Outdoor Furniture, Outdoor Patio and Outdoor Gardens

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Want to build an outdoor patio. Looking for an alternative surface to stone or concrete.?
   I was wondering if there was something I could use other than pavers or concrete that would give a stable enough surface to have patio furniture on. I also would like it to be easy enough to construct and little to no maintainance. I am plenty handy, but I'm pretty busy this summer and would like this to not turn into a huge project.

   • ANSWER:
     We built a patio that we call a "ground level deck". Picture a wooden deck, but built into the ground to be flush with the yard. We have a boardwalk leading up to it from the drive, and a curving boardwalk wandering off through the gardens.

     Make sure you layer vinyl or plastic underneath to avoid plants growing through the boards.

2. QUESTION:
   Concrete patio worth investment?
   My husband and I own an end unit townhouse with no real private backyard. We have a small concrete patio in the back that is just big enough for a grill and our bikes. I recently found out that zoning will permit us to expand the patio and it will probably cost us around 00 to create a large fenced in patio with enough room for furniture and entertaining. We don't plan on living here forever and will try to rent the place in about 2 years, unless the market turns around in which case we would sell. Is this worth the investment? I think since all the units around us are the same that with a private "yard" we may have an easier time selling. Hubby thinks no. Any real estate experts out there that can weigh in?

   • ANSWER:
     Without the privacy and the extra personal space that a fence provides your unit will be worth less than comparable units with enclose outdoor areas. Recoverable value is not your only consideration some years out. Because you expect to be there to enjoy it for several years, I believe it would be a good investment. How it will show when your listing it is a factor that can effect how long you talk to get an offer. Buyers will be looking for anything that diminishes the perceived value of you unit compared to others in the area. Whether real or imagined this will not be missed by others looking to buy. It will greatly increase the property's total square footage of living space, which has real value both to you while your living there and when selling.

     On a side note, with the economy being down, you now have great leverage to get the lowest price because many contractors are without a lot of work. Also you might consider using pavers instead of enlarging the slab.
     Remember there are contractors who exploit people who are looking for the lowest bidder and will give you that but they can and will got give you more than you pay for. Whoever does your fence , look at other jobs that they recently did. Contractors who do a lot of fence work will give you good work for your money, as they specialize in that. Good Luck. SS

3. QUESTION:
   Got a garage sized concrete slab in backyard. What can I do with it?
   The house doesnt have a deck, so I was thinking about something like putting a small fence around it like a cafe to keep my grill and patio furniture. Need to spruce it up though because its just ugly plain white concrete.

   • ANSWER:
     If I were you I would build a fire pit out of cinder block in a rectangle, or square shape. You can use the 6" x 8" x 16" cinder block to build it with. Since you already have a slab to build it on, make sure that you place a couple pieces of 1" to 11/4" pvc pipe through the first course at slab level so that when it rains the pit does not fill up with water.

     I would consider buying or making a nice water feature also with some accent lighting for a nice pleasant sound to kick back and listen to while you have a nice fire going in the fire pit.

     If you can bring in some 110 power to the side of the slab so that you can run the water feature's pump and also have a power place to plug in your stereo for some nice music.

     A small 4' high fence around it should give you enough privacy to fully enjoy your cafe scene.

     Imagine that you can now bar b q and roast marshmallows while relaxing in it.

     Hope this helps

     ROSCooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

4. QUESTION:
   Can I set 1/4in thick 12x12 slate tiles on packed crushed rock for a patio?
   I dont want to pour concrete, so can I pack crushed gravel wet it set tiles on top just floating. I dont intnd to set patio furniture on it. Basicly onlt for weed control

   • ANSWER:
     It will probably crack the tile no matter what you put on it. I would suggest leveling it with sand, or better yet Bluestone to give the tile equal support under neath. The blue stone sand is almost equal to concrete if its wetted down and leveled

5. QUESTION:
   Inexpensive ways to spruce up a patio?
   I have a small patio, with a concrete floor and planting area on 3 sides around the concrete (the other side is for our sliding door to go out). We don't have much but a few potted plants and a bbq grill. We will be selling our place so now I need to get the patio up to par with the rest of the property.

