Considerations for paving areas
IT may seem an odd thing to suggest, in these chilly February temperatures, that you consider thinking about sitting in the sun but that is just what I would suggest if you intend to install a new or revamp an existing paving area for the summer.
The reason for thinking about this now are twofold. Firstly if you intend to get a landscaper or paving professional in, and I would generally recommend this, to carry out the installation you really need to be making contact now to ensure you are up and running for May. I have seen many potentially lovely patio areas using the best of materials spoilt by poor slab laying work, usually because people are looking to save money- a false economy I’m afraid.
The second thing is to give you some time to plan ahead and consider what you are hoping to achieve, after all this should be something you only want to do once.
The first consideration you will have to make is the location of your paved area. This will nearly always be in the sunniest spot in the garden as lets face it sitting in the cooling shade is not what most of us are looking for during our sweltering summers! Inevitably the second consideration for most people is cost and with some forward planning you can not only cut costs but also be cost effective in what you do decide to do.
Big isn’t always beautiful, large areas of unbroken paving no matter what the quality and expense of the paving material can look stark,soulless, and precinct like. As the great Dolly Parton once quipped ‘ It takes a lot of time and money to look this cheap’.
The key is to make paving areas feel as comfortable, welcoming and homely as possible. Only make your paving area as big as is needed for comfortable sitting and entertaining, if that does involve a large space, say six metres square, then plan to break the area up with some planting or a raised planter you can use as informal seating. Using contrasting paving materials is always a good idea, a different size paving unit, colour contrast and varying the laying pattern will help this.
I would recommend not using more than two different paving materials together. That is to say a sandstone slab with a granite set is good, limestone slabs laid in varing patterns and sizes is fine as its the same material, sandstone slabs with granite sets and a limestone trim will be too much. The only other material that could be incorporated is a gravel or chipping which is much more neutral compared to a hard surface and works just fine.
Costwise, apart from the size of your proposed patio or terrace, the materials used will have a bearing on your ultimate expenditure. That said also bear in mind that within reason it will cost the same to prepare for and lay a cheap concrete slab as it will an expensive granite one.
Consider also that, in general, decorative details that involve stone cutting, complicated patterns and mixing paving unit sizes will cost a little more labour wise but can also be well worth that cost.
I would highly recommend that you go to your local patio or hardware centre, most of which have display areas in which you can see materials laid out and in various styles and fashions. Many of these centres will be able to recommend good paving contractors for pricing which is extremely useful.
There are many many paving materials available these days both man made and natural stone, all of these will get grimy with every day pollution but the harder the material the easier it will clean up. All paving needs to be cleaned once a year. This can be by jetwashing using a patio cleaner as a preparation.