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Laying Stone
Once all the dirt was removed for the gravel base, we used a hand tamper to pack down the remaining soil.  It was a good sign when the tamper did not leave deep marks.  That meant the soil had not been disturbed for some time.  Good news for us since all we had was an 8 X 8 inch hand tamper.

We were lucky that little tamping was needed for the remaining soil.  Anna suggested that I buy the larger version of the hand tamper...until she lifted it in the Hardware store.  She decided the smaller version was just fine.

So far we have removed about four inches of dirt from an 11 X 14 foot area.  The dirt has been dumped nearby in a flower bed.  Our wheelbarrow has more than just a flat tire, so we used a hand truck outfitted with a bucket device to move all the dirt.  The remaining soil has also been hand tamped.  It was time for fluids and aspirin. 

Next, a 1 1/2 inch layer of gravel is spread over the tamped dirt. 

In the "system" we bought from a local home center, two types of gravel are used.  Step 1 is a mix of fine and coarse gravel.  Each bag of some 50 pounds had to be dragged to the site, split open, spread about, then tamped down.  It is best to get serious about leveling with this step.

The "system" that we bought from our local home center calls for two layers of gravel to be applied.  Step 1 is a mixture of rough and fine gravel.  That forms the base.  On top of that is applied Step 2, a mixture of fine gravel and dust.  The dust is suppose to be washed into the cracks of the stone to lock it in place.   Each step of the "system" has to be tamped.  I suggest that you get very serious about leveling the site when you remove the dirt.  If you decide not to then, do so when you apply Step 1 gravel.  That will save you a lot of time later. 

On goes Step 2 gravel, a mixture of small gravel and dust.  If you have not gotten serious about leveling the site before....you are in for some serious and tedious work.  Step 2 should be about 1 inch thick and is developed to hold the patio stone in place.

As a side note:  when we were ready to put step one gravel on the prepared soil, we found that all the step one bags were UNDER the 50 bags of step two.  All the step two bags had to be moved just so we could get to step one gravel.  There were some very dark thoughts about the people who packed that shipment. 

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