A Lean Mean Green Patio Solution

Upon moving into our house just over 3 years ago, I marveled at the garden and the extensive planting throughout the property. It seems as though the previous owner worked at a nursery and my guess is she got paid in plants.



There were a couple things I took personal issue with though – there wasn’t much in the way of structure to the landscape design and the planting resembled an attempt to replicate an English Country Garden.


With a mid century modern house and a penchant for all things modern, I had to do something. The trouble was, we were tapped out financially, as the purchase price of our house was 10% over our top end budget.


There’s something to be said for sweat equity and improvisation. I went to work with shovel in hand and started digging, moving things around and restructuring the plantings to give the garden more or an architectural structure. The one thing I quickly realized was there was just too much garden. I didn’t want to be eternally responsible for keep such a swath of earth weed free.


On digging up areas of the yard I found some paving stones. A light bulb went on and I noticed some leftover pavers at a friend’s property as well. He was happy to have me take them off his hands. Putting two and two together, I went to work laying out my plans.


I purchased a roll of growth-blocking fabric. After removing all domestic plantings from two areas of the property, I leveled the areas off, laid the fabric and began arranging the paving stones in symmetrical patterns aligning the lines of the stones with the view of Lake Washington that graces the property.


Once stones were in place I salvaged pea gravel from other areas of the property and filled between the pavers with the gravel. The resulting areas gave us two patio areas that took advantage of the Southern exposure, the view of the lake and the materials on property, creating outdoor spaces we’d enjoy for years to come, while doing so with minimal impact to the planet and our bank account. And not only that., I had less area to keep weed-free! Now if I could only find the same kind of solution for a bathroom remodel!