A Modern Patio/Deck to Share with Four-Legged Loved Ones

| Newtown, CT |

Total Time to Accomplish Project: 2 months

The AJM Earth team turned Siobhan’s dream into a reality in just two months’ time. Watch Siobhan’s experience in this exclusive video interview!

*The crumbling old brick patio and overgrown garden*

In June of 2022, Siobhan called us to discuss the idea of renovating her backyard space into a place that she and her four-legged furry babies could enjoy together.

Her beautiful little home located near the heart of charming Newtown also held historical significance. With the special historical value of the home to consider, this created a unique challenge for our team.

The existing patio and garden that Siobhan wanted to remove were overgrown with weeds and crumbling at the foundation. Talking over ideas with Sibhoan was a vital step in the process.

After hearing her desires for her backyard, Joe and Denise proposed a new, exciting solution for her unique outdoor space: a modern patio and garden upgrade. Denise created a beautiful sketch of what that concept would potentially look like.

The backyard was spacious and had endless potential to create a cozy space perfect for entertaining guests and relaxing with loved ones. It was a challenge we were thrilled to take on. After Siobhan signed off on the sketches, it was time for the AJM Earth team to get to work!

Phase I Included Initial Deconstruction

We began by opening up the fencing as an access and made a temporary gate. After that, we cut down all the trees that were chosen for removal and dug out the stumps.

We then removed the existing brick patio and hauled it away. We performed the excavation necessary to remove all the existing topsoil and unsuitable soils in the deck and patio areas.

We brought in process gravel into those same areas and compacted it, preparing it for the new deck and patio.

Phase II Involved laying out the new Meranti deck and Fieldstone patio

We then laid out the deck location and installed all the sono tubes that would act as a support to the new Meranti deck.

Sub-floor joist framing was then built for the deck and as the new Meranti deck was being installed, we began installing the 2’ x 2’ Bluestone into the patio area.

The deck was laid out at a 45-degree angle which followed into a portion of the patio that included a sawtooth pattern lined with black river jack. It lead to a fieldstone entryway to Siobhan’s office.

While the patio was being laid, heavy rain fell which flooded the new area. While it took us by surprise, these unexpected showers revealed a flooding issue in the yard. So we decided to address it by installing a small yard drain to help eradicate future water drainage issues for Siobhan.

Custom steps were hand-crafted and installed descending from the patio and deck, outlining a new and attractive entry point.

We also installed a rustic fire pit and lined it with a (temporary) stone sitting area.

Phase III Included Custom Meranti Benches and Creation of a Dog Park

The final excavation of this project began with making our way out by stripping out the soil in the dog park area and placing 50 tons of white sand for step one of the dog park.

The addition of two 12’ custom Meranti benches that replicated the custom steps were installed. And planting of the border beds with simple plantings that would add warmth and color to all the hardscape work that was done.