How to Build a Patio in Expansive Soil: Part V

Sunday, 6/21: Using some of the remaining sand, we swept it onto the patio and in between the pavers. The pavers have spacers on all their edges so there is a consistent gap between all of them. We wanted to fill that gap with sand so we can minimize the build-up of dirt, dead leaves, etc.

Sweeping the sand into the gaps works best when the sand is completely dry (trust us).
Once it is in the gaps, we watered it with the hose to wash it down into the depths. Then we repeated the sweeping/hosing a few times until no more seemed to fit into the gaps.
Wednesday, 6/24: Edward picked me up from school and we went shopping for patio furniture. Since this patio is only about 13'x9' wide we were limited to small tables. We ended up buying two small square ones from Lowe's and 6 chairs. Although crowded, the tables are modular so we can move them around (or remove one altogether) if we need to.

Once the shade structure is installed it will be slightly more crowded because you won't be able to just walk over the concrete bases. But we'll have shade...which will be HEAVENLY during the summer months...so we're willing to deal with the crowdedness. =)

We bought the cheapest ($60) fit pit Lowe's had and made a fire on Thursday night. Dave was on his way home from Gualala and stopped to buy some marshmallows. So we all sat around the fire until 2am. It was really nice.This fire pit is cheap, but since it is only designed to hold a fire it works great. Don't use the screen when you have a fire (it sits too low and will just burn up) and make sure you follow the directions and remove the cooled ashes after each use--otherwise I'm sure moisture will collect in the bowl and it will rust out.

Edward has such a knack for taking ridiculous pictures of me!