Mexican Swirl flagstone patio with a white chopped-block limestone border and fresh Bermuda sod

Project · Villages of Westcreek · Far West San Antonio

A Backyard Play Space: Mexican Swirl Flagstone Patio & Bermuda Sod

A backyard that was mostly bare dirt, turned into a clean flagstone patio by the hot tub and a Bermuda lawn for the kids, plus fresh St. Augustine sod out front.

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Veteran-ownedMilitary discipline on every job

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Free estimatesWritten quote after we see your yard

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Built to lastProper base prep, edging and grading

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Clean job sitesCleaned up daily, gates closed

At a glance

  • Area: Villages of Westcreek, Far West San Antonio
  • Services: flagstone patio, limestone border, sod installation
  • Time on site: 6 days total for the backyard flagstone patio and sod (the sod itself took 2 days)
  • Materials: Mexican Swirl flagstone, white chopped-block limestone border, about 1 pallet of Bermuda sod (backyard), 2 pallets of St. Augustine sod (front yard)

The goal

The backyard was the main priority. The family has young children who didn’t really have a proper space to play, and most of the yard was bare dirt.

They wanted a clean area for chairs by the hot tub, and the rest of the yard filled in with Bermuda grass. The front yard got new St. Augustine sod as part of the same job.

Before & after

From bare dirt to a patio and lawn.

Before: backyard mostly bare dirt and weeds beside the hot tub
Before: mostly bare dirt by the hot tub
Backyard with fresh Bermuda sod and a flagstone patio with a limestone border
After: Bermuda sod and a flagstone patio
Bare dirt backyard where the new patio and lawn would go
Before: bare dirt where the patio and lawn would go

What we installed

  • Mexican Swirl flagstone patio: a clean area for chairs next to the hot tub, with flagstone wrapping around the existing concrete patio and running along the beds
  • White chopped-block limestone border around the flagstone, set on a mortar bed with rebar for added stability
  • Bermuda sod: about one pallet to fill in the backyard
  • St. Augustine sod: two pallets for the front yard

How we built it

  1. Excavate: we excavated four inches.
  2. Border footing: we dug a trench for the border and built a mortar bed with rebar for added stability.
  3. Limestone border: we set a white chopped-block limestone border around the flagstone area.
  4. Fix the slope: the yard had too much slope, so we raised the flagstone base a few inches and compacted the area well.
  5. Flagstone patio: we laid Mexican Swirl flagstone by the hot tub for a clean spot for chairs, wrapping it around the existing concrete patio and along the beds.
  6. Bermuda sod: we filled the rest of the backyard with about one pallet of Bermuda grass.
  7. Front yard: we laid two pallets of St. Augustine sod out front.

Step by step

Base material going down for the new patio beside the hot tub
1. Base material going down beside the hot tub
Patio base spread with the curved border line formed around it
2. Base spread and the border trench with its mortar bed
White chopped-block limestone border set around the patio base
3. White chopped-block limestone border set
Mexican Swirl flagstone being laid next to the existing concrete patio
4. Mexican Swirl flagstone going down beside the existing concrete patio
Mexican Swirl flagstone laid inside the limestone border
5. Flagstone laid inside the limestone border
Flagstone patio with its limestone border, before the sod went down
6. The patio before the sod went down

The finished backyard

Mexican Swirl flagstone patio with a white chopped-block limestone border and fresh Bermuda sod
Flagstone patio, limestone border and fresh Bermuda sod
Fresh Bermuda sod around the flagstone patio in the evening
Fresh Bermuda sod around the patio
Curved flagstone patio edged with white chopped-block limestone
The curved limestone border
Mexican Swirl flagstone wrapping the existing concrete patio
Our flagstone wrapping around the existing concrete patio

Front yard: St. Augustine sod

Front yard with fresh St. Augustine sod
Front yard: fresh St. Augustine sod

How the neighbor’s walkway started

While we were working on this backyard, the next-door neighbor came out, liked what she saw and asked us for a quote. That became her mortared flagstone walkway.

What our customers say

Read what San Antonio-area homeowners say about working with RedMill.

Bare dirt in the backyard? Let’s give the kids a place to play.

Tell us what you have in mind. We’ll come out, look at the space and give you a free written estimate.