Owen Reeves reveals some money saving DIY hardscaping projects to update your yard.

Upgrade Your Landscaping

Don't Take on Too Much
Know your limits.  Some great DIY ideas with pavers are small backyard patios, walkways, and minor additions to pre-existing work.  Unless you have experience, leave larger projects like driveways and stone steps to the professionals.

Plan Well Ahead
Don’t waste any time or money playing the trial and error game.  Draw a diagram and use paint to mark out your projected area.  Make sure you’re satisfied with your plan before you even lift a shovel.

Patterns & Pavers 

Linear Pattern
Vendome Paver, $7.00/square foot
www.permacon.ca

Pre-Determined Pattern
Colonnade Paver, $4.02/square foot
www.oakspavers.com

Random Pattern
Hydr’eau Paver, $3.69/square foot
www.oakspavers.com

Circle Kit
Paleo Circle, $5.75/square foot
www.permacon.ca

Tools For the Job:

Two Foot Level, $29.99
For bigger jobs, you can use a four foot level instead.  There are eight foot levels out there, but any job that requires one probably isn’t a DIYer.  Remember, you don’t want your pad perfectly flat – always slope away from your house. 

Polymeric Sand, $17.95/BAG
When your pad is done, use this special sand to fill in the cracks and prevent pesky weeds from growing between the cracks.  As an added benefit, polymeric sand will also prevent water from seeping through and freezing in the winter, thereby cracking your pavers.  It’s a little more expensive, but the long-term benefits make it more than worth your while.