The Ultimate Guide To An Extraordinary Patio – Part 1

There Are Basic Principles To Creating An Extraordinary Patio

This is a two part blog post. The first part will focus on material selection and design. The second part will focus on patio features you can select to make your patio extraordinary.

At Allentuck Landscaping Co, we view patios as an extension of your home, your outdoor family room, so to speak. A place to spend quality time with family and friends, or just decompress from a long work week. You have probably gone to great lengths to make you indoor family room special. Why not do the same with your patio? Allentuck Landscaping Co. has the talent and experience to make your patio just right for you.

Let’s start with the basics.

How Large Should Your Patio Be?

Depends. Will you be entertaining a lot of people or simply dining outside with your family. If you are like most people, the chances are good that you will be doing some of both. The trick here is to have enough room for those large gatherings while still having an intimate space so your smaller get togethers will not feel lost in a huge space.

This is where compartmentalization comes in. It is possible to create a smaller spaces, or rooms, in a large space simply by having separation by using planters, furniture, different levels or even by utilizing the shape of the patio.

Discuss with our designer all the ways you foresee using your patio in the future. These purposes will dictate how large to make your patio and how to plan for different spaces.

What Shape Should I Make My Patio?

The shape of a patio can be dictated by a lot of different factors; architectural style of the house, shape of the rear yard, potential uses of the patio and individual taste of the owners to name a few.

The more formal the architecture of the house, the more formal the patio will be. This mean the shape will usually come down to the basic shapes of squares, rectangles and circles, or some combination of them. This is also true in a small back yard where there is not a lot of room to build free flowing curves and arcs.

In a less formal or larger property, one can design a patio with sweeping serpentine lines or even irregular boundaries if that is desired.

In the end, there really is no correct answer. What is important is that the patio reflects your taste and lifestyle. You are the person that is going to be spending the most time in it and you need to be comfortable in it.

What Patio Material Is Right For Your Patio?

When planning to build a new patio, most people consider flagstone or brick pavers. Both are great options.

The most popular kind of flagstone used in our area is Pennsylvania Flagstone. It is the natural gray flagstone most people are familiar with. It is available in both regular style, which is different sized squares and rectangles, and

irregular style, which is free form shaped. Choosing between them is a lot like the question regarding the shape of your patio; formal or informal. It is also possible to use both in different parts of your patio, which could create the different purposed areas we discussed earlier.

Construction methods also vary with flagstone.  There are two methods; mortaring flagstone onto concrete or setting flagstone on a gravel stonedust bed. Again, the decision comes down to which level of formality you want for your patio and the size of your budget. Setting flagstone on concrete is the more expensive option.

Brick pavers have come a long way in the last few years in terms of the colors and shapes that are now available.  It is possible to combine two or three colors and/or shapes in one project to make it uniquely yours. There are far too many options to even mention in this blog post. See our Patio and Walkway Selection Page (linked below) to view options that are available.

Brick pavers are most often set on a sand and aggregate base.

To see different flagstone and brick paver options, please visit our Patio and Walkway Selection Page.

To see patio projects that Allentuck Landscaping Co. has design and built, please visit our Gallery.

In our next blog post, we will go into some of the features you can add to your patio to take it from great to extraordinary.

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Remember, Allentuck Landscaping Co. is always here to help you design, install, construct and maintain you lawn and landscape. Give us a call!