By Dan Sevic

With record gasoline prices many people have decide to invest the money into their home rather than take a vacation. An option is to turn your home into your own vacation resort. This can be done by building a patio with an outdoor kitchen. This has become very popular over the last few years. It is the perfect addition to your home. It enables you to take advantage of the summer months and gives you the feeling that you are on vacation everyday. Another idea is a well-placed fire pit to add warmth and charm to your evening events.

Hardscaping is the term used to refer to pavers, wall stone and boulders. When planning your project, you must decide, “Is this something that I can do myself, or should I hire a professional?” The answer is in the weight of the wall stone. They range from 30 to 85 pounds. One thing is certain. You will not have to go to the gym on the days you are working on your project. In order to start your project, you will need a few tools.

These include a shovel, wheelbarrow, level, string line, hammer, tape measure, wooden stakes, chisel, plate compactor and a saw with a diamond blade. Materials that will be needed for your patio and wall are stone base consisting of 2a modified, course sand, pavers and wall stone. The walls can be calculated by length x height gives you the square footage. The paver are the length x width gives you the square footage.

A nice web site to look at is www.EPHenry.com. They give pictures and advice on doing this project. On their site, you can also request a free catalog that can be sent to you. When building the outdoor kitchen, you must decide on a counter top. A unique top is a custom concrete top. These can be seen at www.concrete-encounters.com.

If you decide to hire a landscaper or contractor for your project, take the time to check references and look at projects they have done. The last thing on the list is to have fun and enjoy the summer.