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Outdoor Garden Labyrinth Dean and Derek embark on a quest for their own inner peace as they create a garden labyrinth made of stone pavers. Check out more DIY projects from Rock Solid From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-408

	Dean and Derek assemble the labyrinth from stone pavers.
	A template that comes with the labyrinth kit helps simplify the stone layout, including the more complex portions known as the "turnarounds."

Outdoor labyrinths — a modern take on an archaic theme — have enjoyed a recent surge in popularity. Viewed by many as an aid to meditation and a relaxed mental state, these ornate and intricate mazes make for a distinctive outdoor or garden feature.

In this Rock Solid project, Dean and Derek go in search of inner tranquility as they create a stone labyrinth in a historic church garden.

Using a custom designed kit that includes pavers, detailed instructions and layout tools, our intrepid stonemasons piece together a traditional pathway that winds its way from the labyrinth's outer edge into its center, and then back out. It's a journey meant to quiet the mind and calm the spirit. What's more, with this easy installation, creating this labyrinth is itself anxiety free.

Below is a summary of the steps as seen in this project, as well as a list of materials and tools used.

Materials:

labyrinth kit, including template and pavers
gravel pack
concrete sand
polymeric sand
landscape fabric
snap edging
wood/metal stakes
nylon string (for string lines)
wooden planks (to place across sand base)
12-inch landscaping spikes
tarp
marking paint

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Tools:

wet saw
compactor
front loader (for large projects)
100-ft. tape measure
standard tape measure
laser level
transit level
shovel
iron rake
utility knife
utility snips (to cut snap edging)
screed board
2"x4" (for extra-long screed board)
rubber mallet
garden hose; water source
marker
broom
face mask
earplugs
safety goggles

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Prepping the Labyrinth Base: Marking out the Labyrinth

The first step in constructing a circular labyrinth is to mark out its dimensions. Place a stake to mark your labyrinth's center point. Use a long tape measure (Dean and Derek use a 100-footer) to measure out the radius of the labyrinth, then circle the stake at the same distance to mark the labyrinth's diameter. Dean and Derek established a radius of 14 feet, 10 inches. They mark that length all the way around the center point using marking spray (figure A).

Excavation

Excavate the labyrinth's base. If you have a large project on your hands, it's best to use a front-end loader for digging (figure B). (Or hire an excavation company to do the work for you.) Since a front-end loader is not great at cutting curves, you should use a shovel to pre-cut the curves into the turf. Then the loader can lift up the turf and carry it away.

The next step is to prepare the base. You should dig your base between six and eight inches deep. Dean and Derek dig down 8 inches for their base because their labyrinth is going to be in a high traffic area.

Next, use a compactor to compact the base. Compacting will create an even foundation for the pavers (figure C).

Once the base is compacted, lay down landscaping fabric over it. The fabric will help stabilize the soil, and keep any roots from growing up through the pavers. As you work, secure the fabric with gravel so it doesn't fly away. Remember to overlap your fabric layers by a few inches. And use a sharp utility knife to cut the edges, because you're dealing with a tough fabric.

Figure D

Gravel Pack

Once the fabric is laid out, you can bring in the gravel pack. Since Dean and Derek excavated down eight inches instead of six, they bring in two separate layers of two inches, and compact each (figure D).

Before compacting the top layer of gravel, it's very important to make sure that your base is level. Rather than use strings to keep track of the level (which would quickly resemble a spider web,) Dean and Derek recommend you use a transit level.

Crowning the Base

After spreading the gravel, your next important step is to crown the base. "Crowning" means to create an artificial pitch for water runoff in the center of your area. To do so, you want to use the transit to create a mound in the center that is about half an inch higher than the outer mounds. This will be your crown, about 2-1/2 inches below grade. Then spread the gravel so that it "crowns" at the extra half inch in the middle.

Once the gravel pack is in, you can compact it with the compactor.

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