If you like to collect old stuff, such as salvage yard finds, you  might want to use your imagination and use recycled materials to build a unique, creative custom patio to replace a boring square brick patio. Landscape designer Diane Bloom devised a plan for a curved patio using some recycled materials.

A professional would charge about $6,000. to design and install a recycled patio, but a do-it-yourselfer can design their own patio and install it for about $700, assuming that they already have some recyclable materials on hand. The project can be completed in three weekends, with the help of friends for the concrete work.

Bloom designed a patio that reused some of the existing bricks, incorporated several wrought-iron treasures, and added colorful Three Rivers and Arizona flagstones and river rocks for an electic mix of materials, colors and textures. She curved the patio boundary to soften the landscape and grouped the wrought-iron artifacts for balance and visual impact.

Here are the steps to completion:

1. Preparing the site

2. Building the concrete form

3.Pouring the concrete

4. Placing the recycled objects

Bloom rates this project a 3 on a difficulty scale of 1(easy) to 5 (difficult).

Check out www.hgtv.com to view a video on Landscape Smart: Episode LDS-506

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