Tips for Buildinhg an Attractive Backyard Patio

You can build your outdoor patio ,and there are many helpful online articles that will guide you through the process. Below we have culled some of the best patio building tips from the web. 

 Before you begin to build consider these professional design tips. 

1) Build an attractive patio that is stylistically harmonious with the style of your home. Avoid automatically building your patio in a square design; odd shaped and circular shaped patios are also attractive. Especially avoid laying down a big slab outside your back door. Ask yourself what you will be using the patio for and let this suggest your shape. For example, if you will be entertaining guests on your patio, remember that people at parties like to break off into small cozy groups and then move from group to group.  So build a patio that contains intimate nooks. Also don't merely build an extension to your house. Let your outdoor patio connect with your yard's natural beauty. Steps that lead down to your lawn or outdoor water feature invite guests to intimately commune with your backyard landscaping.  

   

2)   Build your patio on a part your yard where there are no buried electrical wires or tree roots that will disrupt the stonework. Make the grade level but with a small slope that will permit the groundwater to drain away from your home. Make the hole for your patio wider than the size of the planned stonework so you create an attractive border that will support the stones and keep them in place.

3)     Every type of patio stone has its pluses and minuses. Flagstone, for example, comes in a variety of colors. A flagstone patio has narrow packed joints that allow the water to percolate down to ground level instead of running off. The finish of a flagstone patio is durable, sip resistant, and long lasting. Pavers come in a variety of colors and can be either factory manufactured or home-cut. They are relatively easy to lay out and easy to repair (just replace one broken paver at a time). Paver patios cost a bit more at the start, but have a reduced maintenance cost.

4)   If you are going to build a concrete patio, you should add a seam every 10' x 10'. An unbroken stretch of concrete larger than 10' x 10' will buckle or crack over time, usually because of the swelling and contraction of the underlying earth. Clay soils, for example, absorbs water and expands after a rain and then contracts when the weather dries.

5)    If you will be cutting your own pavers, use a cold chisel or wet saw. N cutting the stone, wear an approved dust mask or respirator (if dry cutting pavers).

6)     Keep in mind that parts of your patio construction must conform to municipal regulations. If you will be building a lattice roof, for example, the rafters (cross boards that hold the actual covering in place) and beams (side boards the rafters rest on) must be greater than a certain minimal sixe size. Consult a local landscaping company if you have any questions about your local municipal restrictions.  

Resources: For the best outdoor and landscape masonry work in Westchester County and Putnam County, NY., call the Turf Barbers at 914 302 2469; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; http://www.theturfbarbers.com for the tops in back yard landscaping.