Garden Patio Design – How to Design a Patio
A patio is just one element of a garden design, but it is one of the most expensive parts of any garden build. Because the patio fulfills several different functions it needs to be given careful consideration. Here are a few pointers on how to design a patio. …
Location of the patio
Most patios are sited immediately adjacent to the rear exit from the house because it is convenient – this may not be the best location for your patio. The back of the house may be shaded all day and therefore not ideal if you wish to like to sit in the sun. Consider a small terrace to the rear of the house with another seating area somewhere else in the garden which gets more sun. When designing a garden it’s a good idea to include more than one patio. One patio can be sited so that it catches the last of the evening sun to provide a warm spot for an evening drink or meal. This makes the garden much more interesting and ensures that you are using more of the garden.
Intended use of the patio
Decide how you want to use the patio. Is the patio mainly for alfresco dining or sunbathing or relaxing with a book or all three? The intended use will dictate the size and location of the patio. A patio mainly for dining is best placed where there is some shade so that diners can keep cool on warmer days and seek the sun when the weather is cooler. A patio intended mainly for sunbathing needs to be in a spot where it’s sunny all day. If you want young children to safely use the patio, it needs to be somewhere you can see them from the house.
The capacity of the patio
The patio needs to be large enough to accommodate the correct size of the table with room for chairs to be pulled out and for people to move around easily when others are seated. A guide is to allow 1m width for the table, 500mm width on either side of the table for each chair when not pushed under the table, 300mm between chairs down the side of the table, and 700mm width to pull each chair out and sit down comfortably.
Including built-in seating
Patio designs incorporating built-in seating with pergolas and outdoor fireplaces look very chic and transform the patio into an outdoor room. It is also a great way to make use of all available space in a very small garden. This solution is convenient if you don’t want to shuffle around with garden furniture. However, the position of the seating is fixed and restricts how you can use the patio. Space is less flexible as seating cannot be varied to turn a dining area into a lounging area.
Creating privacy
If the patio is overlooked the patio design will need to include screening. Walls, hedges, pergolas, and fences can be included in the patio design to provide a sense of enclosure and privacy. When building a wall around a patio it is a great idea to include a window through to other garden areas so that the patio doesn’t end up feeling too claustrophobic. Windows in dividing walls create an interesting glimpse of the rest of the garden without compromising privacy.
The choice of screening will depend on the available budget. Walls are expensive to build, wooden screens with posts and trellis panels are much cheaper. Planting a hedge is usually the cheapest option, but may take a while to grow in unless you can afford large plants or an instant hedge.
Decide on the budget
Installing a patio is expensive but it is worth spending as much as you can afford as the patio is such an important part of the garden. The garden should be viewed as an outdoor room and if you are prepared to spend a little extra on getting it right it will be useable for most of the year. Allow around £120 per square meter as an all-in cost to get a contractor to lay your patio.
Choosing the surface material
The most common surface for a patio is paving slabs. There are many different types of paving slab with a wide range of price tags.
Steer clear of concrete slabs – they are often more expensive than natural stone, will fade over time, and always end up looking fake. Indian Sandstone has dominated the paving slab market for years as it is cheap, natural, widely available, and looks good. Cheaper Indian Sandstone is not always the bargain it appears as it is thinner, or poorer quality and more porous causing leaching of the minerals in the mortar onto the top surface of the stone. There are some inexpensive granite slabs currently available that make a wonderful surface only slightly more expensive than Indian Sandstone. The more expensive options are Travertine, York stone, Basalt, and Marble.
Polished concrete makes a wonderful contemporary surface for the patio. Resin-bound gravel is not only great for driveways but makes an excellent contribution to the patio paving when combined with other materials for textural contrast.
Get the best quality stone you can afford then the patio will last longer and stay looking good for many years.
A patio should never be designed in isolation without considering the rest of the garden. A well-designed garden where all the elements are in scale with each other and the house will connect the house and garden. A balanced design that includes a patio or multiple patios will give the garden coherence and ensure that it is a pleasant, comfortable space in which to spend time.
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