   What kind of plants should I put in & furniture? It needs to look nice but also be done on a budget of less than 0.

   Thank you!!!

   • ANSWER:
     I'd do potential - you want them to envision themselves sitting outside having a nice glass of lemonade in the summer. I'd get 2 chairs and a small table, probably white or green resin (not expensive). Hopefully you can still find these for sale. If not, an inexpensive wood set, or second hand set.

     I'd get 8 (or more) potted flowering plants - probably mums this time of year, and put the chair and table in one corner, three plants in corner 2 and 5 plants in corner three. Larger plants, in plain green or clay pots. Get a couple extra pots and turn them upside down and set the plant pots on them - to give some difference in heights.

     Put a pretty table runner across the table and a pretty ceramic or glass pitcher in the middle, maybe with some of the mum flowers in it.

     Get some plain mulch (and be very careful!! some of it stinks when first applied) and cover the ground around the edges of the patio. Make sure no weeds, no leaves, very neat and tidy overall. I'd probably tuck that BBQ grill in the garage, just to make it neater. Also the potted plants, unless they are truly gorgeous, put them out of sight.

     You could possibly put a string of lights out if they would visit in the evening, but don't get anything tacky - no strings of beer can lights or skeletons or such.

6. QUESTION:
   Building Flagstone Patio?
   I live in Southeastern Oklahoma where the ground cracks from the heat every summer. I am going to build a flagstone patio around our inground pool, but I need to know whether it is better to build the patio on sand and crushed rock, or a concrete bed. Or if it's better just to use sand and dirt beneath (for the old-world style, moss between the flagstones look - which would be nice)? However I build this, it needs to have excellent drainage and be an even surface for patio furniture. Also, once the flagstone is set, is it better to mortar between the stone? I don't want everyone getting sand or crushed rock in the pool.

   • ANSWER:
     The best way to go is to lay it on top of a concrete bed. However, if you are on a budget you can place it on top of compacted road base (class 2). You can rent a plate compactor for about . Either way around the pool you should put morter in the joints.

7. QUESTION:
   how do I make a roof deck - cover a flat roof with a walkable tile or hard surface?
   Underlying Structure is concrete. Want to make a roof deck with planters and patio furniture

   • ANSWER:
     Put down wood sleepers on the existing roof, then place the new deck over the sleepers.

8. QUESTION:
   I want to make a fire on my patio (camping theme). How would I do that?
   So I live in the city and have a busy life. Going camping in the woods is out of the question. I do want to have a camp night for my 6yo though. So I have a large patio with a concrete floor. I set up a tent on it. I have two sitting chairs and marshmellows to roast.

   I want to know how I can make a small fire to roast hotdogs and marshmellows without burning down the apt. complex. Like what materials I need and what not.

   People have bar-b-ques on their patios and things of that ilk so i'm sure it's OK, but i'm really not sure how I would do the fire thing.
   I know they sell those patio fire pits at furniture stores, but I really don't want to spend 0 on one so I can have a camp night theme with my son.

   LIke would I use a coffee can and twigs? I'm just a city girl with no idea about fire stuff. lol

   Im clueless.

   I need some ideas. Then I will call the fire dept. to see if those ideas will be safe for my dwelling. I needs some ideas first though.

   Please help me with ideas.

   • ANSWER:
     I strongly suspect that any open flame, fire pit or fireplace would be prohibited on an apartment complex patio or balcony due to the fire risks. I was surprise to learn recently that, although they are sold everywhere in NJ, portable fire pits/fireplaces/chimineas are illegal to use in the state.

     However...

