Do Plants Have Special Needs?
Some gardeners treat their plants like people, and they have some good reasons to do that. Just as each of us is different in a certain way, plants have different needs in order to grow in good conditions. Of course, you can create a garden by...
Flowers Online - Be Safe With Payments
The Internet has made the world into a global community. No
longer is there a need to expend even the price of a phone call
to send flowers across town, across the country or to the other
side of the world. All you need is an Internet connection...
LOG WALL CHARACTERISTICS
Looking at all the beautiful full-color glossy photos of log home in magazines gives us an idealized vision of the perfect wooden house. Like a supermodel, we can't imagine wrinkles and imperfections, but like any natural product, log walls are...
Planting Roses - Tips You Need To Know
The art of planting roses doesn't have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can create. In this guide, you will not only have all of the right skills at...
Using a Feng Shui Compass
What should you look for in a feng shui compass and how should you use it?
A feng shui compass is a very helpful element when it comes to finding out the location and orientation of a house or building. It will allow you to apply feng shui...
Building a Concrete Patio
A concrete patio can be an attractive part of the landscape, provided it is properly decorated after it is placed. It is also a convenient landscape element, as the patio is usually square and is easy to mow around. Additionally, it is an excellent place to enjoy outdoor cooking and entertaining. Concrete is durable and it can withstand a great deal of wear and tear. Building a concrete patio is something that you can do on your own in about three days. With a little investment of time, you can save money by installing your patio yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it.
The first thing to do, of course, is plan your patio. You need to figure out how big you want the patio, and mark off the area. Additionally, you need to make sure you have all of the necessary tools. 50 square feet is a fairly common size patio, and for that (at about six inches thick) you need 25 bags of pre-mixed concrete. Make sure that you get the pre-mixed for best results and easiest construction. You will also need to make sure you have concrete tools and an automatic concrete mixer. If you do not wish to purchase these tools, it is possible to rent them from a home improvement or hardware store.
Next, you need to excavate the area with a garden shovel. The best thing to do is excavate six inches deep. This is so that you have a two-inch layer of gravel beneath four inches of concrete. This is
especially important in the north, where the freezing and thawing cycle can cause drainage problems. The gravel allows for adequate drainage, and that prevents cracking due to frozen water trapped beneath the patio.
After you have excavated your patio area, you need to build a form to hold the gravel and concrete. This form is usually made from wood. It acts as a frame of sorts to keep the gravel and concrete in place, instead of spreading beyond the confines of your patio. The form can be constructed from wood or strong plastic or rubber, and should be sunk into the ground lining the entire border of the patio area. If you want the patio flush with the ground, the top of the form should be level with the surrounding lawn. After that is done, put in the gravel. Make sure you tamp it down firmly to avoid shifting later on. Two-inch high flat pieces of rock should be installed as well, on top of the gravel, to act as supports for rebar reinforcing (the rebar will be built in the middle of the four inch slab of concrete
About The Author
Janeth Duque of Geeks On Steroids. Janeth is well-known in the world of web design and search engine optimization.