Hillside Patios: Birdcage, an eclectic fusion restaurant in Studio City, features a colorful mural of fishes, not birds, in its front patio-main dining room.
Birdcage replaces Salut in an unusual arrangement of one small building that houses the kitchen plus a series of hillside patios. This pleasant, full-service dining area had no Roof during two evening visits - consequently, heaters were needed (and provided) as the temperature dropped from cool to cold.
Paving can be used for both paths and patios; the method used is much the same.
FIRST MAKE the foundations as described earlier. Paving blocks can be laid on a sand bed without mortar where there is likely to be minimal pedestrian use. The bed should be about 2in thick: you will need to buy 1.7 cu ft of sand for every 215 sq ft of path. Where patios and paths will receive a lot of heavy traffic, lay the blocks on mortar dabs.
Patios and large areas of paving which will receive heavy traffic should always be set on a compacted rubble and sand foundation. Lay a 4in layer of rubble topped with a 2in layer of sand.
It is essential that you set out the base correctly to ensure the surface has a firm, flat foundation that will not collapse. Use stringlines and pegs to mark the perimeter of the patio. Most patios adjoin the house and it is important that they are constructed so that the level is not higher than the damp-proof course (DPC) of the house walls.
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