Well, I didn't do too much on this over the weekend.  I did put the lounger and fire pit in for a quick fitting and had to make the lower circle bigger (lower is where the dirt is in front of the edging, upper is where the rock is behind the edging).  Since I'm making this a two-level patio now, I decided to change the layout of the upper lever a bit by opening up the circle and extending to the back fence.  On Friday I did lay in some brick for a small step from lower to upper levels, dug up some more of the grass in the lower, then called it a day.  Didn't do anything else with it on Saturday or Sunday.  Instead I went to the movies (John Carter, EXCELLENT!!), used my 50% off coupon at Target for the SW titanium ship set (got all three sets), went home and watched Wolverine Origins and Iron Man again, then went to bed.  It's now Sunday and I'm at work, typing this on my lunch break.  No photos, nothing new to report.  I'll get back to it next weekend.  I'm bound and determined to get this thing done before summer so all my friends can roast marshmallows in my backyard for 4th of July weekend.

The Back Patio

A couple years ago I did a half-circle front flagstone patio for my porch swing.  I had so much left over flagstone that I decided to do a full-circle back patio for my orbital lounger.  The steps are the same, just a bigger area.

I created the circle with river rock that was on my side yard (still got plenty for other decorative rock work, or maybe a fountain)

Started digging out the dirt.  Took about an hour to finish half of it.

Ran into a little problem.  The whole back fence area used to be a pebble rock garden.  No wonder I've had troubles digging up weeds back there!  I had to dig up a layer of grass, then a layer of dirt, a layer of rock, and a layer of corroded plastic sheeting.  I also had to dig around deeply buried heavy-plastic edging which I'll keep in the ground.  I also found what looks like a water sprinkler hose, so I had to be carefull not to cut that.  This much took about two hours yesterday morning with some smoke from the Conifer fire in the air (I'm taking the day off from this project due to sinus infection from the smoke).

Here is the stack of flagstone I'll be using.  Good mix of shapes and sizes, all leftover from the front patio project.

 I bought this puppy a long time ago.  It used to be black, but I like how it's rust color came out.  There are no holes in it yet, so I'm thinking just giving it a good wash and putting on a coat of fire resistant clear coating to preserve the color and prevent it from rusting through.  This summer I should be able to roast marshmellows in my backyard.

And here is a link to the greatest product I've ever seen!  Rubber Brick Outdoor Tile

I saw this at the Home & Garden show last month and fell in love with it.  Believe it or not, it's at Home Depot for $7 per 18" tile.  They are made of recycled rubber (same stuff as rubber mulch), and clips together easily with clips that come with it.  They even have narrow strips for edging, which I think will be perfect for the back step facing.  You can install these over existing wood/brick/cement patios or on hard packed ground.  I'm getting 30 tiles for a 20' by 26' area in my back yard, covering the existing cement patio, digging out some more ground and hardpacking the dirt to triple the size of the patio.  I might even make wooden frames for posts and facing them with this stuff.  No gluing, tacking, nailing anything.  And they can be cut to size if needed.  Yep, I've got a plan that will probably cost me $300 total (not bad since a whole new cement patio was going to cost $7000!).  And I'm 99% sure AL can roll on this stuff.  Now to decide on the reddish burgundy or the lighter gray and spray paint it any color I want (I kinda like the reddish like in the picture below for the patio and maybe painting gray ones for the posts and other decorative stuff).

Tomorrow I'll get back to digging.  By Friday I should be able to start laying the plastic sheeting and sand.  There's just to much smoke in the air for my poor little sinuses.  As of last night two were dead, nine hundred homes were evacuated, sixteen homes were burned to the ground, and 3000 acres were wiped clean.  All from a controlled fire burn from last week by the state forest service that reignited Monday by heavy winds.  A controlled burn that's out of control!!  So sad...

Until next time,

Jawa Jaka (a real working back porch for summer, YEAH!!)

The new basement bar

I've decided to start the new year by making more room in the basement, so I'm selling Dad's old original 1970 Rec-Creation free standing bar:








It's really kinda beat up from over 40 years of heavy use.  The top leather is scratched up, the legs keep falling off, the built in can opener is a bit tough to use, but what great memories (I'm crying just thinking about selling it!).  Yet, in the spirit of decluttering my life, something I've been doing for the last 2 1/2 years, I'm letting it go to a nice family who'll make as much memories with it as we did (many an eggnog during the holidays was served from it).

So, now we come to the real reason:

I had to make room for the new bar!  I've always wanted an old saloon type backbar but could never afford the thousands of dollars for one.  On Friday Dec 30th I had nothing better to do than run around town eating up gas going to second hand stores.  Two Goodwills, one ARC, and an antique store I can never afford (but really fun to go to) I ended up at Unique Thrift Shop just half a mile down the road from me.  I had been there once before but never really looked.  My finds:

One westerny looking hutch with lots of architectural details - $10

One TV console with great shelves and awesome hardware - $15

1/2 yard each of two fabrics that match my decor - already had

Two very large gold and burgundy fancy tassels - $1 each

Don't know what I'll do with the tassels but considering that these are usually $15-$20 each this was a great find.  I do love "treasure" hunting.

I wish I had before pics of the console, so I'll try to describe it.  The front door panels are cheap particalboard/cardboard covered in woodgrain shelving paper with two slats on each that were falling off.  When the slats did come off they pulled off the paper.  I took the doors off, cut out the fabric panels, glued them in place, and tucked the sides under the top/bottom/side slats.  The center was open shelving, so I made a curtain with the other fabric but didn't quite have enough.  I took the left over panel fabric and made a pseudo ruffle on the bottom of the curtain.  I already had a very small tension rod that fit perfectly.  I'm thinking about painting the console to match my actual TV console I got from IKEA, but we'll see.  I might get a piece of left over granite counter top to go ontop, but that's for another day, when I have money, after I finish the counter top in the kitchen.

More pics for your enjoyment:

Now I've got storage and a place to display all those mugs and steins!  A great weekend project for anyone, if you just find the right pieces.  Of course, I'm still dreaming of that big Irish bar that spans the whole wall, has back mirror, displays everything, holds a lot more booze..... (you get the idea).  I can dream, can't I?  For now I have a very unique bar for $25.  Let the partying begin!!!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Jawa Jaka (partying like it's 2012 -- at my new bar!)