Everyone should have a place of beauty. A place they decorate for themselves. A place that makes them feel happy, warm, and comfortable. I decided my place would be my backyard.

It started in late August with a germ of an idea. I wasn’t happy with this corner of the yard off the deck. While there were some green bushes and some Crepe and Myrtle trees that added some niceties and a super small patio for a grill, it didn’t feel welcoming. It was functional, but not beautiful. I decided to change that.

All the plans were my own. My idea was to build a large patio, over 450 sq. ft., and pergola, 12′ x 16′. One end of the patio would be under the pergola, where we would have outdoor furniture and a firepit. Up the side of the pergola, I would plant vines to provide shade in the summer. In one corner would be my grill and smoker. Off to one side, a picnic table could be added for additional dinning. Along the side would become a herb and flower garden.

Work began by creating a clean slate, tearing out bushes and trees currently there. It involved a ton of hard labor moving dirt, digging up roots and leveling the ground. Renting earth-moving equipment would have been easier, but was too expensive for my comfort. So we completed the task with shovels, axes, and wheelbarrows.

I marked out the dimensions and started digging. In the evenings, I watched many hours of how-to videos; how-to build a pergola, how-to lay a paver patio, how-to construct footers out of concrete. I pushed my construction skills beyond anything I had done before.

With the right financial incentives, I convinced my kids to help dig. We dug down 7 inches and moved a ton of dirt. Then, I dug six holes for the footers for the pergola. I wanted the pergola to be able to withstand the occasional hurricane we get, so I needed depth and strength to the footers.

While I originally planned to lay the paver patio before building the pergola, the pavers were on backorder due to supply chain issues. Rather than waiting an inordinate amount of time to finish, I decide to build the pergola first.

Over Thanksgiving break, a buddy of mine visited and helped me get started. Well, first we stained the wood a beautiful walnut color to add richness and depth to the design. After it dried, we hauled the 6×6 posts to the backyard, used a level to ensure they were upright and attached them to the footers.

With the help of my family, we added the cross beams. My eldest son and I measured and marked the boards while my wife and other two kids cut the boards. Then we screwed those boards into place.

After waiting another month, the pavers were finally scheduled to arrive. I ordered the gravel and sand to build the base. After laying gravel we tamped it down with a rented plate compactor. It was rather a cool experience using that heavy duty tool to get the job done.

The pavers arrived, Dublin Cobble by Belgard. With the help of my family, we started laying an inch of sand, using PVC pipes as convenient measuring devices, and placing the pavers on top.

Laying the pavers took a couple days of back breaking work. But it went fast. In a few spots, I had to cut the pavers to get them to fit. Luckily, my kids found the work kind of fun (much better than digging up dirt) and helped for several hours each day. My wife pitched in on her day off from work.

And then the rains came. The final step for the patio was to add polymeric sand between the pavers to help set the pavers into place. The sand requires a light wetting and then needs time to harden. But too much water can wash the sand away. Late January into February, the rains refused to let up. So I couldn’t finish.

Finally, a break came. On a Thursday morning, I swept the sand into place, sprayed a little water on it, and waited. Well, little did I know, the rains returned with a vengeance. Throughout the rest of February, so much rain came, that our local river reached major flood stage.

Until the last weekend of February. The weather relented. The sun came out. The temperature climbed into the 70s. The furniture and fire pit arrived. Lights hung and wood chopped, we hosted our first pergola party.

Its been a massive amount of work and its not done yet. I still need to finish the garden next to the patio. I want to build a picnic table. And there’s a giant pile of dirt in the backyard that I need to do something with.

But the beauty and comfort of this space is my own. And I love it. I can’t wait to spend my days outside, reading, barbequing, and entertaining. Everyone should have a similar beautiful space. And what’s more, it’s perfect for me because I designed it, built it, and have the satisfaction of knowing that I did it.