In household plots, more and more often you can find cozy, practical small paved areas, equipped with a table, chairs, armchairs and other attributes of relaxation. Such patios are called patios, which from Spanish translate as a house without a roof.

You can equip an outdoor courtyard near any country house, regardless of the size and landscape design of the adjacent plot. Indeed, the patio is a universal courtyard that allows you to visually expand the territory of the house and increase living space.

Content

1. Patio courtyard antique coloring on a personal plot
2. Popular design options for a patio in the country  video
3. DIY patio
   • choose the location, optimal size and shape of the patio
   • patio flooring material
   • laying patio area  video
   • arrangement of the patio: we select furniture, lighting and decorative elements  video

Patio courtyard antique coloring on a personal plot

Outdoor patios were widespread during antiquity in the Mediterranean countries. Especially popular were the courtyards in Spain. During the Roman Empire, patios were the subject of landscape design in the possessions of ordinary citizens and nobles.

Over time, the architectural element of arranging the garden was adopted by residents of Australia and the United States. A patio appeared in Russia not so long ago and is gradually replacing the usual verandas and terraces for us.

In fact, the patio is a kind of open-air room. The platform for placing the courtyard must be made of stone, brick, granite, tile or wood.

A classically executed patio consists of the following elements:

• a small paved area for recreation, entertainment or household needs;
• artificial reservoir (pond, fountain, pool);
• drainage system for watering shrubs and flowers;
• green areas (lawn, flower garden);
• plants of tapeworms (trees, shrubs, flowers).

The patio can be placed directly next to the house, as a continuation of the site along the perimeter of the building, or as a separate recreation area. Both options in combination with the landscape design of the site create an original, unique image of the estate.

The design of the patio has its advantages:

• unusual and colorful construction;
• relative ease of construction and design;
• the opportunity to abandon the construction of a separate structure on the site;
• proximity to the house expands the scope of use of the patio (children's corner, recreation area, a place for friends to meet, etc.);
• expansion of functionally useful space in the garden;
• building a patio will cost less than building a separate building, such as a summer kitchen;
• longevity of the outdoor patio.

Arranging a patio requires a lot of money and time. However, if you wish, you can slightly reduce costs and perform the bulk of the work yourself. The ability to arrange a patio of your choice is a great chance to show your creativity.

Before you start creating a patio, you need to understand what style of decoration it is best to adhere to, from which material to create flooring, and what kind of furniture to equip a patio.

Popular design options for a patio in the country

There are a lot of ways to design and equip a patio on a personal plot. By and large, they differ among themselves by such criteria:

1. Isolation method. The absence or presence of visual or tangible borders of the patio (hedge, stone wall).
2. Paving material. As already noted, various materials can be used to lay the site. The main condition is the naturalness of the flooring.
3. The nature of the pond. The presence of water gives peace and tranquility, so many experts are trying to include at least a miniature source in the overall composition of the patio. It can be a sculpture fountain, a decorative pond, a laminar watercourse.
4. Style of performance. There are no restrictions on the styling of the patio. The most popular areas are: classic (Spanish courtyard), Italian style, English style, avant-garde direction. It is not necessary to strictly adhere to a certain style, you can safely experiment and create your own, the most comfortable outdoor patio.

Let us dwell in more detail on some styles of patio design on a suburban area.

Spanish patio   decorated with lush flowering plants. For laying the patio floor using natural stone, concrete or clinker brick. The size of the site is usually not more than 9 square meters, and the shape may be different (round, square or rectangular). The courtyard is insulated on three sides by walls, which gives the patio an atmosphere of privacy.

Spanish-style patios are widely popular in hot countries. To give the courtyard color and coziness, it is decorated with bright rustic textiles, pillows, flowerpots with flowers.

Italian-style patio   located on a small elevation it is usually a wooden structure. This patio is usually adjacent to the house and, as it were, a bridge between the garden and the dwelling. The area and supporting logs are usually built from oak or larch; these trees are the most durable and resistant to decay. The Italian-style patio made of wood needs careful care; periodically, the wood must be treated with moisture-proof substances.

Avant-garde directions   in the creation of the patio, the presence in the courtyard of a fence made of metal, wood, stone. Wall decor is complemented by architectural (graphic) plants with selected branch architectonics. For seating, paving and wall decoration, one material is used, while creating a single internal space, so to speak, of the state in the state.

Unusual sculptures can be used in the arrangement of the avant-garde style patio, and a formalized pool that sets the space of a certain rhythm can be appropriate as a reservoir. Around the pool should be a minimum of greenery.

DIY patio

choose the location, optimal size and shape of the patio

After the styling of the patio design is selected and a rough draft of the courtyard is outlined, you need to determine the location of the open building.

When considering placement of a patio, several factors should be considered:

• the position of the sun, the place should be sufficiently lit, but it is equally important to provide for shaded areas (you can install an awning, plant a hedge);
• the absence of drafts is an important factor that ensures a comfortable stay in the courtyard.

Many people prefer to place a patio near the back wall of the house. This is especially convenient if there is an additional exit in the wall adjacent to the patio and you do not have to go around the part of the building each time, heading to the kitchen. Some in the wall of the house independently make a window so that it is convenient to serve drinks and dishes from the kitchen to the courtyard.

