When you own a brand-new home with a blank slate backyard, it takes some elbow grease to give it that “lived-in” look.

Tom and Lauren moved into a new home, in a new development, with their son John Thomas about six months ago.

They have a blank space to fill, and Danny and Chelsea are here to help them.

Tom and Lauren’s backyard is like the other new houses on their block: bare, and waiting for some landscaping and extra living space.

    The Projects

    Excavate Grass for Patio

    Sid Sexton is a local landscaper we’ve worked with before, and he’s great at helping homeowners develop long-term plans for their property.

    In the future, when Tom and Lauren’s budget allows, Sid’s plan will specify other additions, like more trees and a raised vegetable garden.

    For now, we’re going to focus on the patio, adding some landscaping, a pergola, a swing set, and string lights.

    Stakes and string mark the straight lines of the patio, but we’ll use marking paint for the curved lines of the planting beds.

    Before we start digging, we sharpen our shovels with the belt sander.

    Once we have all the soil moved to the low side of the patio, we pack it down with the plate compactor before we begin spreading the paver base.


    Set Posts and Lay Pavers

    Once the paver base is roughly graded, we run the plate compactor again to compress it before we begin pouring in the sand.

    By the end of the first day, we’ve graded the sand over half the patio, so early on day two we’re ready for Pavestone pavers.

    Tom and Lauren’s backyard is looking much less like a “blank slate” as the patio takes shape.

    Now, it’s time to add the posts for their new pergola.

    Build pergola

    After each post is set, we lay pavers around it. Some require cutting, but the cuts are simple, so we can make them with a regular circular saw — outfitted with a masonry blade.

    Soon the first half of the patio is complete, all of the posts are set and we’re ready for more sand and pavers on the other side.

    While that work continues, Danny can get started cutting out the rest of the pergola.

    Once Danny finishes cutting the beams, we mark the post tops so we can cut them all off at the same level before we begin hanging the beams.

    While we finish nailing together the pergola, our handyman Bear installs the retaining border around the outer edge of the pavers.

    It’s late in the day, but we decided to push through and complete the patio by adding the sand topping.


    Dress out patio area

    Overnight, Tom and Lauren stain a new swing they want to hang on the patio, so early the next morning we’re ready for the finishing touches.

    While Aaron and Bear prep the planting beds, Tom and Lauren are in the garage staining a new picnic table to help furnish the patio.

    Meanwhile, Chelsea and I begin hanging that swing by beefing up the beam it will hang from, before we install the hardware.

    Once we add the soil amendments Sid recommended, we’re ready for planting.

    While Chelsea sites the plants according to the plan, I’m busy hanging the TV and hooking up some decorative lights.

    This is going to be an awesome backyard!


    Post-Production Thoughts

    There wasn’t anything bad to say about Tom and Lauren’s backyard; there just wasn’t anything to say at all.

    It was just a patch of grass surrounded by fence — no character, no interest, no amenities.

    Now it has a completely different feel. The paver patio has not only become a focal point in the yard, it’s now an additional room to the house with space for relaxing and entertaining.

    “Today’s Homeowner” hosts Danny Lipford and Chelsea Lipford Wolf visit with Lauren and Tom Ascher.

    The simple pergola we built overhead helps cement the feel of a room and offers a little shade when the weather is hot; not to mention a handy place to hang a swing.

    The new landscaping that surrounds all of this softens the hard edges of the wood and concrete while it gives the area a feeling of permanence and history.

    So, this brand-new house feels like it’s been here for more than a few months.


    Costs

    Pavers and Materials
    • 3 pallets of holland silver shell – $700
    • 2 pallets of paver base – $450
    • 50 bags of leveling sand- $223
    • 5 bags of tan poly sand- $125
    • 6 pcs edge restraint & spokes – $80

    Total for patio – $1,435 (Not including delivery or offload)
    • Lumber for pergola – $290
    • Plants – $950
    • Swing – $219
    • Lights – $45

    Special Thanks:
    Sexton Lawn and Landscape

    Special Guest: Sid Sexton/Owner, Sexton Lawn and Landscape


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    Editorial Contributors
    avatar for Danny Lipford

    Danny Lipford

    Founder

    Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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