     You can make a sort of hobo stove using a can (for your purposes, larger is better, try a #10 can). Cut open the top and empty the contents, wash, dry, the perforate the sides near the bottom (use an old fashioned soda can opener). Stand this up on some bricks and start your fire inside. Keep a pot lid and a fire extinguisher handy to control the fire and address accidents. Note: use a steel can, not aluminum; the latter may melt.

     Camp Chef and others make gas campfires for around 0 (plus the cost of a bulk propane tank, if you don't already have one for your BBQ grill). I don't know whether these would be more accepted by fire regulations or not, but they are a bit safer because you can control the size of the fire by adjusting the gas supply and there are no hot embers flying around.

     Finally, you can do what we did in the scouts for indoor events: make a simulated campfire. There are several ideas for making artificial campfires if you search the web for "fake campfire". Basically, you attach triangular-shaped silk or other lightweight material to a fan and point shine red lights up at it from underneath, then enclose this in a wood base to look like a pile of firewood. You won't be able to roast marshmallows on a fake campfire, but you'll get some of the ambiance with none of the risk of a real fire.

9. QUESTION:
   Strata problem: Building Construction/Noise is brutal! What are my rights? (Burnaby, BC)?
   We purchased our Condo 3 years ago, in Burnaby BC. Normally it is extremely quiet as the building is made of concrete, however, in May they began construction on the building. Currently they are working in the suite above up us. I get off work around midnight and don't usually get to sleep until at least 2 am. At 7am every morning they begin dragging around furniture and drilling through the concrete above my head. It is the worst sound I have ever heard, it's so loud is shakes our windows. There is concrete dust everywhere, they asked us to remove our patio furniture but it is not possible - there is no where to put it, Our patio furniture is now all stained with dust. We have had to keep our windows closed during the day all summer, because the dust was aggravating my asthma - but the building is not air conditioned. Also even though we own, our strata has demanded our key which they give out to the contractors without coming to supervise them in our suite. I know this because Ive been home when the contractors come busting in. Our insurance won't cover us because we have technically given them a key, in the event something goes missing.

   I thought we would have more rights by owning instead of renting? Are there not municipal guidelines for noise violations? Are they violating them, what about tenant disturbance laws, do these only cover renting tenants? I'm so angry and frustrated I just want to sell and move!
   There was no note of construction when we bought the place, it is an older building. We have recently changed management companies, the strata council sent out a memo in February that construction would commence in May. They are currently installing some sort of sliding bar in the concrete above my suite to make exterior maintenance easier.
   We live on the 25th floor.

   • ANSWER:
     check to see if there were building permits issued for this construction? photograph your damaged furniture and submit a claim to the city, call the health department and have your place inspected for the dust problem, all this is done with a simple call and a loud voice.

10. QUESTION:
    How many people can legally reside in a 4 bedroom section 8 duplex in South Florida?
    Because my wonderful ex-landlord stopped paying the mortgage on the private home I was renting, I had 12 days to find another place to live. I now live in a duplex not far away. most of these duplexes are section 8 eligible, and although I pay rent, my neighbors next door are section 8. I wound up moving into a duplex that has a family (?) of 11 living next door. There are 7 children, the two parents of these children, and two other random adults living in a 4/3. I can hear them 24/7 making noise, screaming at each other, opening and slamming doors, having friends hang out in the driveway in the evening. And now recently, they have been using our patio furniture in the small slab of concrete that we have as a backyard. We've spoken to them already about the noise, and the invasion of privacy; but nothing has changed. So herein lies my question, how many people are legally allowed to reside here? Is there anyone I can contact in Broward County regarding the amount of people living in this place?

    • ANSWER:
      You contact the housing authority. it is a county office. The 2 random adults are not allowed to be there, but the family with 7 kids is, otherwise they would not be on section 8.

