Patio Designs - Tips For Creative Patios

Patio designs involve many different elements to think about. One of the most important is to decide how large or small you need your patio to be.

Would you like some areas for relaxing in your backyard with some nice lounge chairs? These answers will help determine your patio size.

We used dry laid, patterned bluestone for this lovely patio. The bluestone color is "full range", which looks great on many patio designs.

To see a video of this project and learn more about it, visit my other page Patio Ideas.

Other considerations for patio designs are seat walls, raised terraces, and what paving material you will use. Perhaps you had more of a deck in mind. See Deck Ideas.

You can read about paving costs. How much are pavers? What can you expect to pay for concrete? What about travertine pavers?

Are you re-doing or your driveway or installing a new one? This is a very extensive page with tons of design and driveway paving advice.

Is a new swimming pool in your thoughts? Take a look at some of my pictures of swimming pools.

See some of my creative 3D designs or learn about my online landscape design services.

And don't forget about lighting your patio for night time use!
Visit Outdoor Patio Lights


Shapes and Sizes of Patio Designs

Patio designs can be created to look very naturalistic with beautiful curves. The curves should be large and sweeping. They should also be of a specific radius. This means that the portion of the patio design that is the curve should be radiated out a specific distant from a central point.

This not only creates a nice design, but also helps determine the points of the curve when the patio gets installed. Whether installing a patio yourself or having it done by a landscape contractor, use specific dimensions to get the design right. Patio designs can also be geometric comprised of straight lines. These often meet at 90 degree angles. However, depending on the design, 45 degree angles may be used also.

Other types of patio designs combine both curves and straight lines. The Grecian style comes to mind. This is formal, but the use of various line types creates interest.

You can see more pictures of this project (picture to right) such as the pond and waterfalls at the patio and read more about the design.

Note: The patio depth for a 60" round table and chairs should be close to 15', while the depth for chaise lounges should be 10'. These are minimums...you can always go larger.

Visit my page with lots of great information about hiring paver contractors.

Seat Walls and Patio Designs

An interesting feature to add is a seat wall. Seat walls are both functional and artistic, adding an architectural element to patio designs.

Seat walls offer additional seating and foster conversation. Whether the patio is curved, straight, or a combination, patio seat walls are a wonderful addition. I often like to place large, beautiful boulders at the seat wall ends. They provide an organic shape and different texture.

Try to design two shorter seat walls at right angles, rather than one long one. It is more comfortable for a few people to sit and chat in this format.

Seat walls should can range in height from 18" to 24". I usually choose the middle, which would be 21" high. Please visit my page on stone garden walls for more information on using stone for seat walls.

Do you need shade on your patio? You might consider using outdoor awnings, which will create instant shade and protect you from the rain. How does 20 degrees cooler sound?!

Raised Terraces

Raised terraces help provide a gradual transition to ground level when there is a significant change in elevation from the house to existing grade. These elevated patios have walls, and steps are often required. The height of the raised patio brings me to the concern for safety. If it's too high, it could be dangerous.

To eliminate the need for railings, here is what to do.

Add a planting bed at the edge of the patio. The bed should be at least two feet wide, to accommodate substantial plantings. In addition to the two feet of depth, you will have the depth of the outer wall which should be twelve to eighteen inches thick. The patio planting bed serves as both a physical and mental barrier at the edge.

Design landscape steps off the patio to be at least 4' wide. The wider they are, the more dramatic. Learn more about landscape steps on this other page.

Paving Materials

There are so many paving materials to choose from. The main choices for patio designs are concrete, stamped concrete, concrete pavers, brick, travertine (yes!), bluestone and other natural stones. They all have advantages, but I do like some more than others. For paving cost comparisons, please visit my page on paving costs.

Concrete

Instead of just letting the mason pour it, you can actually create a geometric design. Create squares of 18" - 24" by "scoring" the pattern.

The design can be set parallel to the house, or it can be set on the diagonal, which can be very interesting. There is the possibility of concrete cracking, but hopefully if it is done accurately, this won't happen. In addition, you can tint the concrete by adding color to it. The best way to do this is by adding the color directly to the concrete mix.

Read more about concrete patios:
Concrete Patio Pictures - pictures and comments
Concrete Patio Designs - helpful information

Stamped Concrete

I don't like the straight lines running through a natural stone look. However, if you choose a geometric pattern, there is less chance of the design being compromised.

Take a look at my page on stampled concrete driveways to see some attractive designs.

Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers are a man made product, produced from concrete. There are many colors and patterns available today for exciting ideas. Tumbled pavers are very popular and give a stone-like appearance.

