had a feeling they won't be enough. Cycle thru the photos.

Proud Brick Owners

Proud Brick Owners, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

After we carried first truck load of bricks to backyard we wanted to see how it will create a curved wall and what is the comfortable seat height.
We did not want to make something cuts your back side of your legs. So we gave it a try.

String

String, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

When we realized Bora is a big help.

Bricks on the driveway

Bricks on the driveway, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We received two semi trucks of bricks on two weekends, both weekends it rained. Truck driver was willing to ride on the grass area if it was not raining past two days. His forklift and a brick pallet would total 5 tons that would sink in to grass easily. We had to carry all the bricks to backyard with barrels. I was willing to work and loose weight and reduce cholesterol so here is the opportunity. I believe at this point my neighbors start to think their neighbor is crazy.

Deniz and Bora get excited and start to digg.

Here some pictures of how Deniz and Bora get excited and start to digg. Our big project started officially with Bora's toys. It was May 4th 2008

Shopping Concrete Mix and other materials

Concrete Mix, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

I start to calculating and shopping for materials and tools. Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's and EBay was my main locations.

Unilock Bricks

Unilock Bricks, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

After pretty much we decided what we are going to build we went to Unilock and see what is out there. We look at diffrent designer bricks and see some ideas how we can make the patio we want. My brother Onder was with me, he is always big help when a project starts.

Sketch-Up Design

1249 Somerville, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Another view of 3D design...

Design version 1.1 with picture

design version 1.1 with picture, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

So I downloaded Google's Sketch-Up free design program and started to play with it. Couple days later I came up with this design. My wife Deniz did like it and gave me the approval, since it was my project she did not care much and respect my ideas. I would say she trusted me all the way.

Patio Line

Patio Line, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

We wanted to change our back yard view for good. We wanted to make something permanent, good long lasting maintenance free, elegant, so we decided to make a brick patio. Before we decided campared the options online and books from bookstore.

Back side of our house

Back side of our house, originally uploaded by oocoskun.

Hi,
This is our house looking from back. We love our house we moved in two years ago. We worked hard to establish grass on the back yard. It's not like front side. No bricks, only a wooden two steps stair. Not much obstacles, flat as can be. We would like to build a patio.