A few months back, Dad found an ad on craig’s list for a few hundred patio bricks for $40. The owner no longer lived on the property and he was looking to completely strip the home, so he gave us permission to take whatever bricks we could pull up. We made a few trips over there with various members of my family and we ended up hauling nearly a thousand bricks…all for $40. To give you an idea of how crazy this is, if you were to buy these brand new, each brick would normally cost $1 per brick.
This past Wednesday, I ordered a few yards of 2NS sand to use for our patio renovation and some extra for the boys to play with. The truck came within half an hour to drop it off and we got right to work. Israel was at work, but my parents were there to help me. We started by leveling sand over our existing concrete patio, and then we began laying the first bricks. Yesterday and this morning, I finished laying the brick and brushing sand to fill in the gaps. It definitely isn’t professional quality, but for using materials that cost approximately $60, I think it was worth it. It was a lot of work, but I learned a lot throughout the process and it was rewarding to see the final product. I now have a seriously legit farmer’s tan.
Sand delivery
Dad leveling the sand with his ingenious homemade contraption
Laying brick
After filling in the gaps with sand…the final product!
Our first meal on our newly renovated patio. It was extra delicious. 
Judy this looks great!!!!
You guys are awesome!!! I love all your home projects. And your project budgets make it especially awesome. You could start your own DIY website. 🙂 And we need a close-up of your dad’s leveling contraption too. 🙂 Sounds like the Ramos “farm” is buzzing—even before you get your bees. 🙂 Hope to see you soon!
Fantastic! Is there nothing you cannot do, Judy?! How wonderful that you take on these projects with so much enthusiasm and have such great results! Keep on girl – you make us all proud!