Sharing all the details of how to build an inexpensive & awesome DIY pea gravel patio for the backyard with easy DIY ideas tips & step by step instructions with before & after photos.
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Awesome DIY Pea Gravel Patio
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Why we Chose a DIY Pea Gravel Patio
We chose to install a DIY Pea Gravel patio because it’s inexpensive & easy to install.
It also matches the rest of the hardscaping for the exterior of our farmhouse like our flagstone and pea gravel walkway, our flagstone patio, our firepit gravel patio, & all the other walkways around our farmhouse.
The pea gravel will still allow for our mature Douglas Spruce trees to still get the moisture they need to continue to grow tall & strong & shade our backyard kitchen patio.
Size of our DIY Pea Gravel Patio
Our new stone patio is approximately 12 feet deep by 26 feet wide by 3-4 inches deep not counting the pea gravel walkway that meets up with our flagstone patio.
The Cost of our DIY Pea Gravel Patio
The cost of our pea gravel patio was less than $500 for the pea gravel delivery as well as the landscape fabric.
We already owned the large flagstone we used for the entrance & Belgium Block/ Cobblestone we used for the edging.
Pros & Cons of a DIY Pea Gravel Patio
The PROS of this new stone patio are the low cost & easy installation of creating a large patio of this size.
Also, that the mature trees can still get the rain water they need, no more groundhogs & rabbits living under our deck & the stone gravel patio matches the rest of the hardscaping on the exterior of our farmhouse.
The CONS of this DIY pea gravel patio are that Moose (our crazy labradoodle) doesn’t love walking on the stone & you really can’t walk on it comfortably in your bare feet.
The unknown factors of our new DIY pea gravel patio will be how hard it is to keep leaves & pine needles off of it to keep it looking new & clean looking.
Supplies & Tools Needed to Make a DIY Pea Gravel Patio
- Pea gravel (we used 3 1/2 yards of pea gravel stone for our pea gravel patio from our local stone yard)
- landscape fabric & pins
- wheel barrel
- level
- tamper
- metal shovel
- metal rake
- Belgium bock for edging
- 1 giant piece of flagstone for the entrance
- If Building steps for your DIY pea gravel patio you will need (Pressure treated timber beams, galvanized nails, hammer, composite wood boards & exterior screws)
Step by Step Instructions for How to Build a DIY Pea Gravel Patio
Step ONE – Demo & Clear out the Area to Build your Pea Gravel Patio
The first thing we did was take down our existing deck that was unfortunately installed incorrectly by a previous owner.
At first glance, our grey deck looked great but the composite boards were installed without spacing so whenever it rained the water would pool & run back towards our farmhouse… not good!
It was also installed on top of a non pressure treated deck which had rotted so completely you could put your hand right through it.
The was also a ton of trash & rocks under our former deck that needed to be removed as well.
As per usual, the kids were a HUGE help in taking down our previous deck!
For our favorite deck demo tips… see how we took down a previous deck on the other side of our farmhouse HERE.
Step TWO – Level out the Dirt
Next, we leveled out the dirt making sure to have the ground slightly higher against the house so the rain would run away from the farmhouse now using a shovel, rake, tamper & level.
We also took out many rocks & had to cut a few tree roots to give us a solid surface for our pea gravel patio to go on.
We also buried the downspout pipes under the DIY pea gravel patio before leveling the dirt so the water would come out in the garden under the tall Douglass spruce trees.
Step THREE – Place the Pea Gravel Patio Edging & Flagstone Entrance
We decided to use Belgium block or cobblestone to keep the pea gravel in the designated patio area & out of our backyard grass & garden beds.
We found this giant piece of flagstone buried in the dirt under the deck & decided to use it as the entrance for our pea gravel patio.
DIY Stairs Down to the DIY Pea Gravel Patio (as needed)
With taking down the previous deck, Jason needed to add steps from our kitchen sliding doors down to our new stone patio.
He made the steps out of pressure treated timber beams with the recycled grey composite boards from our previous deck for the steps.
I still need to power wash the composite boards & sand down the pressure treated timbers but the steps are doing their job getting us from the kitchen to our new DIY pea gravel patio.
Step FOUR – Lay Down the Landscape Fabric
I splurged on the expensive thick landscape fabric for under the pea gravel patio so we won’t have to worry about weeds coming up through our new DIY pea gravel patio.
I rolled it out making sure to leave a little extra along the edges of the pea gravel patio.
Step FIVE – Add the Pea Gravel
We added wheel barrel after wheel barrel load of pea gravel that had been dumped in our driveway.
It was hard work but everyone stepped in to help!
I used a sturdy metal rake to rake the pea gravel stones flat & level.
Thickness of the DIY Pea Gravel Patio
The pea gravel is at least 3-4 inches thick for the entire patio.
We moved our outdoor dining table & chairs back onto our new DIY pea gravel patio.
We are on the hunt for an outdoor round or square table for this outdoor space next since our current rectangular table & chairs are on their last legs but for now we are enjoying our new stone patio as often as we can!
This outdoor patio space is always shaded which is a huge blessing on hot days in the summer.
We are now ready for the new roof & siding that will be installed in the next few months (see how our new white siding looks HERE)
I hope this inspires you with MANY of gravel patio ideas & answers all your questions of how to build an easy & awesome DIY pea gravel patio at your home!
by Tara Lehman
If you are thinking about adding an easy DIY gravel patio to your backyard don’t forget to pin this to your favorite DIY Board on Pinterest!
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