Patio Day 3: Drying Out

Here's some pictures of the completed patio. It will take several days for it to dry out so the guys can come back and wash off the haze of grout and then put a sealer on it. The sealer works much like the one you put on furniture to protect and add color.

The pink flags are where the irrigation specialist thinks we need to add more sprinkler heads...there are 15 flags in the two flower beds and around the house. You'd be surprised what that will cost, and it isn't a pleasant surprise!

Here is a close up of some of the colors in the flagstone. Each stone has multiple colors in pink, gray, brown, and a little yellow mustard. The grout is gray. We choose these colors to toughen up the house as it is red brick with white paint to age it down, but from a distance looks pink! To irritate Wild Bill, I refer to it as the Pink House On The Corner when giving people directions.

The grout will lighten up a lot as it dries. You can see the pinkness of the house in the picture below:

Here's a drain they put in the walkway to help move the water away from the house. The patio is tilted away from the house and the theory is any water will drain away.

There is still much to do. This is just the first part of our 2-year plan to turn this new lot into a shady spot to enjoy. This patio is on the East side of the house and gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It's obvious we will need to continue the walkway around the other side of the entryway, but that will wait it's turn due to $$ (as in, lack there of!)

Here's inside the entryway and the poor little rose bush I put in this container trying to save it.

When you look out the window on the right side, you get a view of the patio:

Notice how the grout dust dulls down the stone. I'm hoping it will look much better when this is cleaned off after the grout dries. Here's what you see looking out the left window. Someday, you will see the walkway continue around this side too.

Thanks for coming back to see the progress, although right now it's like a new mattress without any bedding. I can't wait to put some planters and furniture on it once it dries. It's all about decorating, right???

Now we have to decide what to plant in the two areas here. I'm thinking a white crepe myrtle in the right side one, to give some shade to the patio, add some color, and provide a little privacy for a late afternoon drink...ice tea of course! ;-) You get the picture.