To do what I'm currently doing, you have to toe the line somewhere between being a perfectionist and being bat sh*t crazy.

Two years ago, the wife generously allowed me to see if I could try digging out a big hole and building the patio myself. For the first try, and really having no one to talk to about what the hell I was getting myself into, I did an alright job. However, I had a time crunch trying to finish everything before our annual 4th of July party, and definitely created some shortcuts for myself that I'm paying for now. In the two years that have followed, the patio has gradually sunk in a few spots and looks "wavy" in others.

Even looking at the old picture, you can definitely tell that it's not straight. So, how does one fix this? Yeah, sure, I could hire a professional ... that's the easy way out. Let's rephrase the question: how is Brian currently fixing this? Picking up each paver individually, leveling it and relaying it.

When I originally built the patio, it was a lot easier (and faster) to have a step-down from where I put pavers over the concrete to the main block below. This time, I'm raising everything up (each paver at least 3") so that everything is level. I'm glad I decided to do this as everything flows together now.

Right now I'm about 2/3 of the way finished and it actually looks really good. It's definitely time consuming, but I figured that's the trade off for doing it the right way. The goal right now is to be done before I'm 28, so be sure to cross your fingers along with me.

This manual process sucks, it's hard work, and if it ever sinks again, we're either hiring a professional ... or moving.