Problem Free Patios, Paving And Paths:

If you are nking of creating a patio, courtyard or path win your den, then I have some helpful inmation you.

Where to place a path

Have a good look at your den, even if you are just viewing f the comt of your kitchen, s may give you an idea of where paths should be placed. Viewing a curved pathway, particularly one t wraps behind a bor w ice the viewer to exit the ho and fol the path to discover w lies at its . You may not up with a crock of gold at the of the path but a restful seating area w be a good solation, and quite a nice focal point. Hardwearing tinuous paths can be created f gravel, paving brick, pavers or setts (crete or naal ne, with granite setts being particularly strong in texe and colour). Gravel paths are the most eomical to install. However, I would never recomm laying them win lawns as disbed gravel may er the lawn and up breaking windows or worse, if hit by lawn mower blades.

Design tips and hints

I often recomm paving brick creating both straight and curving den paths, provided you lay it with clear design rules in d. Do you have a short den, which you wish would appear longer? This can be achieved by creating a path rung right down the den laid in a "rung bond" pattern. Brick laid in s style runs lengthways in the dirion the path runs wst its joints are staggered strength. Maybe you have a den t is narrow causing you to wish it would appear wider; again an optical usion design trick can be called into play. This time lay the brick in a style known a "stretcher bond", which has a wideg eff. To produce s eff the brick must be laid lengthways across the width of the path in staggered rows.

Both of the optical usions created by the of "rung bond" or "stretcher bond", fol a similar rule to one d in fashion, where vertical lines appear to lengthen or slim whereas horizontal lines appear to widen or expand (who says you learn nong by reading the fashion magazines).

If you wish to create a path t w not appear pin and doate a smaller den, I would suggest you install a stepping ne path. This w look quite at home on the compacted lawn beneath the washing line. Stepping nes are laid flush with, or just be lawn level to al the mower to pass over unimpeded.

A site your patio

The patio is an extension you can add to your home without plang permission; it is your roofless dig area or room outside. We patios primarily as sitting, sung and ertaig zones. Your patio should be d as our own personal courtyard linked to our ho. With these s in d, seek out an area t receives dir sun f the south, the west or a combination of both. Southerly facing patios offer warmth f twelve o'clock onwards, ideal those of you who wish to tan au-naal. A paved area with a westerly asp w al you to enjoy eveg sun wst refling on the day, with or without a glass of wine. Sun alone is not enough to make your patio experience a pleasant one; you must also seek out an area t is a refuge f winds or else provide artificial shelter. I come across many fine-looking patios in full sun t I find hard to sp more n a few utes on, due mostly to the wind ch factor.

Selion of materials and laying patterns

The selion of a paving material comes down to your personal taste and w your budget w al. However be guided by the foling pointers, firstly you must realise t the patio often eases the transition f ho to den. So if you sel eomical crete or cem patio slabs, ensure they have an appealing colour and texe similar to naal ne. The addition of bands / bors of naal granite setts or cobble nes, wst linking with the surrounding environm can be d to enrich crete flags. Indian sandne flags wst slightly more expensive n their crete counterparts offer a naal ne surface which is full of visual and tactile charm. The laying style of paving materials w dictate how you feel wst seated on your patio. If paving is laid in a diagonal pattern, the sense of movem is imised which ensures a more restful spell in the room outside. To increase the sense of restfulness on a patio created f brick I suggest using a laying style known as "Basketweave" or alternatively the older "Flemish pattern" style, these styles imise movem t is normally reserved paths.

Cdren, the elderly and the non slip patio

The selion of a non-slip material is vitally important especially where young cdren or the elderly are cerned, as a painful fall can really aff these patio rs. Superior non-slip paving materials are those with an exposed aggregate or a sandne finish. Finally, when deciding on the size of a paved area to create, sit back and ask yourself how many occupants are in your ho. Use s rule of thumb; create a imum of four metres squared of paved surface per patio r. Do not get to al the fris factor, unless you are a "By-no-mates".

If you are without fris, you w not remain t way long once you create your sun-drenched patio or room outside.