Paver Patios - pictures, comments and ideas
Patio Paver Extras - see what you can do for that WOW factor
Pavers - paver colors, patterns, shapes, etc.
Contractors - how to hire a contractor!
Paver Suppliers - recommended companies and specific pavers
Paver Installation - learn how to install pavers (with a helpful picture)

Travertine Pavers

Travertine pavers are a natural stone material. These stone pavers are cut to specific sizes. They come in many different beautiful colors and patterns.

The wonderful thing about travertine pavers is that they are cool to the touch and therefore they are a great choice for pool paving.They are dry laid which makes for an easy installation. They resist freeze-thaw conditions too. This is such a wonderful paving material.

For professional advice and pictures, visit:
Travertine Pictures - pictures and comments
Travertine Pavers - pictures and detailed information
Travertine Types - how to know high quality

Also, visit my page, with pictures,on Other Natural Stone you can use such as Idaho Quartz, Crab Orchard stone and Arizona flagstone.

Bluestone

I am partial to bluestone patios! Bluestone is a natural material and will always have character. There are various shapes that you can use along with different color ranges.

Bluestone is a great material for patio designs.

Dry laying it is less expensive than setting it in concrete...and just as nice.

Read more about this paving material:
Bluestone Patios - photos of different blue stone patios (designs, straight, natural, dry laid, wet laid)
Bluestone - some must know information
Bluestone Steps - see some projects I designed using different types of bluestone steps...get ideas.

Landscaping Brick

I appreciate landscaping brick for the fact that it is a natural material like travertine and bluestone. It is made from clay and then fired in a kiln. (Tumbled pavers are made from concrete.)

Depending on the specific clay used, different colored brick will be produced. When looking at brick, you may also notice that there are different finishes also. Some brick pavers are very smooth, while others have a more textured appearance.

Brick manufacturers have numerous ways of producing these various effects. In addition, you can even buy old brick. Today there are bricks available that are extremely strong and will have great longevity. One style I have used and like is Pine Hall Brick - Rumbled Free Range. It has a somewhat old look and pretty color ranges. I have written more about specific brick patterns and also shown some brick patio photos for ideas.

Landscaping brick can be either dry laid or wet laid. But what about laying brick over existing concrete? If you have an existing concrete slab, and question whether brick can be laid over this, the answer is yes.

However, you must make sure that this existing foundation is in good condition. Existing cracks and other defects should be repaired. This is easier said than done, and personally I would only consider laying brick over existing concrete if it was in excellent condition.



Brick Patio Designs and Walkway

The above photograph shows a brick walkway design in a herringbone pattern leading to a small patio landing.



Eye-Catching Design Elements

There are wonderful features that can be added to patio designs to make them interesting.

• Outdoor Pergola - A garden pergola can add a beautiful architectural feature and focal point to your landscape design. It can also create a shady, outdoor room. Go here to read more about the outdoor pergola.
• Outdoor Kitchen Island - By adding an outdoor kitchen to your design, you will be sure to create an area that is very social. Please visit my page on outdoor kitchen island.
• Outdoor Gazebo - If your patio is large enough, you might include an outdoor gazebo for interest and also for shade.
• Hot Tubs - patios are a good location for hot tubs since they are then close to the house for winter use. Go here to read more about hot tubs.
• Patio Fire Pits - Fire pits are a great addition to a the outdoors. Please visit my page on patio fire pits.
• Ponds - ponds can actually be designed as part of patio designs, where one edge of the patio is the water. The pond can have either a waterfall, or a small fountain in the center. Learn more by visiting my page on water features.
• Garden Ornaments - there are many different types made from various materials.
• Large Urns - these can either stand alone or can be set on a pedestal.
• Bird Feeders - set a wild bird feeder a short distance from the patio. Ahh, sitting by the water and watching the birds! You might enjoy thistle feeders to attract Goldfinch.

• Outdoor Garden Benches - these can be an integral part of patio designs.
• Adirondack Chairs- casual chairs for relaxing. You might consider some teak outdoor furniture, which I have written about or wicker outdoor furniture.

For some great information on backyard landscaping, please visit Backyard Landscaping Ideas.

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Questions About Patio Design or Materials?

Do you have a question about your patio design or a situation that you would like some help with? Whether it be confusion on pavers, bluestone, concrete, other materials or if you just need general guidance, just ask me! I only ask that questions be design related...thanks!

I decided to create this section due to the many questions people have regarding patio designs and materials.

The idea is - Ask one, or Answer one!

You may ask a question yourself, comment on or answer questions of others, and rate comments too. All helpful comments will be greatly appreciated!

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

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