DIY Pea Gravel Patio Tour
I am so excited to be giving you guys a tour of our DIY Pea Gravel Patio!
Our DIY Pea Gravel Patio is something I am asked about quite often, so I thought I would answer a few questions about it today and give you a little tour of the space! 🙂
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We installed our patio about three years ago now, and we have loved this space so much. It sits right underneath our Boxelder tree off the kitchen, then turns towards the back part of our home.
Why should you install a Pea Gravel Patio?
1. It is English Cottage in Style
I love pea gravel for so many reasons. As most of you know, I love English Cottage Style. A few years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the Cotswold Cottage (brought over stone by stone from England) in Greenfield Village here in Michigan, and it had a lovely patio that was all pea gravel.
I fell in love with the space and wanted to do something similar in our own backyard!
2. It is Budget Friendly
Our patio isn’t huge, but had we chosen to install a deck or even purchase stone pavers, we would have spent a lot more money. Pea gravel is an affordable option if you are wanting a lot of bang for your buck!
For our size patio we spent about $150 which gave us roughly 5 yards of gravel. We got our pea gravel from a local quarry.
3. It is Low Maintenance
Unlike a deck that has to be refinished every few years, or a stone patio that can sink and shift depending on where you live, pea gravel really doesn’t require a lot of upkeep. If you have little children like I do that like to take the gravel and throw it into the grass, well then you may have to fill in low spots every few years. Other than that, it is very low maintenance!
Tips for Installing a Pea Gravel Patio
Use Landscape Fabric
Before pouring your pea gravel patio, be sure to lay down landscape fabric to prevent any weeds from popping up.
We were a little cheap when we installed ours and bought some fabric at the dollar store. BIG mistake. We had weeds all over that very year.
Be sure to invest in fabric that is thick and durable. You don’t have to remove all your grass before laying down fabric, but I’m sure it would help. In the area where we dug up all the sod beforehand, we seem to have less weeds.
Create a Tall Border
When we first installed this patio, we used pavers to outline the space. It worked well at first, but with time those pavers sunk down into the ground and the pea gravel began to spill out the sides of our patio.
This year, we decided to use some free field stone from a local farmer to replace our pavers and create a border that was a bit taller. I LOVE the way the stone looks, and while I’m sure it will sink over time as well, we can always add more stone layers to the existing border.
Pea Gravel Patio Tour
There is still so much more I’d like to do with this space. I am constantly looking for rustic containers to add for more plants. We have tomatoes and zucchini growing in containers this year which I am so excited about!
We have planted really low maintenance plants like catmint and hostas around the tree and near the curve of our patio, and they are looking so beautiful. We also have some different mint varieties growing which I love to incorporate into my cooking.
I usually like to have more hanging baskets on the patio in different containers, but I really struggled finding good ones locally this year!
For a touch of whimsy we added string lights to the tree branches above the patio and I love how they look, all lit up at night.
Our table was a DIY project, and while the bottom portion is all pressure treated wood, the top sadly is not. Just another example of us trying to save money and then paying for it in the long run! We will have to rebuild it in the next few years I’m sure.
I got the patio chairs from Walmart last year and I love their clean black lines. Unfortunately right now they are an in-store purchase only, but I linked them for you for reference!
One of my favorite views is when I’m standing near the redbud tree looking at our patio and shed. So much hard work has gone into this space and I am so filled with gratitude for all that the Lord has allowed us to accomplish!
We recently installed a hammock (we got it at our local hardware store but you can find a similar one, here) and it has been one of my favorite spots this summer!
If you are interested in learning more about our patio and some of the projects we have tackled, I rounded most of them up in a post earlier this week – 5 Thrifty Cottage Style Outdoor DIY Projects – if you’d like to check it out!
I hope you enjoyed this tour of our DIY Pea Gravel Patio! If you’re looking for more patio ideas, check out this awesome post shared by my friends Brittany and Deborah over at Vintage Society Company! So much inspiration over there!
And as always, if you have any questions about my gravel patio or if I missed anything, please let me know in the comments below!
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Lovely but the music is distracting.
So sorry about that! I will try to keep the volume down next time!
Hi Andrea,
I’m inspired by your setup and we are considering doing something similar in our yard. I’m just wondering how you ran the power to the lights in the tree. Did you hide an extension cord under the patio edging?
