Marcus Delvecchio · May 31, 2026
Last fall, I finished repaving a 42-foot flagstone walkway along the front of my house. The project took three weekends, two bags of polymeric sand, and more knee pain than I care to admit. But when the sun went down,…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 30, 2026
Last fall, I finished a 400-square-foot flagstone patio behind my house. Fifteen years of outdoor builds, and this one finally came together exactly how I pictured it. The problem? Once the sun dropped below the tree line, everyone went inside….
Marcus Delvecchio · May 29, 2026
Three years ago, I tore out a crumbling concrete patio and replaced it with about 480 square feet of tumbled travertine pavers. It was a six-weekend project, roughly $2,800 in materials, and more lower-back pain than I care to admit….
Marcus Delvecchio · May 28, 2026
Last spring, I finally hit my breaking point with my patio pavers. After six years of Minnesota winters, spring runoff, and general neglect, the 380-square-foot travertine patio behind my house looked like the surface of the moon. Moss had crept…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 27, 2026
Last summer, I finished the biggest backyard project I’d tackled in years. We’re talking a full 400-square-foot patio expansion — mortared bluestone, a built-in bench wall, and a new pergola frame. The whole job took about six weekends and cost…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 26, 2026
Two summers ago, I ripped out a muddy, weed-choked strip along the side of my house and decided to finally build a proper gravel path. The area runs about 60 feet long and 4 feet wide — right between my…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 25, 2026
Five years ago, I finished pouring a 400-square-foot flagstone patio behind my house. It took three weekends, a rented plate compactor, and about $1,800 in materials. When it was finally done, I stood there covered in stone dust and realized…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 24, 2026
Last spring, I was three days into building a 380-square-foot concrete paver patio behind my house when my neighbor walked over and asked a simple question. “How are you handling the laser level patio slope drainage?” I stared at him….
Marcus Delvecchio · May 23, 2026
Last spring, I was mid-way through laying a 400-square-foot flagstone patio in my backyard. I had sand to wet down, pavers to rinse, and fresh mortar joints to cure slowly. Simple stuff. Except my garden hose reel backyard setup was…
Marcus Delvecchio · May 22, 2026
For three years, I avoided looking out my back window. Seriously. The yard was a patchwork of dead grass, overgrown beds, a rusted grill I never used, and two lawn chairs that had seen better days sometime around 2017. Every…