An Innovative Patio

Leff estimates that a professional would charge about $5,300 for labor and materials (excluding plants), but a do-it-yourselfer can build the patio and stream for only $1,300. This project is more complex than most Landscape Smart projects, rated a 5 on a difficulty scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult), and would take about four weekends to complete.

Step One: Preparing for the Pour

Build a frame for the concrete by staking 2x4s around the perimeter of the area to be poured (figure D). Use a string line to set the boards at a consistent height to prevent the patio from being lopsided.

After the frame is complete, fill the patio area with road base gravel to about 6 inches thick. Dig a shallow trench from the basin to the pond. Set 1-inch-diameter PVC tubing in the trench and overlapping the pond and catch basin areas. Cover the tubing with gravel. Construct a grid using 3/8-inch rebar on top of the gravel, and reinforce the junctures with tie wire.

Mock up the stream path with some construction foam or boards, giving it an angular, zigzagging line to mimic an earthquake fissure (figure F). Using the mockup as a guide, build the stream form, staking the 2x4s.

Step Two: Pouring the Concrete

It's important to pour all concrete at the same time to avoid creating a cold joint, which could allow water to seep through. A monolithic, or single continuous, pour will prevent any leaks.

Before pouring, wet down the gravel so that the ground won't absorb moisture from the concrete. Pour the mixed concrete using a pumper hose, lifting up the grid periodically so that concrete seeps underneath it. As each area is filled, screed it with a board to make it level. Continue until all areas are poured, including the area around the stream frame and inside the pond wall form.

Step Three: Setting the Stone

Leff chooses tumbled Tree River stone (about 23 cents per pound) for the top of the pond wall because of its flat surface and colors.

To make the stone cap flush with the patio, place a stone on the wall next to the patio and trace the shape that overlaps the patio. Use a hand grinder to score along the outline, and chisel out the concrete using a rotohammer, which rents for about $50 per day.

To finish the pond, set a 210-gallon pond pump in the catch basin and attach it to the PVC water line. Fill the pond with water and plug in the pump. Disguise the catch basin with a wire mesh covered with pebbles for a natural look.

Step Four: Staining the Patio

Concrete Specialist Lonnie Wright of Shoreline Concrete chooses a patina stain to give the gray concrete a warm amber tone. Stains come in a wide variety of greens, blues and browns. Test the stain in an inconspicuous place to see how the color develops. (It can take up to 12 hours for the color to fully develop.) Any raw concrete surface can be stained even if it's old and cracked.

Mask with plastic sheeting any areas you want to protect. Mix a solution of three parts diluted muriatic acid to one part concrete stain. Pour the solution into a plastic pump sprayer, and spray it onto the concrete, working in small sections at a time and working the solution into the concrete using a plastic bristled broom. Spray the surface again to smooth out any brush marks.

Wait about four hours after covering the entire patio, and then rinse off the patio to remove any residue. Let dry overnight.

Planting: A Golden Garden

The homeowner likes fall colors, so Leff chooses plants in orange, rust and yellow. She uses plants with smaller textures along the outer edges of the planting beds and plants with larger textures closer to the patio to give the perspective of a larger garden. She added color in containers on the patio and accented the pond with floating plants and upright grasses. These plants include: