Charming Brick Patio

What landscape remedy can possibly solve the problem of a too-small, nondescript, split-level backyard? A charming brick patio with cottage-style borders, that's what. Homeowner Betsy Snyder explains that she wants a grassy area in her backyard that will give her young son a place to play.

The back lawn consists of a small dirt-filled area overlooking a concrete slab, and the upper patio is unattractive plain concrete as well. To transform the plot, landscape designer Cynthia Egger will resurface the upper patio with brick laid in a traditional basket-weave pattern and fill in the entire lower area with dirt. The dirt will be topped with sod, creating a lush lawn that extends flush from the now-upper patio.

Egger also plans to define the borders of the patio with cottage-style plantings that will complement the style of the house. She estimates that a professional installation of the brick patio surface would cost around $3,500, whereas a do-it-yourselfer could buy all the materials for about $700 ($500 for brick and $200 for mortar and sand) and complete the project in one to two weekends.

On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hardest, Egger rates the project a 2 and explains that it's relatively easy overall. The most labor-intensive job is hauling the bricks. To prepare the concrete and the surrounding area, Egger advises following these steps:

• First, thoroughly sweep the patio to remove all debris. Then use a hose to clean the surface. Repair any major cracks: if brick is laid on top of a large rift, it will eventually break too.

• Make sure the area around the patio site is sloped enough that water will run off the surface and down the grade. If it isn't, create gentle inclines around the entire edge to prevent water from gathering at the sides of the patio and creating puddles.

Step Two: Laying the Brick

To keep this project under budget, Egger advises using red common half-bricks, which are half the thickness of standard bricks and make a good choice for a resurfacing project. The average cost per half-brick is about 50 cents.

In keeping with the cottage style of the home, Egger recommends laying the bricks in a basket-weave pattern, which means alternating pairs of horizontal and vertical bricks--two horizontally laid bricks side by side, bordered by a vertically laid pair, and so on.

Once you've selected a pattern, use a trowel to lay about 1/2 inch of mortar on the clean concrete surface. Egger recommends working in relatively small sections, about eight bricks at a time, and spacing the bricks about 3/8" apart for an attractive look (this guideline is ideal for half-bricks). Here tile spacers are used to keep the spacing uniform and hold bricks in place while the mortar dries (these are readily available in tile stores).

Allow the bricks to set in the mortar base overnight, then fill the spaces between the bricks with mortar. Using a mortar bag for this step is practically essential for a neat application. (Mortar bags are available in any masonry supply store.) Then use a jointing tool to compact the mortar.

In one to two hours--after the joints have begun setting up--scrape excess mortar from the bricks, using a trowel, and clean the surface with a heavy-duty sponge and a light application of soap and water. This will remove any traces of mortar that may stain the bricks.

Step Three: Laying the Edge and Planting a Cottage Garden

To cut the bricks for the edging of the patio, landscape contractor Manuel Castenada recommends renting a wet saw from a tool rental store (about $70). Because the bricks of the basket-weave pattern don't line up evenly around the edges, Castenada lays loose bricks in place to fill in the gaps, then uses a pencil to mark the edges for cutting.

Before laying the cut bricks in place to form the edging, Castenda recommends cutting and mortaring the bricks that will be placed on edge along the riser. This makes the riser easier to access because there are no bricks hanging over the upper edge to obstruct the area.

Once the riser is finished, the previously cut edge pieces are laid in place on the patio surface and neatly finished with mortar to complete the brickwork.

With the resurfacing complete and the lower area filled in and topped with sod to make it even with the patio, Cynthia Egger returns to add the plantings along the patio borders. The plants will not only enhance the cottage look of the area but also soften the line where the freshly laid sod meets the patio edge.

Egger explains that the cottage look will be achieved with a loose, informal planting style that features a variety of colorful perennials, as well as a woodland garden in the shady corner of the property. Although a traditional cottage garden doesn't include a lawn, Egger says that the types of plants used in the borders will be consistent with those commonly included in cottage gardens. Featured varieties include the following:

• Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Zones 3-8. This hardy perennial is easy to grow in any climate and multiplies quickly.

• Wallflower (Ersimum sp. 'Bowles Mauve'), Zones 6-10. This plant's long-lasting purple blooms are a great source of color.

• Pieris japonica, Zones 6-8. This evergreen shrub is great for lighting up darker areas of the landscape.

• Camellia (Camellia reticulata), Zones 7-8. A great source of early-spring color, the camellia blooms for several weeks, then provides a backdrop of glossy foliage for other colorful plants.

While the patio borders are being planted, landscape architect Henry Buder joins the crew to discuss brickwork patterns that can be used for a patio or a driveway. First Buder emphasizes that the pattern selected should always suit the style of the adjoining structure or landscape. Then he shows how to create several types of brick patterns. The more complex herringbone pattern features diagonally laid bricks that form 90-degree angles, whereas the traditional "running bond" pattern involves laying bricks side by side, with joints staggered from one row to the next. (The "jack on jack" pattern is similar to running bond except that the joints in each row are aligned, not staggered.)

Once the plantings are in place, Cynthia Eggert completes the project with the addition of a walkway that leads from the patio through the woodland garden in the corner. Large pieces of Connecticut blue stone are used for the path, with the larger pieces broken by hand to create a natural look. To break the stone, workers lay a length of rebar or pipe across the surface at the point of the desired cut, then hit the metal with a hammer until the rock beneath breaks along the length of the rebar.

The broken stone pieces are laid out to form the pathway, then scored around with a shovel to create outlines where the sod will be removed. When the rocks are lifted off the ground, each outline is dug out to create a shallow cavity in which the stones can lie flat. Finally, the stones are firmly stamped in place to eliminate air pockets beneath that could cause cracks later on.

Step Four: Reviewing the Results

With the patio beautifully resurfaced and the new lawn boasting borders of exquisite plants, homeowner Betsy Snyder couldn't be more satisfied. In addition to a play area for her son, she has gained a great area for entertaining--just in time for barbecue season.