Vol_Bengal Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1306213127' post='994354'] Height issue: HOA doesnt allow for building things that may disrupt neighbors view. but more importantly my neighbors are close, and they only allow a 6 foot "privacy fence" which isnt much privacy, i will be digging into the ground to do whatever we are going to do to allow for the most privacy, and due to drainage patterns, my back step, top left corner of yard, and lowest point (almost dead center of where patio will be) is probably a 4-5' slope. So i am trying to decide between pavers/stone and a stamped stained concrete. has anyone used either? pros and cons to either? [/quote] trying to understand which way your yard flows... does your backyard go uphill or downhill from your back door? If uphill, then you can cut into the hill as far as necessary and make the patio either flat to back door or have a couple steps down from the backdoor. if, it slopes downhill away from backdoor then if you go paver / concrete you're talking about having to have several steps (especially if you're talking 5' of rise) to the back door. To me, if it slopes downhill away from the house, I choose the fake wood , etc. as you can match the height of your threshold of your back door and carry that as far out as your HOA allows, making for an even entertainment space. If it slopes uphill from house, then I'm looking at concrete or pavers. I've done the colored, stamped concrete and I'm almost certain it'd have to be cheaper than pavers. The labor in pavers (since you said you were going to have someone do it) will be steep. The concrete, you pick your color, they mix in truck and then pour it. After that, slick it, and then can use stamp pads to get a paver or rock look, whichever you wish. Significantly less labor in pouring concrete than laying pavers by hand. Either scenario you have digging out the pattern, building gravel or sand base. Concrete you have forms but those are cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 [quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1306517584' post='995061'] trying to understand which way your yard flows... does your backyard go uphill or downhill from your back door? If uphill, then you can cut into the hill as far as necessary and make the patio either flat to back door or have a couple steps down from the backdoor. if, it slopes downhill away from backdoor then if you go paver / concrete you're talking about having to have several steps (especially if you're talking 5' of rise) to the back door. To me, if it slopes downhill away from the house, I choose the fake wood , etc. as you can match the height of your threshold of your back door and carry that as far out as your HOA allows, making for an even entertainment space. If it slopes uphill from house, then I'm looking at concrete or pavers. I've done the colored, stamped concrete and I'm almost certain it'd have to be cheaper than pavers. The labor in pavers (since you said you were going to have someone do it) will be steep. The concrete, you pick your color, they mix in truck and then pour it. After that, slick it, and then can use stamp pads to get a paver or rock look, whichever you wish. Significantly less labor in pouring concrete than laying pavers by hand. Either scenario you have digging out the pattern, building gravel or sand base. Concrete you have forms but those are cake. [/quote] all of the above actually (the slope)... it slopes away from the house and away from the fence, meeting at the low point in the middle of the yard going side to side..technically the drain pattern is from the far left corned of the yard, down toward the middle, then across the middle, then past my house and flows out in between the house on the right.... the back of the yard is higher than the park near the house, but not by much. looks like i am going to have to cut into the back hill some, and have a 2 foot-ish retaining wall on the back left corner, put some drain pipe/tile under the whole thing to keep the flow going properly away from the house/foundation, and put a step about 12 feet into the patio, so its kinda multi-level. and the drain tile will raise the middle a bit, and should make the whole thing level and angled away from my house, across the yard, etc.. I contacted the pavers companies i found online, pavestone & belgard, and acted like a contractor, using my brother in laws blinds company and tax id and got contractor pricing, im going to have 3-4 high end contractors come in and give me the low down and cost breakdown, then call the barely legal=if legal at all, guys that did my sisters patio(nice job) and see what theyd just do the labor for if i get all of the materials vs them getting the materials too. just going to weigh all of my options i think. and with the expanding soils issues and over-watering a-hole neighbors making that problem more serious, im going to either do pavers or wait till i can afford to do pavers, maybe next year... but im going full force ahead currently and seeing where i need to be price wise for what i want, and done properly.... makes the most sense to do it right.. its going to be there forever.. i picked these pavers: [img]http://pavestone.com/images/gallery_consumer/o.