Designing your patio? Here are seven key things you should consider to keep your project on track.
If you’ve ever worked on your garden before, you’ll know planning is key. Designing your patio area is no different. Planning is essential, giving you a better understanding of timeframes and budget. It enables you to see the individual steps you need to get your project moving. It also gives you smaller goals to work towards.
So before you start building, here are seven things to consider when designing your patio.
1. Placement
Where are you going to build your patio? Usually it’s positioned close to the house where it’s convenient for stepping out onto on a summer evening. Such a location is good, as it can be used after rain without having to cross wet or muddy grass. It can also be a good venue for a summer supper or a glass of wine.
Another consideration is sunshine and shade. Too much of either could make a patio less usable, so try to strike the right balance. Consider the position of the sun in the sky at the times you’re most likely to use it.
2. Design essentials
Once you’ve established the position, consider the practical aspects of building a patio there.
If it’s going to be raised, be aware of safety implications, particularly if you’re expecting to have cocktails flowing. Be sure to have good lighting if you wish to use it after dark, but not so bright it causes a nuisance to your neighbours.
Most of all think about drainage, particularly if your garden is prone to water accumulation. There’s little point building a patio if it ends up becoming a soakaway every time it rains.
3. How are you going to use your patio?
When designing your patio, a great tip is to keep its intended purpose in mind.
Is it a nice sun-trap for two people to share a drink or a larger area for parties and groups? If the latter purpose is intended, it pays to allow for easy overspill onto adjoining lawns. If the patio is intended for barbecues, be sure to consider where the smoke might blow.
4. Privacy
When building a patio, privacy can be a major area of concern. You’ll want it, as far as possible, to be screened from public places and neighbours’ windows. Even if you’re happy with your present neighbours seeing what you’re doing, what happens if they move?
It’s not just your privacy either; theirs is important too, so don’t build a patio in a position that overlooks anybody else’s property in such a way as to deny them privacy. Doing so could be a source of tension.
5. Materials
This is probably the most important consideration when designing your patio area.
Today’s patio builder has a dizzying range of paving to choose from. Whether you want a natural look that creates natural stone paving or something more contemporary, local suppliers provide a cost-effective solution.
Local suppliers offer another advantage: often there’s nothing better than finely cut and shaped local stone in keeping with your garden’s natural environment.
With our durable and aesthetically pleasing paving products, you can create a pathway that complements your garden perfectly.
6. Shape and design
Patios come in a range of different shapes and sizes; much depends on the materials you’ve chosen to use.
Once upon a time, angular arrangement of slabs was pretty much all you saw, but nowadays long curves and variation of levels are ever more popular. Our range of Patio Features Kits is a simple way to create the look you would like for your garden. Your imagination’s the limit, so think carefully and decide on a shape and design you love before you get started.
7. Decoration
Lastly, furnishing your patio is something to enjoy. Bring personality to your patio with a few choice items and make it really stand out.
Whether you want a simple table and chairs or a pergola, through to pot plants and patio heaters, think about where you want to put them and design them in from the beginning. This will help you to plan your purchases and keep a tighter grasp of your budget.
Now you’ve designed and planned your patio, learn how to lay patio using our free step-by-step guide.
Minster Paving is an independent paving stone supplier offering a wide range of stone paving, patio kits, garden ornaments, and related products to customers in and around the Oxfordshire area. With over 35 years of experience in this area, we’re able to help every one of our customers love their gardens and be more proud of their homes.
