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So are the pictures just out of order? At least from what I can tell of the piecing together a view of the backyard you finally just gave up on your garage/enclosed/open space where the current garage is and demolished it? The new patio though appears to be going in the opposite corner if I am looking at the drawlings correctly.
After receiving quotes on converting the abandoned garage to something different, we finally pulled the bandaid. It needed way too much work and was difficult to navigate too. I realized the cost of the land was worth much more than the current structure, and decided to open up the backyard. the old structure was KILLING the backyard, spatially. And most of the direct sun fell onto the existing footprint.
ZERO regrets. we took a slightly lesser budget and are putting in basically a dream backyard.
-Demo garage
-Rear informal patio with bluestone wall surround, fireplace/chimney, outdoor pizza oven. serves as sitting area / sun lounging area
-Gas line to fireplace; electric to wall, outlets, accent lighting, and exterior landscape lighting underneath all trees
-New arborvites
-Demo existing attached paver patio and install new bluestone patio, stoop, and walking pavers
-Full height marvin window in family room to open up corner (marvin is such a rip off; but need to match existing windows)
-Move A/C condenser and rehedge to make way for window
-move some hornbeam trees to cover side lot
-Regrade backyard and manage drainage
-New outdoor furniture - dining set, sitting area set, lounge chairs
So are the pictures just out of order? At least from what I can tell of the piecing together a view of the backyard you finally just gave up on your garage/enclosed/open space where the current garage is and demolished it? The new patio though appears to be going in the opposite corner if I am looking at the drawlings correctly.
yes, they are a bit out of order. we took out the existing patio and garage, and are putting in a formal attached patio, plus informal detached "patio" in the corner. two zones. the attached patio will be bluestone, and the detached patio would be pea gravel with bluestone walls/fireplace.
Here’s a pano from where the garage was. Can finally see the back of the house in one view. We thought this spot would be ideal for lounge chairs etc, with views into both sides of the L shaped yard. Which is why we are breaking up the patios in two...while still maintaining an attached patio for conveniency
Out of all of the costs, the patio is actually not too bad. The fireplace/wall construction is half of the budget. For the attached patio, I think i am going to opt for a paver product that the hardscaper uses all around town - it is called Devonstone by EP Henry. Its a cast stone that looks like just like bluestone and is more durable. Ive seen it installed on some houses around town, and it looks great. I think it came out to $8 PSF installed, as opposed to $20 PSF installed for natural bluestone.
Regardless, we are going to put pea gravel in the back patio. We used to get flooding there. While the re-grading will help, the pea gravel will have better drainage. Plus we really like the idea of the "detached informal" look for the fireplace area / lounge chairs. As opposed to two bluestone patios that were cut in half and split between two sides of the yard. At least the fireplace wall construction will match the attached patio floor, to have some continuity.
here are the pavers and steps that EP Henry makes... i think they are discontinuing and switching over to something that frankly, doesnt look as good. my hardscaper is buying all the inventory he could get his hands on regionally. https://www.stonecenterofva.com/site...631_120809.jpg
Couldnt get the approval to build a new garage at the top of the driveway. its been attempted for 10 years running (me and previous owner). I weighed the pros and cons for two years, and this is what we decided. once they took it down, and i was able to stand in the corner of the L shaped backyard, it felt like i had "unlocked" everything. we are very happy with the decision.
...i found a loophole though - i could install a "shed" that is up to 200 SF, 3 ft from the property line. No permits, no neighbor approval, no tax impact. its a great thing. found someone in town that did the same. he installed a 10.5x19 ft "shed" (but really a garage) custom built in lancaster. real wood siding, wood / glass garage door, etc. its beautiful, and half the cost of real construction. only thing is the floor of the garage is wood, not concrete. he uses it to store a 911. So if i ever 'feel the itch' down the road, it is still an option. at any given point, i could drop in that structure, and shoehorn it in the top right corner of my backyard at the top of the driveway....but for now, i am greatly appreciating the larger backyard.
i fixed up a storage room in the basement with shelves, etc. the storage room has an exterior door with a walk out to the driveway. its been working just fine to grab tools, ladders, etc. I dont plan on mowing my own lawn, nor do most people in town, so its really not that big of a deal. its an NYC train town, with old housing stock, old garages, small plots, and high taxes. its not crazy to see someone tear down or convert their garage for alternative reasons.
...dont want to steer the thread with no garage talk...its done
Last edited by ThermonMermon; Jun 5, 2019 at 09:08 AM.
^^similar setup. Wrap around driveway to defunct garage in opposite corner. Demo'd the garage to make way for large rear patio, lopped off the driveway at the rear of the house. then plopped in a "shed" garage at top of driveway.
Last edited by ThermonMermon; Jun 5, 2019 at 09:30 AM.
Eh, who knows. I am out of the house 13+ hours a day during the week, and have a jitney pick me up to/from the train station, or get a car home late nights. i dont touch a car monday-friday. i drive the family car on the weekends, and its rarely by myself. given all of the hours i work, my weekend time is strictly to catch up with the family, not so much to go for a joy ride....i dont care much to leave leased cars outside.
we'll enjoy the bigger backyard for the family and entertaining on the weekends. whenever we have a birthday party etc, there are literally 50-100 people over. we have a huge extended family in the immediate area. the bigger entertaining area in the backyard fits our needs WAY more than a garage.
the prospect of being allowed to install the shed/garage is more than enough for me...if i ever find myself with enough time / rationale to get a weekend toy.
Last edited by ThermonMermon; Jun 5, 2019 at 12:52 PM.
Progress. Furniture delivered. Slab removed and two big oak trees removed at property line. The roots were in the way and were leaning above neighbors house. Big trench dug for fireplace.
Window later this week. Had them replace a bunch of panes in the original 1930 steel casements.
Thanks. The texture definitely looks like real stone. The only give-away is that compared to the actual bluestone step slabs, it is colored differently. Depending on the light, the pavers vary from full on gray to blue (with a hint of purple), while the real slabs remain consistently a light gray/blue. It is evident that the pavers and steps look like two separate products (which they are)....honestly, it looks like everything is bluestone and the slabs and pavers came from two separate quarries and are colored slightly different.
We tried to use the same series concrete steps, but it wasnt a good fit for the sizing/design. On the bright side, if the pavers slightly fade over time, they would probably better match the bluestone. My wife thinks the two different colors add some character.
Last edited by ThermonMermon; Jul 8, 2019 at 10:37 AM.
Some more updates. Contractor ordered wrong stone veneer. I had changed my mind and found something more blue. He ordered the first pick. The stone veneer is a bit too gray/muted and doesn’t match the patio too well. Hopefully it doesn’t stand out. But the caps and counters will be bluestone and hopefully will add some blue color to the back wall.
The devonstone model pavers by EP Henry are discontinued. They replaced it with a shiny fake looking product called Belmont. My contractor (a big hardscaper) bought up as much stock as he could regionally. He installs this very often. There’s still some out there but you’d have to order in the new couple months before it runs dry.
