Home renovations are on the rise and have been for the last two years. The coronavirus pandemic inspired households to spend an average of five percentage points more on property renovations, while recent spikes in the housing market have seen attitudes shift towards renovating one’s way to a dream home instead of moving up the property ladder.
With summer well on the way, one prescient way to add value to your home as well as improve your living conditions is through the creation of an outdoor patio. But there are many ways to approach your patio design – what follows are four distinct ways you could look at building a patio by material, and their benefits.
Flagstone
Flagstone driveways are making a resurgence, after a brief period of time spent out of fashion. These stone-heavy patio designs can make for an incredibly smooth-looking finish, while also presenting the opportunity to create a unique design via bespoke flag shapes, colours, and mortar work. Alongside the appropriate use of a good patio sealer, flagstone patios can be expected to last for a significant period of time without needing touch-ups or replacement – making it an economical choice in the long term.
Paving
For a simple, effective, and hard-wearing approach to a patio, look no further than paving. Concrete slabs are mass-produced, uniform and cheap to buy, meaning you can achieve a flawless result for relatively little up-front cost. Concrete paving can be bought in a number of shapes, sizes, and styles, allowing you to suit the material to your garden as opposed to the other way round. Concrete paving is made to last and is easy to replace in the event of damage.
Brick
Brickwork patios are a classic design and a familiar sight in suburbs across the UK. Bricks can come in a variety of qualities and at a variety of price points, suiting a wide range of budgets in the process. They are also versatile and easy to work with creatively, allowing you to craft bespoke patterns to suit your home’s aesthetic.
Brick patios are not to be confused with concrete paver patios, which themselves are distinct from the above-mentioned concrete paving solutions. Concrete pavers are generally a no-grout paving solution, whereby concrete is poured into a tessellating mould and slotted into place as a pattern. Pavers have come a long way but can still look cheap and nasty in comparison to the warm colour and texture of classic brickwork.
Loose Materials
This last option has been endlessly popular for households on a smaller renovation budget, but the results vastly outpace the upfront cost. Using inexpensive builder’s materials such as gravel or pea shingle to delineate and coat a patio floor space can cut serious costs and enable easier customisation of a given patio space. These solutions can also be far better for drainage, as rainwater seeps through to the ground instead of accumulating on the surface.
