How to Formulate your Patio (2024)

FAQs

How to Formulate your Patio? ›

First, ensure privacy by choosing an area alongside your house or fence. Adding a trellis for a more secluded feel is a good outdoor patio idea. Then furnish the patio space with chairs and a table with an umbrella. Consider a bistro table set if you're working with limited square footage.

First, ensure privacy by choosing an area alongside your house or fence. Adding a trellis for a more secluded feel is a good outdoor patio idea. Then furnish the patio space with chairs and a table with an umbrella. Consider a bistro table set if you're working with limited square footage.

Bricks and concrete pavers are the easiest patio materials to use because they have a uniform shape and create a relatively flat surface. That's helpful if you want to roll a grill across it, put down a mat to do Pilates or wear high heels while hosting a dinner party.

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The Shape of Your Patio

A rectangle shape made of cut flagstone, brick or paving stones will lend a formal, symmetrical look to your home while a curvaceous circular shape will give it a more casual feel.

The first paving, called the 'key slab', is the most important one you lay. It provides a guide for the others, so it needs to be positioned correctly and sit level. The best starting position is the corner at the highest point of the patio.

If you are planning on laying paving in your garden, driveway or patio, then you will need to create a sub-base. This is a layer of material that sits underneath the paving and provides a stable foundation. You will need to dig out an area that is slightly larger than the paving you are going to lay.

Gravel is, on average, the cheapest material for a patio and requires the least time to install.

What is the cheapest type of patio to build? ›

Gravel is the cheapest option when looking to create a patio on a budget. Otherwise, pebbles or reclaimed materials are also good options. If you're set on laying paving slabs, concrete is one of the cheapest materials, and when installed and maintained correctly, it can hold up well and last for years.

Can I do it myself, and if so how? DIY guru, Jo Behari, says: A patio is relatively simple to lay and the materials are available at hardware stores. First, dig out any turf or plants down to about 10-15cm to form the foundations. Then put down a layer of 'hardcore', which is broken bits of rubble and brick.

In general, a small to medium-sized patio can take anywhere from a few days to a week or two to complete, while larger or more complex patios may take several weeks or even months to finish.

Foundations are a key element in ensuring the solidity of your patio, balcony or terrace.

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Most patios will rely on the slope or 'fall' to carry away water. This helps prevent issues with water build up on your patio. Changing the gradient between the patio and drainage pipe can make sure water travels in the preferred direction.

Typically, however, a patio is about one third the size of the house – larger perhaps than any room in the home. A 1,500 square foot house, for example might sport a 500 square foot patio, one perhaps measuring 20 by 25 feet.

As a general rule, having a patio sub-base depth of 100mm is considered to be a good standard layer. Some may say that you can get away with a slightly thinner layer if you're installing a light patio, but we'd always recommend going for 100mm to create a sturdier foundation.