Page 5 - 2013 LDN Home Improvement Magazine

2013 HOME IMPROVEMENT MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com May 1, 2013
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proposed a paver patio, an area created by
using a brick that resembles the ones used on
some of Lincoln’s original streets. Once she
received the go-ahead
for the project, the hard
work began.
Paige’s design called
for removal of the back
sidewalk, breaking up
and removing the broken
concrete slabs and
grading the dirt area. She
determined that the slope
from the side door to the
area near the back door
was too great to create a one-level area with
paver bricks. Her design called for a level area
next to the side door and extending a few feet
to the back, and then one step down to the rest
of the patio.
Even though the area is fairly compact,
the necessary preliminary work before the
bricks were installed was monumental. The
old concrete slab had to be broken with a
sledgehammer andhauledoff inawheelbarrow.
Then the entire area had to be excavated 6
inches. The 6-inch excavation uncovered old
tree stumps. And then -- you guessed it --
those had to
be cut out of
the ground
and carted
off.
O n c e
the two
areas were
excavated to
grade, then 2
inches of CA6, a type of small gravel, was
hand-carted in. The area did not allow for
Paige’s truck to back in and dump the gravel.
Wheelbarrows were used to haul the heavy
rock from the street.After the rock was placed
and thoroughly packed, 2 inches of sand was
placed on top of the rock. Only after the sand
was leveled exactly
could the paver bricks
be installed.
The design of the
bricks was like a jigsaw
puzzle, and Paige
placed each one herself
while on her hands and
knees. After the bricks
were in place in the
correct pattern with the
different-colored bricks
just so, very fine white silica sand was poured
over the entire area to fill the tiny spaces
between the bricks. All of this strenuous
hand labor was happening during the hottest
days of the summer.
“I had to knock off early on several days. It
was just too hot,” said Paige.
While work progressed on the paver patio,
Springer began
thinking about
the small
outdoor alcove
created by
the original
house and the
addition. She
thought about
that area as a small personal space that could
be used during the warm days of summer.
Unfortunately, the sun shines directly down
on it at certain times of the day.
While Paige was building the patio,
Springer had hired John Paul Shawgo to
begin remodeling the interior of her house.
His company, John Shawgo Carpentry,
specializes in everything from unique
furniture to room additions and construction