It is convenient to equip the patio in the shade of garden trees, where you can always hide from prying eyes from the street and extraneous noise. The atmosphere of security can be created using stationary gratings, fences, twined with plants, or mobile screens.

The location for the patio will depend on the functions for which the patio will be used. If the open area will serve as a dining room, then it is better to place it on the western side of the house so that most of the day the place is not in the scorching sun.

If the main purpose of the patio is to relax in the midday heat, then the patio should be equipped with an east or north side of the house.

The size of the outdoor patio depends on the size of the plot and the purpose of the patio. A large terrace with many decorative elements is just as inappropriate on a small plot as a small patio in a large garden.

The patio should not be less than 4 square meters. m. The optimal area of \u200b\u200bthe patio can be determined at the rate of 3.5 sq.m. for every vacationer

Typically, patios are square or rectangular. Straight lines go well with the lines of the house. In addition, patios of these shapes are easy to install.

Smooth transitions, round and oval shaped patios complement the romantic or landscape style of the patio.

patio flooring material

The next step in arranging a patio in the country with your own hands will be the choice of flooring for the patio area.

You can build a patio simply on the sand or on the basis of a concrete foundation. It should be noted that the presence of a solid paved area is the basis of the durability of the patio. Gravel, crushed crust, sand or gravel are not suitable for creating a patio. Given their aesthetic appeal, such material can only be used for decorating a patio.

The courtyard, lined with pavers or cobblestones, will look a little rude, and sweeping such a patio will be difficult.

Among the most suitable materials are:

• concrete plates;
• paving slabs (brick);
• tree;
• a natural stone.

The use of concrete slabs has several advantages. They are inexpensive, durable and easy to use. When combining plates of different shapes and different shades, you can get interesting ornaments. The only rule to keep in mind is not to use slabs of too bright colors.

You can create various patterns and equip a patio with an unusual shape using paving slabs. The construction market has the widest selection of types, colors and shapes of this material.

Fans of eco-style and admirers of Italian culture will like a wooden patio area. The flooring can be laid ready-made shields from the boards. For those who want to save on construction, I like the idea of \u200b\u200busing decking of planks made of polymers and wood waste. The appearance of the patio will not suffer, and the performance will improve (decking is not subject to decay).

The most chic option for paving the patio is the laying of slabs made of natural stone. The slab courtyard looks both natural and elegant at the same time. Slabs of stone are not limited in term of use, they are very practical and easy to install.

laying patio area

The most time-consuming and crucial step in creating a do-it-yourself patio is laying the site.

Consider the step by step process of paving the patio:

• Prepare the base. Fence the place of the future patio with pegs and remove the top layer of soil from the site (10-15 cm). Check the evenness of the surface of the future elevation site should be removed, and the low points to fill up.

• The deepening should be covered with sand, alternately watering and leveling with a rake. This will give strength and evenness to the site. The height of the sand laying is about 2 cm above the ground.

• Concrete, stone slabs and paving slabs can be laid directly on a sand pillow, and for a wooden flooring you need to build a frame from boards.

• Before the permanent laying of slabs made of natural stone, it is advisable to pre-lay them and number them. So it will be easier to recreate the desired picture and not make mistakes.

• First, you need to lay large slabs of stones, and fill the resulting voids with small slabs.

• When laying each subsequent stone or tile, it is necessary to control the level of their location. You can’t walk on the surface of the floor until the work is completed.

• With the help of a rubber hammer, you can deepen a towering stone, tile.

• The made platform of stones or tiles must be poured with water from a hose.

• Prepared moss can be laid in the gaps between the stones. To do this, it must be soaked in water and gently push it into the soil of the joints. On the edges of the patio, you can also make a border of moss.

arrangement of the patio: we select furniture, lighting and decorative elements

The final stage in creating a patio on the site is the internal arrangement of the courtyard. It is necessary to choose comfortable, practical furniture, organize lighting, fill the space with decorative elements and take care of landscaping the patio.

When choosing furniture, you should consider the characteristics of the material of its manufacture, namely:

• wooden furniture is very aesthetic, natural, gives the atmosphere coziness and warmth, but it is not practical, as it does not tolerate the vagaries of nature;

• the forged furniture is durable and has a solid appearance, but is too heavy and is more often used as stationary (you can soften the coldness of the material by decorating the forged chairs, a bench with soft mattresses or pillows);

• wicker furniture is light and resistant to high humidity and sunlight; many consider rattan and vine furniture to be the best summer cottage option;

• furniture made of plastic is affordable, but not durable enough; it is better not to use it for arranging a patio, as it does not look very aesthetically pleasing.

Of the furniture in the courtyard you can arrange: chairs, a sofa, an armchair, a table, a chaise lounge or install a hammock. Barbecue lovers need to take care of installing a stationary barbecue or stove.

Care must be taken to illuminate the patio. On the wall adjacent to the house you can hang sconces, and in the flower beds arrange beautiful garden figures with solar panels. Around the patio you can install garden torches or lanterns.

Planted plants will play an important role in the patio decor. The main element of the courtyard can be a raised flowerbed, and flowers in decorative containers will complement the overall composition.

At the base of the patio you can provide landing pockets - areas in which there is no flooring. Unpretentious dwarf shrubs land in the vacant place.

To equip a patio on a personal plot is beyond the power of even a professional. The main thing is to show imagination, find free time and have a great desire to decorate your garden with a practical, functional and cozy corner.

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

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