The Denville
Landing.
A chalk line on the lawn became a curved paver patio, new wraparound deck steps, and a fire pit pad. Step down from the deck and settle right in.
The deck was great. Getting off it was the problem.
The Iglesias family had a raised deck with a narrow set of stairs dropping onto a tired walkway and patchy lawn. The backyard had room to live in. It just didn't have a place to land.
We started with marking paint and a curve that followed how the family actually moves through the yard: off the deck, past the side door, and out toward the gate. From there we excavated, built and compacted a proper base, screeded the sand, and laid the field one course at a time.
The deck got the same attention. Elevation limited how far the stairs could run, so we built angled box steps that wrap the corner of the deck, with even 7 inch risers and deep 12 inch treads. A graspable handrail runs on one side and a second rail closes off the open side.
From chalk line to finished stone
Same wall, same side door. Drag the slider to see the marked-out lawn turn into the finished patio, steps, and new sod.
Before
After
Built to be walked on
Comfortable steps and a solid base are what make a patio feel right years from now, not just on day one.
What went into it
Layout & excavation
Curved patio shape marked out on site, then dug out and hauled down to firm ground for a stable base.
Base & bedding
Gravel base placed and compacted in lifts, edge restraint set, and bedding sand screeded flat and pitched for drainage.
Cambridge paver field
Three-piece smooth pavers in a warm Toffee Onyx Lite blend, laid in a random ashlar pattern and cut tight to the house and steps.
Soldier course border
A dark charcoal border frames the curve and the straight runs, giving the patio a finished, built-in edge.
Wraparound box steps
Angled box steps that bend around the deck corner, framed and capped with a finished tread board and skirt.
Handrails
A graspable rail along the steps plus a second rail on the open side for safe footing in every season.
Fire pit pad
Fire pit location set, finished in pea gravel, and ringed with a 14 foot paver border, ready for the first cool night out back.
Grading & new sod
Fresh topsoil graded around the patio and 1,200 square feet of new sod laid so the lawn ties right into the stone.
Got a deck with nowhere to land?
Patios, steps, fire pits, and the carpentry that ties them together. Let's walk your yard and figure out what it could be.