Walks, Walls & Patios: Plan, Design & Build Book

	Introduction	8
	Planning and Design	10
1	Basic Landscape Design	16
	What do You Expect From Your Yard?	18
	Working with Your Surroundings
	Formal Versus Informal
	Basic Site Design	25
	Design Techniques
	Dividing Your Design Into Specific Parts
	Organizing Your Site Design
2	Planning Your Site	34
	Types of Soil	36
	Dealing with Drainage	37
	Drainage Systems
	Grading Your Site
	Creating a Comfortable Climate for Your Patio	40
	Making a Site Cooler or Warmer
	Walks	41
	Designing Your Site	44
	Making a Site Plan	45
	Walks	48
3	Walk Designs	54
	Hard Walks	56
	Soft Walks	58
	Wood Walks
	Edging	58
	Edging Materials
	Grading and Drainage	62
	Drainage
	Changes in Walk Level
4	Soft Walks	64
	Layout and Preparation	66
	Stone	66
	Types of Stone Aggregate
	Wood	67
	Loose Aggregate	68
	Lumber Walks	70
	Treated Lumber
	Untreated Lumber
	Boardwalks	71
	Building a Boardwalk
5	Dry-Laid Walks	74
	Tools You Will Need	77
	Material Selections	78
	Brick
	Brick Patterns
	Adobe Blocks
	Stone
	Installation Tips
	Interlocking Pavers
	Concrete Patio Blocks
	Setting Stone Directly on the Ground	86
	Possible Materials
	Laying Stone in the Ground
	Walks on a Gravel-and-Sand Base	88
	Plotting and Excavating the Subbase
	Laying Paving Units in Sand	90
	Spread Sand
	Set Pavers
	Fill the Joints
	Filling Wide Joints
6	Hard Mortar-Bed Walks	98
	Anatomy of a Mortar Walk	101
	Site Conditions
	Mortar Mixes
	Tools for Working with Mortar
	Preparing Paving Materials
	Preparing for the Concrete Base	104
	Install the Forms
	Pouring the Concrete Bed	106
	Pouring the Concrete
	Begin the Pour
	Screed the Surface
	Finishing the Concrete Surface	108
	Rough-Float the Surface
	Curing Concrete
	Setting the Walk	110
	Set Forms
	The Mortar Bed
	Setting the Walk
	Fill the Joints
	Ceramic and Stone Tile	115
	Suitable Types of Tile
	Setting Tiles in Mortar	116
	Prepare the Surface
	Lay the Tiles
7	Building Steps	118
	Step Design	120
	Finding the Run and Rise
	Wood Steps	122
	Steps on Grade
	Building the Steps
	Landscape Steps	124
	Concrete Steps	126
	Determine Run and Rise
	Excavate the Site
	Brick Steps	130
	Building Brick Steps
	Walls	132
8	Dry-Laid Stone Walls	138
	Tools	140
	Types of Stone	140
	Selecting Stones
	Estimating Amounts
	Wall Building Basics	142
	Building Requirements
	Constructing the Wall	143
	The First Course
	The Second Course
	Cap the Wall
9	Footings for Walls	146
	General Requirements	148
	Footing Size and Depth
	Footing Forms
	Buying Concrete	148
	Dry Mixes
	Wet Mixes
	Estimating Amounts
	Mixing Concrete	150
	Mixing by Hand
	Using a Power Mixer
	Building Footings	152
	Building Forms
	Pouring Concrete	154
10	Mortared Stone Walls	156
	General Requirements for Stone Walls	158
	Constructing the Wall	160
11	Concrete Block Walls	168
	Types of Block	170
	Shapes and Sizes
	Estimating Amounts
	Basic Requirements	172
	Building a Block Wall	174
	Set the First Block
	Stucco Finishes	179
	Applying Stucco
12	Brick Walls	182
	Types of Bricks	184
	Brick Sizes
	Types of Walls	185
	Anatomy of a Brick Wall
	Estimating Amounts
	Basic Requirements	187
	Footings
	Reinforcement
	Mortar
	Building a Single-Wythe Wall	190
	Wall Layout
	Building a Double-Wythe Wall	194
	Wall Layout
13	Retaining Walls	196
	Basic Requirements	198
	Excavation
	Drainage
	Footings and Reinforcement
	Landscape-Tie Retaining Walls	200
	Building a Landscape-Tie Wall
	Interlocking Concrete-Block Walls	202
	Dry-Laid Stone Retaining Walls	205
	Building a Dry-Laid Retaining Wall
	Patios	206
14	Soft-Set Patios	212
	Types of Patios	214
	Installing Patio Pavers	216
15	Mortar-Bed Patios	220
	Concrete Patios	222
	Making a Concrete Patio
	Patios on Concrete Slabs	228
	Flagstone and Brick Patios
	Tiling a Patio
	Resource Guide	232
	Glossary	234
	Index	236
	Photo Credits	239