Marcus Delvecchio · June 8, 2026
Last summer, I finished a major backyard overhaul — about 1,200 square feet of new sod, a flagstone patio border, and a redesigned planting bed along the back fence. Total project cost ran close to $3,400 in materials alone. After all that work, the last thing I wanted was to watch it die from inconsistent … Read more
Marcus Delvecchio · June 7, 2026
Last spring, I finally decided to do something about the sad patch of dirt along my back fence. It had been an eyesore for three years. My wife wanted vegetables. I wanted something that didn’t look like a construction site….
Marcus Delvecchio · June 5, 2026
Last spring, I tore out a 280-square-foot flagstone patio that had become an embarrassment. Weeds had pushed through every joint. Ants had colonized the entire border. The original polymeric sand — whatever bargain-brand stuff the previous owner used — had…
Marcus Delvecchio · June 4, 2026
Last spring, I finished the last phase of a patio project I’d been dragging out for three years. Twelve hundred square feet of dry-laid bluestone, a built-in grill station, and a cedar pergola I framed myself. The hardscape was done….
Marcus Delvecchio · June 3, 2026
Last spring, I was 400 square feet into a paver patio installation and already exhausted. Getting a solid plate compactor paver base is the most critical step in any hardscape job. Do it wrong and your pavers shift, crack, and…
Marcus Delvecchio · June 2, 2026
Last October, I finished what I’d call my best backyard project yet — a 1420 foot paver patio with a built-in dining area, complete with a six-person table and four padded chairs I’d spent way too much money on. I…
Marcus Delvecchio · June 1, 2026
Last spring, I tackled a 320-square-foot patio extension behind my house. The project involved laying roughly 400 concrete pavers — each one needing to be seated firmly into a compacted sand base. I’d done rubber mallet paver installation dozens of…