11. QUESTION:
    how to get the neighbors cat to go home?
    our neighbor is a very kind guy, single father of two girls and i think they're pretty strapped for cash most of the time and it seems that feeding and caring for their cat is very low on their priorities. their cat is a typical neighborhood cat (we live in an apartment complex) so it's always out there when we come and go and everyone says hi to it.

    we went out on our patio last week and find the cat laying there on the concrete looking like it's about to die. totally unresponsive, covered in fleas and scratches, missing most of its hair and just skin and bones. we had just given our (100% indoor) cats their flea medicine... they had recently started scratching a lot, to which we now imagine is probably due to this dirty cat laying on our patio furniture and we're probably bringing them inside (yuck) but we had one dose of medicine left, so we put it on this cat and placed food and water in front of it... it laid there like that for a couple days.

    we continued to care for it until it resembled a living being again and now it will not go away. he still runs off when he hears his owners car pull up, and they usually take him in their house at night. but otherwise he is always on our patio, sitting at our door, sometimes crying, and it is driving our cats crazy. they're all fixed, but territorial. one of my cats got out today and went after it, and i am worried about it happening again. i don't want them to fight and have my cat catch something.

    where do you draw the lines of helping an animal in need and finding the critter a complete nuisance (bringing fleas into our home, costing us money feeding him, upsetting our cats, etc.) and what can we do to discourage it from living on our patio all day till the owners come home? we feel so guilty about wanting him to go away, but we already have three cats that we take very good care of, and just don't have extra money to feed an extra mouth.

    side note: our patio is enclosed with a fence that does not go all the way to the ground, so the neighbors cat is able to walk right in to our space. i would appreciate any helpful suggestions that might be good for us and our cats, as well as the poor neighbor cat. thank you!

    • ANSWER:
      Pick it up and drag it over to the other house. If it tries to come back put it in a box (with airholes) and leave it on the doorstep with a note.

12. QUESTION:
    Take a look at these pics and tell me if you can help !?
    Hi, I have a patio that is 18 ft. x 40 ft and it is concrete,but as you can see in my pictures alot of it is old and broken up into gravel. I need help on what I can do BESIDES re-concrete it.
    Ideas that are a quick fix such as laying astroturf down are welcomed. Also any decoration idea's like as in
    What kind of patio furniture , outdoor decorations , entertaining ideas , or flowers do you think I should incorperate into my patio ?

    ** Also , I will be repairing the missing peices from the wooden privacy fence **

    Here are 6 pictures to give you a general idea of what im dealing with.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681751/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681775/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2573378477/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681755/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681759/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681763/

    • ANSWER:
      I would spruce it up by either using patio pavers on leveled sand or stone slabs on leveled sand. Pavers would probably be cheaper, however, for the patio, but to save tearing out the steps, you could use slab stone and just build up the area that has disintegrated. For the patio, I would just sweep up the loose gravel, use the paver base sand leveled, place the pavers on top of that and sweep in the top sand. That is how we did ours and it makes a wonderful entertainment area. We used the all weather resin wicker which I highly recommend. They don't fade, they wash right off with a hose, they neither mildew or mold and never need painting. I did the couch, occasional table, dining table with 4 chairs and bought 2 extra to use in the "living room" with the couch. I saw a wonderful firepit table for under 0 at the Lowes that you could use in front of the couch (wish I'd have done that instead of the occasional table). All of the BBQs are on sale at both Depot and Lowes which would be a nice addition to your space. You can also pick up inexpensive candle holders at Big Lots along with citronella candles to keep the bugs away. I would go with some flowering bushes like sweet pea, peony, azalea, hawthornes, depending on your climate for some color.

13. QUESTION:
    I need help !!!?
    Hi, I have a patio that is 18 ft. x 40 ft and it is concrete,but as you can see in my pictures alot of it is old and broken up into gravel. I need help on what I can do BESIDES re-concrete it.
    Ideas that are a quick fix such as laying astroturf down are welcomed. Also any decoration idea's like as in
    What kind of patio furniture , outdoor decorations , entertaining ideas , or flowers do you think I should incorperate into my patio ?

