How to Build Walks, Walls & Patio Floors (Paperback)

by Steve Cory (Author) "Masonry structures are almost magical in their ability to lend both solidity and charm to a landscape at the same time..." (more)
Key Phrases: temporary screed guide, masonry brush, compactible gravel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
With the newest edition of Sunset's bestselling Walks, Walls & Patio Floors, homeowners learn a lot more than how to pour a perfect concrete slab (though they learn the best way to do that, too.) Following clear instructions and step-by-step photography, they learn how to plan, design, and build their own outdoor paradise.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sunset Publishing Corporation; 5 edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0376017082
• ISBN-13: 978-0376017086
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #533,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very useful for anyone., April 26, 2004

By A Customer

I recently purchased this book, along with several others, to help me with a backyard landscaping project involving a flagstone patio, walkways, and low retaining walls. I found this to be the least useful of the lot. It is neither a good how-to book nor a source of inspiration and ideas. It covers far too many different techniques, from stepping stones to pavers to bricks to concrete to flagstones, all of them at a fairly superficial level. It had very little on using flagstones, which is primarily what I wanted information on. Furthermore, some of the excavating and edging techniques recommended seemed at odds with what I had read elsewhere.

The book had some pictures of completed projects, but they were for the most part pedestrian and had little or no explanation of the design principles demonstrated in them. For a more comprehensive look at the topic, I would suggest "Start-to Finish Patios" from Ortho Books. It is much longer and covers both ideas and suggestions and building techniques much more comprehensively. It even goes into lighting and pergolas.