For years we wanted to build a flagstone patio for our Adirondack chairs and fire pit area. The earth and dirt in Lake Placid is mainly sand, and the yard has a little trouble growing grass in certain areas. So this spring we decided it was time to build the patio!
First, you have to find the right kind of Flagstone. And it’s not an easy task. However, I was lucky enough to find the perfect stone at Flower Meadows Farm. I just LOVE THIS FARM!
Next you need masonry sand – many, many bags of it! For this project we used about 40 bags, and boy o’ boy was it heavy. Wear gloves when working with these kinds of materials to protect your hands, as both the stone and sand is very heavy. And handling them can cause major damage to your hands if you’re not careful.
Next create the space for your patio. We used wood and string and drew a large, circular shape big enough to fit 2 ADK chairs and a fire pit. Now, the word here is DIG!
Because that’s what you’ll be doing for about a day. You’ll also have to haul all the grass and dirt away from the area. We used a wheel barrel to move all the earth. This takes roughly a day of labor to clear, mark, and dig your area out.
Next, fill the hole you dug with sand… a LOT of sand.
Once the sand is in place you can begin to place the flagstone. This can be timely as the flagstone must be level and sturdy. Begin to mold the sand around the stone and just work the materials.
This is hard labor and takes time. Once it’s done, though, you’ll have an amazing patio to enjoy! So here are a few photos.
Do you have a flagstone patio story?
