Backyard Patios
An Inviting Backyard Design

There is a large variety of paving materials that can be used for backyard patios. One of my favorites is bluestone.




As mentioned on some of my other pages, bluestone can be set in sand (dry laid) or set in mortar. I prefer dry laid because it is less expensive and there will be no cracks from concrete in the joints.

This project shows how nice this type of paving material and installation can be.

A bluestone walkway that matches the patio was designed and leads from the front yard to the rear.The property has hardly any slope to it so you would think that water drainage would not be an issue. On the contrary. A well thought out drainage pattern and system was devised to assure no standing water in the area.

A retaining wall of natural stone (also dry laid) was designed and installed towards the side of the property. It ends with a boulder, instead of stepping down to grade. Gardens were created on either side of the walkway.



The walkway leads directly to the spacious, outdoor patio. The patio can be accessed by the French doors.

Due to the change in elevation from the house to the ground, a comfortably sized porch was designed to create a comfortable area to step down to.

We've included a small seat wall, both for extra seating and to add more interest.





In this photo, you can clearly see the porch that was created. It is wide and comfortable to step out onto. The entire porch and the steps are bluestone.

The risers are made of natural stone. Notice how the treads of the steps are in a few pieces. This can also be done in one large bluestone piece, but done this way adds on to the cost.





This is a front view of the patio seatwall. You can also see the bluestone pattern and colors. This bluestone color choice is known as full range.

Another color choice that I like is called all blue, where the stone are all the same blue color without and tans or other colors.

The stones are set fairly close together and are sand swept.







The patio shape is relatively square, but the one curve is added in for some fun and creativity. There is a nice lawn area which backs up to the woods.










The wood edge was planted with some evergreen trees to create privacy. Flowering evergreen shrubs were added also for winter interest and color.

The wooded area was mulched for about ten feet into the woods which neatens the wooded area closest to the lawn.




There are other paving materials that could have been used for backyard patios such as this, as long as they blend well withthe house. Tumbled pavers, landscaping brick or even travertine pavers would have worked well also.

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