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1306816682' post='995398'] all of the above actually (the slope)... it slopes away from the house and away from the fence, meeting at the low point in the middle of the yard going side to side..technically the drain pattern is from the far left corned of the yard, down toward the middle, then across the middle, then past my house and flows out in between the house on the right.... the back of the yard is higher than the park near the house, but not by much. looks like i am going to have to cut into the back hill some, and have a 2 foot-ish retaining wall on the back left corner, put some drain pipe/tile under the whole thing to keep the flow going properly away from the house/foundation, and put a step about 12 feet into the patio, so its kinda multi-level. and the drain tile will raise the middle a bit, and should make the whole thing level and angled away from my house, across the yard, etc.. I contacted the pavers companies i found online, pavestone & belgard, and acted like a contractor, using my brother in laws blinds company and tax id and got contractor pricing, im going to have 3-4 high end contractors come in and give me the low down and cost breakdown, then call the barely legal=if legal at all, guys that did my sisters patio(nice job) and see what theyd just do the labor for if i get all of the materials vs them getting the materials too. just going to weigh all of my options i think. and with the expanding soils issues and over-watering a-hole neighbors making that problem more serious, im going to either do pavers or wait till i can afford to do pavers, maybe next year... but im going full force ahead currently and seeing where i need to be price wise for what i want, and done properly.... makes the most sense to do it right.. its going to be there forever.. i picked these pavers: [img]http://pavestone.com/images/gallery_consumer/o.jpg[/img] [/quote] Gotcha. Sounds like your yards' obstacles, and your neighbors habits compounding a few of your yards' obstacles, will make for some interesting challenges. It really comes down to a preference thing. If your heart is set on pavers or concrete, etc. then you do whatever has to be done to do that. You're the one that has to be happy with it. Based on what you've said - from a "simplest" viewpoint and a cost perspective I'd lean the decking / Trex route. I don't have a lean really one way or the other, personally, so I'd do what made the back area suit my personal preference and mine typically would be a large open level entertaining area. Sounds like you'll have a two level patio that'll still have steps up into the house. For me, it'd drive me crazy, for someone else they may like the contrasting lines and it may be more appealing to the eye. Really gets down to preference of material and look honestly... and then balancing that against what you afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Montana Bengal| Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 [quote name='Montana Bengal' timestamp='1306379084' post='994787'] I lived in Wyoming as well. Both Montana and Wyoming can get fucking cold in the winter, but the summers are awesome. I love no humidity!!! It is a little misleading though. It can be 35 degrees and not feel like it is very cold. Like everyone else, we are getting a shit-ton of rain right now. [b]Where I'm at = no tornado.[/b] Occasionally get a little hail, a little earthquake. Most dangerous thing is Yellowstone Park. If it blows, I won't be around long enough to give a shit. Awesome on Elway! [/quote] Of course, about two hours east of us there was a Tornado touch down tonight. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalsOwn Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Concrete pad and be done with it. I just landscaped around mine (after living here for 6 years now ) [img]http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/292/20110606211218979.jpg[/img] [img]http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5742/20110606210946164.jpg[/img] [img]http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3157/201106062109080.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted June 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 [attachment=852:26078_1403976938021_1190295177_1247163_8251704_n.jpg] @own if i lived in ohio and shit was flat and there werent expansive soils, i would do an easier option. this is about the best backyard pick above(the only one actually) that i could find from over a year ago.. you cant hardly see the slope cause its all brown/tan.. but from my stoop to the middle of the yard is a solid 5 feet hight different.. on the water runs through from that far right corner across my yard, then out the side yard basically where the pic is taken from.... and thats VITAl, the soil here is a type of clay i think i mentioned previously that expands when wet, and will fuck up your foundation, lift your house, etc.. you have to do floating walls when you finish the basement.. and you can kinda tell where my sister is standing and the fence to the right are almost the same height.. so digging down keeping proper drainage for the slope of the yard, etc.. a slab would crack and be fucked up pretty solid pretty quick here.. so its not really an option.