Patios are an excellent addition to the outdoor living standards of a home. When designed to meet your needs, a patio offers several key benefits that uplift your lifestyle and help you turn your house into a home. In this blog, we focus on the art of beautiful patios.

Outdoor Meal Prep and Dining

Patios make a fantastic spot for an outdoor eatery – A place where you can create intimate spaces, family-centered dining, and a location to entertain your friends all revolving around the cameraderie of sharing meals.

The Basic needs are a grilling center, a table, and maybe some lighting.

Patios are layered stone, cement pads, etc. You can choose the patio surface from a wide array of natural stone, pavers, or even crushed rock. The goal is to create a stable surface that is free of dirt and mud and that mimics the flooring surface of your home. We love the idea of: 

• Flagstone
• Granite
• Marble
• Slate

Any of these natural stone options make a beautiful surface from which you can design the functional aspects of a beautiful patio.

Options for Improving a Patio

The goal in designing any room is to make it function in such a way as to improve your experience in that room. For example, a bedroom that has air that is so dry that it interrupts your sleeping is a room that is not functioning well. A patio that is not meeting your needs for usage is also not working as it should.

The process boils down to how you want to use the patio space. We suggest having an outdoor electrical outlet or five and also an area where you have access to potable water. From there, you can expand the way your patio functions.

 Considerations for Options for Patios

1. A sink – Handy for cleaning up after parties and meals and for keeping space neat.
   

2. Comfortable Seating – Nobody wants to squirm through a beautiful meal because the seating is too hard or uncomfortable. Consider indoor-outdoor furniture that is plush, supportive, and comfortable. A lovely outdoor dining table with comfortable chairs is a minimum. We suggest a place, such as a small couch, where you can sit and visit with your friends and enjoy coffee or tea, or cocktails.
   

3. Lighting Options – A good tip when considering lighting for an outdoor space is to opt for a full spectrum option – bright light to intimate lighting. You want to be able to see when you need too and also to have the opportunity of creating intimate space such as you’d find in a fine-dining restaurant, After all, your patio is a place for a cozy dinner for two or a spot where all of your friends can gather, party, and socialize.

Tips for Getting Started with a Patio Project

1. The first thing to do is make a list of functions that you want your patio to handle – Parties, intimate dinners, family time and events, relaxation, socializing, etc.
2. Make a second list of features that you want. For example, do you want a built-in cooking station or roll up a gas grill? Do you need a sink or just a water tap? To make this easier, look at all of your items on your usage list (#1) and then make a list of tools that you need to make each of those items successful.
3. Consider how much space you need. A good tip is to use staking flags to outline the space. Here is the couch, here is the table, here is the grille. Put a set of flags down to outline all the features you want. Outside of those flags, you can create the dimensions for your patio. Once you know the outline, you can move on to starting your project.

The Last step is to build the patio. Building a beautiful patio can be a DIY project if you have the tools and know-how. You can also talk with the Design Custom Home design team and our experts. We are happy to answer your questions or provide you with a quote that is unique to your project. Our quotes include options so that you can pick and choose the items that fit your plans and your budget.