Patio Design Choices

Family Priorities and Topography

The size and style of your patio depends on how you plan to use it. It should be a comfortable, well-planned solution to your family's outdoor needs. If you entertain often, you'll want an area large enough for guests to comfortably converse, mingle and dine. If the patio is used only for occasional family barbecues or for relaxing and reading, it can be fairly small. A well-designed outdoor room features different areas that fulfill a variety of expectations. There can be cooking centers, meditative retreats and outdoor musical stages, often all at once. Listing your primary goals is the first step toward effective patio design planning.

A patio is placed directly on the ground, and the final design often depends on the shape of the terrain. To some extent, machines can alter land into a new topography. Of course, extensive site work will affect the cost of your outdoor renovation project-expect to pay several thousand dollars for site work that includes grading your land and adding retaining walls. Imaginative patio design often can solve problems, including uneven land or steep grades. Before you call in the bulldozers to carve flat areas into your backyard, be sure to consider other options that could be more cost-effective, such as creating a series of smaller, stepped patios or adding a deck that vaults over the landscape.