We finally have been able to start the patio we have planned for the past year. It is a concrete slab (12×16) and will have a gazebo roof my husband discovered at Costco, which will be 12×14. The gazebo construction starts this coming weekend. Not sure how long it will take the person doing it for us, but I’m hoping it will be finished by the following weekend.
It has been a bit of a design challenge. There is big step down from the house to the yard. The gazebo was only so tall. It wasn’t tall enough to clear the door to the backyard. This meant we had to have four pillars poured for the gazebo to rest on and be high enough to keep us from hitting our heads every time we went outside. The roof is made of green tin and is pitched like a tent.
We’ve been sitting out on the patio every night because it is very peaceful in the back with the gardens, along with it being in the shade. It is has become my new writing place. I still sit on the front porch, as I like to wave to the neighbors, but it will mostly likely be more of a morning thing when I’m reading and drinking coffee.
Other than the waiting, the hard part has been deciding where to put the patio furniture, grill, dog house, and little garden tool storage bin we brought from our former home.
So far the grill has been moved to both places we can move it. We had the concrete crew put a pipe through the slab so we can hook the grill up on either side. I really like the feel of it on one side, closest to the door. The husband, of course, likes it on the other side as it offers a bit of privacy.
The dog house has been in three different places. It is a medium sized igloo hangs over the edge on one side of the patio. It fits perfectly on the other side where the husband likes the grill to be. Today I have it partially behind a piece of furniture, which so far actually feels the best, but I will have to move the opening a little. Having it and the grill on the same side feels a little heavy though. I’m wondering if once the gazebo is standing, which will be offset on the slab, it will balance the weight.
I’ve only moved the storage bin to two places as we are thinking it might offer a little extra seating in a pinch, once it is covered with a cushion. The first place would have had people leaning against the sliding glass door, which is really a non-starter. I wouldn’t want anyone accidentally pushing through the screen if it happened to be open. Right now it is diagonal in one corner of the patio. Plus, I may replace it with a smaller bin as we don’t need one this large anymore—no kid toys to store. If I do get a smaller one, it will be in a space that is out of the way and somewhat out of sight.
Only one piece of furniture hasn’t been moved. It is the corner piece of the seating. So far, it seems to be in the right place. There are still two pieces that need to be moved to the back. Heaven only knows where those two seats will end up.
Once the gazebo is up, our next choices, once the electricity is added, will be to find the right lights and ceiling fan. At least those will only have one place to go.
I’ll share the final set-up once it is all put together.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 