    ** Also , I will be repairing the missing peices from the wooden privacy fence **
    1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681775/

    2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681769/

    3.http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681763/

    4.http://www.flickr.com/photos/27570960@N05/2572681759/

    5.
    

    6.
    

    • ANSWER:
      First of all 'Queen of Color', I love what you have done so far and I love the space!!!

      This is quite an undertaking......and I am not sure where you live which will determine many factors.

      Get rid of as much as the concrete as you possibly can leaving a slab for your furniture. Select your furniture very carefully. Do not get anything that the sun will rot out like the 'new' webbing type. { I'm talking from experience!! }

      Perhaps a "Fire Pit" would be a good idea if allowed and some Lanterns around the area if you intend to entertain.

      Oh...before I forget, trim all of the trees and foliage back. It grows rapidly and will be overgrown in no time.

      After pressure washing down the fence and doing a stain, I would get some pot hangers and hang them on the fence. Then, obviously, hang some flower pots on them.
      For the shady areas, plant "Impatiens" in the pots and for sunny areas, plant "Petunias". Both are beautiful and furthermore, any flower is a decoration!!
      You could also have big container pots of plants throughout your space.

      It will take a few bucks and some "elbow grease" to spruce up the space but you can do it and it will look fantastic!!!

      btw -- You might want to plant some vegetables in the space once the concrete is gone.

      Email me if you have any questions.

14. QUESTION:
    Fleas won't die.... need help?
    We were away over a weekend and came back to have flea juming all over us in our basement where our 2 cats are and have been for 5 months. Our house is just over a year old and we have tried everything we can think of.

    We removed the cats from the house, turned off the heat to the basement, tried 2 raid foggers, raid and a other brand spray, Sevin powder has been sprinkled and on the floor for 6 days now and I walked down to spray the furniture again before we vacumed up the powder and I my paints legs were covered in 20 fleas before I came back up staris. WHAT can we do????? I am totally at a lost a feel so dirty that we can't get these under control.

    our 2 other stories have not seem to be taken over by them only a few straglers here and there(none since we stoped going in the basement) So if this helps we have a full unfinished basement with a sealed concrete floor some furniture, storage stuff, toys, and an area rug. It has a walk out patio door and nothing we can think of has changed in the past 5 months since we added our cats. Why have all the sudden has our basement been taken over by fleas and what can we do about it???? Your help is greatly appreciated!

    • ANSWER:

15. QUESTION:
    Building a sidewalk...2 questions:?
    I have a fairly large yard that is not fenced. However before I built my house and moved in the yard was just a pile of trash. I am working on cleaning it up very slowly and at baby steps. I want a garden and flowers, but can't right now because I don't have a fence to keep deer away.

    Anyway, my driveway is just dirt and gravel and ends where the grass starts. I would like to build a walkway from the end of the driveway to the front steps and a pathway that would break off and go to the side door. What time of things do I need other than concrete mix to accomplish this and what are the steps.

    Also, I'm not to the point of building a deck or porch yet, but would like to have a sitting area out ide with patio chairs and tables but don't want it to be in a pile of grass where I will have bugs crawling all over me. I was thinking of buying some of those large walkway stones to make an area that is at least big enough for a porch swing, hammock, or two sitting chairs and a grill. When I put these stones down, do I just arrange them and place them or do I need to dig a little bit and set them IN the ground? Will they stay put or shift as I move furniture around on it? Any tips?

    • ANSWER:
      Your best bet for both the walk and pathway would be patio stones which you can lay yourself. These come in a variety of sizes and colors. All you need to do is remove the turf and dig out about 2" to 3" of soil, add some crushed rock, and level it out. Place your patio stones on top, making sure they are level. This should do very nicely for the amount of traffic you'll have. Don't worry about moving furniture, the stones won't move once they have settled in.

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