How to add more interest to patio
Hello Lovely people,
Id love your input or any ideas from professionals on my patio dilemma. I currently have 80sqm of rectangular shaped horrible north facing crazy paving (photo 1) which is solid but the pointing is crumbling and is a moss magnet.
The back of the house is white pebbledash and Im looking to replace with the below light cream porcelain large tile , however due to the size of the area I’m concerned that it will look a bit plain and I’d like to add some more texture.
I like the below examples of patios adjoining decking and I was thinking of doing partial patio and deck (using a pale coloured composite such as mill board smoked oak).
Does anyone have experience of something similar?
Are there any disadvantages to doing this or implications for build?
Anyone have any alternative suggestions?
Many thanks for your feedback 😁
Comments (6)
Sonia
3 years agoMost of the advisors on here are not professional landscapers. As your patio is so big, I think breaking it up would be a good idea. The different paving ideas look great. One warning is that porcelain really gets grubby easily, so I would suggest a slightly darker colour. I think the non slip properties, which are great, also holds onto the dirt. Don’t laugh, but on dry days I hoover mine! 😊 The last picture is my slightly grubby porcelain patio.
Laura thanked SoniaRelated Discussions
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Laura
3 years agosophie_gilbert13
2 years ago
Alex Russell-Stoneham
2 years agoI hear you about crazy paving. Well done on making the decision to replace with porcelain!
We had a similar situation with a wide patio that we wanted to improve from old decking/brick paving and replace with porcelain anti-slip tiles. Width 8m and 5m deep. Only difference to your situation is it is south facing.We wanted to break up big expanse with some green but minimise visual clutter of landscaping and loads of pots so retain a sense of clean lines.
We built some raised beds at each side of the new patio in breeze blocks and rendered/painted them and included outside lighting in the walls so now it feels a bit Mediterranean, especially in the evening.
We lined the raised beds with pond liner and batons, filled with earth and planted espalier fruit trees and roses along with lettuce and other annual flowers. Just prior to filling them with earth, we used them for our wedding reception (in our back garden) - one as a giant ice bucket for drinks and the other with a bench seat on top and cushions, with a Moroccan feel. In other words, if you do a raised bed at the edge, you can opt to make it a seating area and soften with cushions. If you chose planting for raised beds, consideration for partial shade plants rather than full sun ones would really help.
We also got an outdoor corner sofa and outdoor rug to make it soft and homely. It is definitely more an outside room now, not just a patio.
Porcelain as a material has been amazing! No going back now. It is so strong, robust, lovely quality and aesthetically appealing. Cleaning hasn’t been an issue, just a hose and a brush have worked for us.
I wonder what the relationship between the back of your house and the patio is? Do you have Bifolds or similar? What is the flooring like inside at the rear? Do you want a feeling of continuation?To achieve this, we had to raise the level of the patio to meet the back interior. It has been such an improvement vs having to step down onto slippery decking. We had herringbone internally and anti slip tiles in herringbone externally.
Hope this experience helps!
Laura thanked Alex Russell-Stoneham
Tracey Robertson