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1307585861' post='996676'] [attachment=852:26078_1403976938021_1190295177_1247163_8251704_n.jpg] @own if i lived in ohio and shit was flat and there werent expansive soils, i would do an easier option. this is about the best backyard pick above(the only one actually) that i could find from over a year ago.. you cant hardly see the slope cause its all brown/tan.. but from my stoop to the middle of the yard is a solid 5 feet hight different.. on the water runs through from that far right corner across my yard, then out the side yard basically where the pic is taken from.... and thats VITAl, the soil here is a type of clay i think i mentioned previously that expands when wet, and will fuck up your foundation, lift your house, etc.. you have to do floating walls when you finish the basement.. and you can kinda tell where my sister is standing and the fence to the right are almost the same height.. so digging down keeping proper drainage for the slope of the yard, etc.. a slab would crack and be fucked up pretty solid pretty quick here.. so its not really an option.. [/quote] seeing what you're describing with a picture now makes it a lot simpler. Granted, can't see the drop but taking you're 5' of drop... it'd be an easy call for me.... Trex. No issues with "building up" or tiering a paver patio, unless aesthetically that is just something you want. You could even tier a deck of you liked that look. But with the decking route you control the rise, etc. and get your building material off the ground away from the drainage issues so they in a sense become non-issues. Again, that is just me because I don't have a heavy lean toward any one type of patio surface. If you stick to pavers, etc. you're likely having to put in drainage tile or french drain as well as grade the yard pitched back away from patio toward fence to keep water from running over your patio. Almost making a trough running parallel to the fence until you clear the patio here at the bottom where you turn it and allow it to run through the side yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBeaverHunter Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Is your whole backyard rock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 [quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1307714583' post='996840'] seeing what you're describing with a picture now makes it a lot simpler. Granted, can't see the drop but taking you're 5' of drop... it'd be an easy call for me.... Trex. No issues with "building up" or tiering a paver patio, unless aesthetically that is just something you want. You could even tier a deck of you liked that look. But with the decking route you control the rise, etc. and get your building material off the ground away from the drainage issues so they in a sense become non-issues. Again, that is just me because I don't have a heavy lean toward any one type of patio surface. If you stick to pavers, etc. you're likely having to put in drainage tile or french drain as well as grade the yard pitched back away from patio toward fence to keep water from running over your patio. Almost making a trough running parallel to the fence until you clear the patio here at the bottom where you turn it and allow it to run through the side yard. [/quote] yea i want to get as loooow as possible, i will be digging into the ground about a foot even at the lowest point, i dont want to see my neighbors yards as much as possible.. treks id be stuck up in the air a bit.. i love its durability though.. [quote name='TheBeaverHunter' timestamp='1307719166' post='996848'] Is your whole backyard rock? [/quote] i live in the desert... grass doesnt grow here... it flat out isnt something that grows here... bull grass does.. which doesnt really cover, its like 40% coverage... and looks like weeds mostly.. thats kentucky blue grass, grown at a nursery, and transplanted to my yard.. and surrounded by 14 sprinkler heads to water it 3 times a week.. in THAT picture the grass isnt in yet.. but you can see a brown circle in the backyard(s).. which is where the gras is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1307735633' post='996884'] yea i want to get as loooow as possible, i will be digging into the ground about a foot even at the lowest point, i dont want to see my neighbors yards as much as possible.. treks id be stuck up in the air a bit.. i love its durability though.. [/quote] Understand... everybody likes different things. Just make sure that the ground is graded back away from your patio or else you'll have a little muddy pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 [quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1307967571' post='997111'] Understand... everybody likes different things. Just make sure that the ground is graded back away from your patio or else you'll have a little muddy pool. [/quote] yea, i would like to walk out flat, but privacy increase alone trumps that want/need for me... i need to get window well coveres too, those are kinda pricey like $150-175 each. locking ones that kids can stand on, etc... this project has inflated to about $6500, so its going to wait until next spring... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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