We entertain a lot, especially in the summer. So now that the wedding is over with and we paid off a lot of bills, we have some play money. We would like to spend this money on a patio. Our main reason for wanting to do this is that, with our current layout, our chairs sink into the grass and we finally have a pretty lawn that we don't want ruined. We started out with the idea of extending our existing patio pavers to create a patio area large enough to put our patio table, chairs and have some extra space too. We have a 28’ x 12’ area in front of our sunroom that is perfect for it. Here is where the fiasco begins.
Well, my mom is a bartender and the bar she works at is frequented by tradesman. She happened to be talking about our patio paver project and one of her customers, a master craftsman, said, “Well I am remodeling my house and getting rid of my deck. I can give it to her for free, design it and install it.” All I was going to have to pay for was the labor. Woohoo! Right? Wrong.
5 days after his unreturned phone call and I am running into the house having just got home from work to grab my ringing phone. I was stuck in traffic for 2 hours and my bladder was about to explode. My mother says, “Chris is here, he wants to come by tomorrow, here talk to him!” I was like, “wait, mom, I have to work tomorrow!” [I do side work as a videographer for weddings] She hands the phone to him, we decide he is going to come over the following morning (Saturday) at 9 a.m.
I was a little more than perturbed at this situation seeing as I was about to work a 12 hour day the next day and now I had to get up extra early to get ready, deal with him coming over and then prepping lunch for my friends before we went to go work this wedding. Saturday comes and I am up, half ready and waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I got frustrated and went upstairs to start my make-up so I wouldn’t be rushing/running late later. One eye done and *knock, knock*. Le sigh.
An hour later and he has a few ideas but no idea of a price. Great. He tells me he will draw it up, get some prices and get back to me.
A week later and no response; he sees my mom in the bar and says the machine to make the drawing is broken. [Because there’s only one Menards in Chicago, right? *rolls eyes] Also, he can’t use his ‘free’ wood anymore because it is not big enough. Okay. Finally, after 3 weeks of waiting (and no correspondence with ME) he gives the drawing and quote to my mom. Ugh. *I* need it. I live 20 miles from my mom and only see her once a week. With my crazy commute, it’s simply too much to run over there after work one day. So I finally get the sketch on Mother’s Day.
The deck is just not what we wanted. We got the estimate and the drawing and he didn't even draw up what we discussed. He only put one set of stairs and a handrail all around it. I don't want a handrail, I need 2 set of stairs (hello, the landscapers need to get across it with a lawnmower!) and why would I want it closed off the rest of our yard? Plus the only reason this project turned into a deck was because we were supposed to be getting free wood. Which is not happening. AND the price of lumber is going up (or already has) so the estimate isn't even accurate anymore. Not to mention the fact that we are losing 2 feet of width on it because of how the roof of the sunroom overhang is and apparently the deck needs to be 13 inches off the ground, so someone as tall as Frank would hit his head on the overhang if we had it so that you walked out of the sunroom onto the deck.
So now onto different options:
We're worried about putting pavers in because the way our current ones look now. They buckled in the winter and so they are all sinking, they move, etc. We live on the corner and our house is on a bit of a slant. So that particular part of the yard is on the higher ground & gets a lot of water. We worry if we put in new pavers (even if we do it right) what's to say that in 2-5 years it won't do the same thing?
I just want a place to put my patio where the chairs won't sink into the grass.
So now, we're considering concrete... and having it stamped so it *looks* like pavers. Only problem is we don't know how much concrete would be and we just lost 3 weeks waiting for the deck quote.
So yesterday I called around. I have 3 concrete contractors coming by the house this week, already got 1 paver quote and waiting on another. I have heard 3 times now that pavers are not ideal so I really think we are going to end up with concrete. I also heard stamped concrete is more likely to crack. So watch it end up being just plain concrete. Whatever. I just want to sit down at my patio set with my beer and not sink into the grass.
This has become one big headache when it should be fun.
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