Patio Ideas (1 Viewer)

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Chevinater77

Chevinater77

Joined
Feb 10, 2007
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226
Location
Wenatchee, Washington
In Desperate need of a patio in back yard, there is a 18 inch drop from slidding glass door to grass, need help deciding if i should do cobblestone type brick pavers or a deck, im definatly going at least 15x15 maybe even 15x20. Ideas? Likes? dislikes? I will be doing work myself and ive done both, what do you think. Im leaning towards a step and ground level pavers
 
I vote deck. I guess only because I just had one put in at my house and love it.

I like the look of stained wood. Plus, people that look at it later will appreciate the work placed in it.

If you did a deck, no step would be required. You could step from your door directly onto your deck.

People seem to take pavers for granted (kind of like they view it as poured concrete) and do not seem to appreciate the hard work as much.

However, you can't go wrong either way. Both would likely look great.
 
I would go with pavers/brick or cement, instead of a deck. Decks will always eventually need repair, cleaning, and sealer. A hardscape will only need to be swept, and maybe occasionally cleaned with a stiff broom and cleaning solution or pressure washed. Also, I think hardscape looks nicer and more substantial.
 
Another vote for the pavers. That's what I'll be going with this summer. I've spent to much time/$$$/effort over the years refurbing/repaing/replacing wooden decks. And digging splinters out of barefoot kids feet. I also don't think they look as good after a few years.

In some situations it's the only choice due to grade & elevation. But if you're only down 18" from your door and with a reasonable grade, I'd go with pavers and build a small landing/step at the door with some of that plastic lumber. That stuff seems to hold up well - used it for a picnic table top a few years back and it still looks like new. But it's really pricey for a full deck in my opinion.

Another option is stamped & stained concrete - I've seen some really nice stuff done. But again - $$$
 
another vote for pavers.

if you do go deck, x2 on the Trex decking.
 
I like the pavers and have them here. Some things to be aware of though if you want a nice lasting job....

Make sure that you have a slope away from the foundation.
Go deep when prepping the site and make sure you use proper gravel with a layer of sand and use a draining fabric... lots of sites around providing good advice on the right way to build it way better than I can tell you.

Mine was not done properly ... still looks ok and many times better than a wood deck ... but I have some areas that are not perfectly level (poor preparation of the patio foundation) and I am constantly weeding between the stones. I can use a weedkiller but prefer not to. I think a deeper foundation would have stopped this annoyance.

I really like the look of field stone ... but I think the pavers or interlocking stone give a more useful area for tables and chairs to sit level and avoid annoying rocking etc

"...Another option is stamped & stained concrete - I've seen some really nice stuff done. " me too - done properly it looks very nice with lots of colour options....BUT I am not sure how it performs in areas with lots of ground frost...where pavers seem to shrug it off
 
AJP said:
"...Another option is stamped & stained concrete - I've seen some really nice stuff done. " me too - done properly it looks very nice with lots of colour options....BUT I am not sure how it performs in areas with lots of ground frost...where pavers seem to shrug it off
Click to expand...

Again, the prep is key. If the foundation & drainage is good and expansion gaps are well placed it will hold up fine.
 
I've done both and they each have their proper applications.

For what you are outling I would do a trex deck just based on my personal preference.
 
im still up in the air, and I hope to get started in the next couple weeks, work is keeping me busy enough to not want to tackle the project until i can finish it in a timely fashion. I have a vibrating plate and a laser grade/story pole and "mini" Excavator i can borrow from my uncle to do a professional level, im still leaning toward the pavers to save on money, now i just need to buy some time! Thanks for the replies!
 
If you go with Trex decking...check craigslist for some deals. They don't pop up often, but I've seen some good deals. If you can't afford trex or something like it, I'd go hardscape because of the constant upkeep of wood.
 
Wood decks always look nice when new. But the upkeep, especially where we live due to elevation and UV, is unbearable for me...I'd rather be out wheel'n ;). When we built our home 7-years ago we decided to have stained & stamped concrete installed for our patio surface including a nice wide contoured step down from the house doors. Absolutely no regrets.
 
spressomon said:
When we built our home 7-years ago we decided to have stained & stamped concrete installed for our patio surface including a nice wide contoured step down from the house doors. Absolutely no regrets.
Click to expand...

Another option that should definately be considered. Stamped concrete is beautiful stuff and the upkeep is minimal. Also you can pressure wash it with no wash out like occurs with pavers. I thought about having my rear patio done in stamped but the $ difference between it and regular was enough that I had to forgoe unfortunately. Couldn't have everything.
 
Your maintenance costs overtime (or lack thereof) for pavers will far outweigh those of decking or concrete slab, stamped or not. An 18" drop is not that significant..... one step 9" from tread to door, same distance from tread to top of paver is well within code. Poured slab is the easiest to do, but most will eventually crack and need repair, which is next to impossible to hide once done.

What is the freeze thaw cycle like where you are? Any large trees in the vicinity? A deck should be okay if either situation occur, so long as the footer piers are deep enough. A properly installed paver patio will rise and fall with frost heave, and can easily be pulled up to remedy a root problem, and then replaced back to new with no true indications of paver removal.

If you do go with pavers, do it right! Minimum 4" compacted crushed aggregate base, 1" concrete sand bedding layer, etc. and it will last a lifetime.

I am biased towards pavers, it is what pays for cruiser parts!
Permeable Pavers.jpg
 
im sold on the pavers, i have been spending my days, looking at options and designs now, thanks for all the input and opinions. will let you know what i get!
 
keep in mind that a deck will be cooler in the summer than the pavers, don't know if that matters to you or not, but worth keeping in mind.

my dad just redid his deck with Trex. For the second time. The first time, the trex discolored and flaked.
Trex was 100% stand-up about it. They paid for the new material AND for the installation. He even got to keep the old, messed-up trex and is building a pad for under the shed now, where the ugliness won't matter. Impressive customer support on Trex's part.
 
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