Best,
Ann
Hi Anne! Thank you so much!! We actually ran an extension cord through the window you see right off of the kitchen! I hope that helps! 🙂
It is beautiful! I don’t think you missed anything. The video is lovely! My husband and I made the same mistake and went without the landscape cover on one of our projects also. We hope not to do that again! I do so love the little walkthroughs you created in the fieldstone border. That was smart. With your new shed makeover, the patio area, the hammock, it’s just a dreamy area, perfect for making wonderful memories in the years ahead. Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas. It’s perfect!
Aww Sherry thank you so so much!! That was such a sweet comment to leave on my blog:) I hope you have a wonderful week, thank you so much for following along! 🙂
Very pretty! I am in the long process of replacing my very tired 25-year old deck. I made the decision to replace the small upper deck with composite decking, but the larger lower deck with a pea gravel area. I have gotten some opposition about the gravel, saying I’ll be decreasing the value of my home. But, the whole back of my yard is gardens with pea gravel walks, and I know I will love it as a patio too. I love pea gravel and I love the sound of walking on it. Seeing your patio convinces me that I’m making the right decision. Just a whole lot of work before I get to the point where you are.
Aww Cindy believe me I know exactly how you feel! Little by little, one step at a time. That’s all we can do. I’m so glad that my post reassured you! We really do love our patio space so much. You should do what you love, your opinion is what matters most! 🙂
LOVE your patio! Would you mind telling me how many inches deep your gravel is?
Thank you Michelle! I would say it’s about two inches in most areas 🙂
Hello. So lovely! How many bags of gravel did you use? Otherwise, how much gravel?
Hi Marilyn! We got ours from a local quarry and picked it up with my father in law’s truck. My husband thinks we used 4 to 5 yards. 🙂 I hope that helps!
Beautiful patio. Did you have to lay some sand or something under the pea gravel, or level the ground? Looking forward to doing this in my backyard.
Hello, thank you so much! We didn’t need to, but that would work. The biggest thing to make sure of is to lay fabric under the gravel to prevent weeds! I hope this helps!
I will have my new pea gravel patio finished by end of May. A large oak trees (with those skinny leaves) will shade most of that area and I’m concerned about fall leaves and the upkeep. You have a small tree that I’m sure loses leaves, as well. Do leaves get stuck in the pea gravel and if so, does a low speed blower take care of them without losing rock?
Hello! Your patio sounds beautiful! Yes, a leaf blower should work fine for you. We have never had major issues with the gravel shifting a lot, except for children playing with it. 🙂
Your answer was very helpful. My project has been delayed due to some personal issues and I may have to get someone to help me with it. I’m trying to estimate how much pea gravel I will need so was wondering since you used 5 yds and the gravel was approximately 2” deep, how many square feet would you say that covered? I know that is asking a lot but would be so helpful to me for figuring how much I’ll need.
I have not heard back so I ordered my pea gravel but it is too think for being able to push a wheel barrel or other working aids around. Any suggestions for using the pea gravel I will be removing, other than possibly along my fence line?
Hello! Your pea gravel patio turned out absolutely perfect! I am looking for pea gravel just about that same color. Can you share the name of the type you used? Thank you!
We just purchased it from a local quarry and that is the colors it came in, I would check around to see what options you have, but I would say most pea gravel will be very similar in color. I hope this helps!
I have a gravel patio area that was done a few years ago and weed popped thru probably because of cheap weed barrier. To redo the patio does the old rocks and weed barrier have to come up first and then put new barrier down and then pea gravel or can new barrier and pea gravel go over the old existing gravel
I have never redone one, but I would assume it would need to be removed and redone completely.
Andrea, your patio is beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Now I want a pea gravel patio too. How deep is the gravel? How did you keep the table and chairs from sinking into the gravel? How often do you use the leave blower?
Thank you so much, it’s not very deep, a few inches I’d say? just enough to evenly cover the weed barrier so not deep enough for the table or chairs to sink. And I don’t really have to use the leaf blower much at all! I hope this helps!
This post is inspiring me to design something similar in our backyard. What are those lovely purple flowers you have by the base of your tree called?
Thank you so much, and that is catmint 🙂
Hi! I love your patio! I am thinking of doing this under our walnut tree where we currently have a very broken and cracked concrete patio. My husband is concerned about how hard it will be to keep it clean with falling leaves and walnut shells. How has your patio held up after a few years?
It has held up very well! With four little boys, we use their help cleaning out leaves, etc. but for the most part in the summer months, it serves us very well!
Love! Did you use any type of adhesive when stacking the rocks around the border? Thanks!!
We did not, and thank you!