We are inching closer to the finish line with my new patio and I am SO excited. The timing could not be better with the arrival of warmer weather, and since we do not go anywhere for the summer (a gal’s gotta work), this is my happy place.
As I mentioned before, we looked into adding a pool as well and the cost was SO high we immediately had to scrap that idea until another time (or not). Maybe a plunge pool someday, but not anytime soon. As it turns out, patios are pretty damn expensive too when done well! We initially had an outdoor kitchen down here as well as the firepit and then because of budget, had to scrap that too- we will have our grill down here near the dining table, but that’s it.
We worked with New View, Inc. after finding them through clients and Ryan was so helpful with us cutting back to a budget we were comfortable with. He also really helped me select the materials and plantings that would best work with our yard, sunlight and desired aesthetics (of note: I paid in full, this is not a sponsored thing- I just love to recommend great small business vendors to you locals!)
All I wanted out of this patio is a large area for seating and lounging in front of a gas firepit, and a separate space for dining for 8. I wanted to delineate the patio from the yard with a stone wall that’s about the same height as our chairs, so that when we’re entertaining, we can also use that wall for additional seating. Our yard is NOT flat by any stretch of the imagination, so Ryan had to make sure our grading was perfect and really think through drainage, run off and angles so that the transitions are nice and the patio is functional. I love the look of bluestone, but was warned against how hot it can get in the summer. I looked at all kinds of granites but could not get past how uniform they looked – I like a little more variation. Ryan ended up finding this material the stone yard called “Premium Light Bluestone” – but he said it’s not really bluestone (it does not behave the way bluestone does when cut – much cleaner edges and less chipping). One of the downsides of bluestone is the flaking and the orange iron spots that show over time – especially now that a lot of bluestone is sourced in China and not Pennsylvania as it used to be, so this is a great upside to this mystery material. I am also am hoping it doesn’t get as hot, but in our yard, which has both shade and sun, I don’t think it will be as much of an issue.
The stone wall is all hand stacked, not veneer, so that was a big part of the budget, but it looks SO nice. We looked at both natural gas lines and buried propane lines for the firepit and went with propane as it was less of a disturbance construction-wise and 1/4 of the cost. The tanks are 30 feet away behind a fence and I think will be great as they have meters on them that alert the propane company when we need more. I CANNOT wait to sit by the fire with my kiddos this summer. We are still working on the plantings, which I wanted to keep simple – grasses, limelight hydrangeas, climbing hydrangeas, hostas and boxwoods. We moved a lot of existing healthy plants around too to save money and be mindful of what we are using vs. throwing away.
Since we changed the shape and size of the patio we needed more furniture (and different sizes). In our scary rental house we lived in last year while renovating we had an outdoor sectional and we all LOVED it. So we decided that given the scale and shape of the patio, that would work perfectly here. I have a longstanding fantastic relationship with Frontgate going back many years, and they offered me some new pieces to mix with my current patio furniture I have from them, which is amazing. Existing pieces are the dining table and chairs, wood side tables, umbrella and umbrella table, and the planters. New will be the sectional, chaises and lounge chair. I’m making custom pillows for everything, because well – I can. 
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Stay tuned for the final patio pics, install of the furniture and a photoshoot this summer of the whole shebang (am thinking a birthday dinner party here in August is a must!). And Instagram for more updates and pics!