Create a Great Patio from the Ground Up

If your back yard looks barren as the Mojave Desert and even the dog shudders at the thought of venturing into that vast wilderness, tame that wild frontier. Build a patio that will become the family?s favorite place.

A few design fundamentals

As you develop your total patio design, remember that consistency and continuity count. When you look out on your patio, you should feel that it ?brings the outdoors in?; when you look into your home from the patio, you should feel it ?brings the indoors out.? A southwest style patio just will not go with a cute and cozy Cape Cod. Of course, your patio will look a little more rustic than the rest of your d?cor, but you should do your best to maintain your color scheme and prevailing style. As you build, furnish and accessorize, focus on durability and possibilities for using your patio year-round. After all, your back yard looks just as beautiful under a blanket of snow as it looks in full summer foliage. Therefore, work with weatherproof materials, and protect your work against the elements.

Regardless of your design and style, you absolutely must devote painstaking attention to?

Groundwork: Go with worry-free pavers, tile or decking.
No matter how well your workers poured and finished your patio slab, concrete slowly deteriorates, steadily growing uglier and more dangerous. Protect a new slab or upgrade an old one at least with a waterproof, non-slip coating; many high-tech coatings roll on with a paint roller. However, for maximum durability and value, look for indestructible pavers or new-age composite decking. Ask the associates at the ?pro desk? in your home improvement retailer to show you their building materials catalogs.

Proper Cover: Comfort, continuity and durable construction.
You do not really want to give-up your outdoor sanctuary when it rains, so put a good roof on it. You may simply choose a well-made weather-resistant awning, always a favorite. For light weight and low cost, you may look at translucent roof panels that install just like old-fashioned galvanized roofing. For greater style and value, coordinate your patio cover with the roof on your house. Consider shingles or tile, and always include skylights. Some new composite roof tiles have photo-electric cells embedded in the materials so that you may generate enough solar electricity to power the lights on your patio.

Functional Fun: Try brave, bold brickwork.
Southern California patio specialist Jim Clain tells clients, ?If you buy a high-end barbeque, you spend about $600 and the thing lasts a couple years with proper cleaning and maintenance. Those same $600 can buy you a brick barbeque and fireplace with gas-line hook-ups and other frills.? Clain smiles, adding, ?I build them for year-round use, and I build them to last forever with zero maintenance.? For a few extra dollars, Clain can add a sully functional outdoor sink and weatherproof storage.

Landscaping: Plant greens galore.
Extend your outdoor living season by planting a row of trees on the ?windward? side of your patio?that is, the side from which storms blow. The trees will flourish with Nature?s frequent watering, and they will shelter you when you use your patio on rainy days. For fun, value and eco-friendliness, make it a row of fruit trees.

Furnishings: Invest in tough traditional favorites.
?Adirondack chairs!? exclaims Big Bear, California resort owner Eric Clayton. ?Give ?em one good coat of epoxy, and they will outlive you and your children.? Clayton notes that matching footstools are comfort essentials. He also advocates in vestment in a super-sturdy hammock. ?Total comfort, low cost, zero maintenance, and also indestructible,? Clayton says.

Ponder A Pool

Affordable and almost maintenance free, above-ground hot tubs and ?endless pools? turn patios into luxury resort accommodations. Clain encourages his clients to add pools, explaining, ?If you sell your house, your pool will bring about a 5-to-1 return on your investment. Meanwhile, it will pay overwhelming dividends in family fun.?

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Sara Randall is a guest writer for design blogs. She recommends outdoorfurniture.com as a great place to find outdoor furniture stores.

Source: http://northernstar-online.com/blog/when-you-decorated-your-home-you-probably-neglected-your-patio/

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