Patios are a crucial addition to your home. They are an extension of your home. Many of us don't know where to start. We usually fall in love with a product or a specific color and appearance of another homeowners job and start to design that way. I suggest you start in a different way. Start from the function and need of the patio - How am I going to use the patio? How many people do I need to fit comphortably? Will I be cooking out there or just hanging out? Once you answer these questions then you can start to make decisions on the size of the patio. The square footage of it. Every decision after this will let you know what product you will be working with. This is where the budget will come to play. I never start with budget because if I want a certain product that is higher in price then my patio may not be big enough to serve the needs based. So let's get the function, need and size right before we move forward.
Cambridge Pavers 3 PC Sahara Chestnut color & Mocha border. Natural Irregular Flagging and Firepit
Here are a few tips and recommendations about products.
CONCRETE PAVERS
Overall a concrete paver will give you the best bang for your buck and there are many concrete pavers in different colors, sizes and textures. There truly are so many products in the concrete category to look at it can become overwhelming. Concrete has come a long way. One of the best ideas out there in 2025 is the pre-sealed concrete paver. The sealer is baked on at the manufacturer's plant and certain ones do not have to be resealed for the life of the paver. The other fact about concrete pavers is that the installation saves you with your budget. The pavers are compacted in place with a gas compactor. This means more sqaure footage installed in less time.
Brick
Brick is an excellent choice especially for a historical or New England style home. There are many brick that have an old world look to them. Also the use of Cobbletsone with Brick creates a turn of the century look. Brick has received a bad rap over the years mainly due to the movement in the brick with unstable base material and weeds between the brick. Today base materials have improved tremendously compared to the old stone dust base days. Also the space between the bricks is now filled with a Polymeric Sand or Epoxy Sand keeping weeds at bay. Of course a homeowner needs to check on the condition of these joint fillers each spring to see if any brush up is needed. Still these products have changed the overall look and maintenance of brick patios. A gas compactor can be used on a brick installation...depending on the density of the brick.
City Hall Paver Brick in a Herringbone Pattern.
MULTIPLE PATTERN STONE
Multiple Pattern Stone like Granites and Bluestones are an excellent Natural Stone option. These products are installed with rubber mallets to a certain pattern that was decided in the pre-planning stage. The cost of these natural stones are in the upper price range and the installation time makes this choice one of the more costly options for a patio.
Thermal Bluestone Pattern Stock in a Random Pattern
Lastly remember that the patio decision will eat up most of your budget. It is always best to have each product choice budgeted out so you can know how your choice affects the rest of the project. Timing is everything when you are having an outdoor space installed at your home. Maybe you want and need it for a special occasion or maybe you can phase it out to get everything you want. Phasing out a project is an excellent way to get your favorite patio product and all the other elemnts (furniture, landscapaing, outdoor lighting, firepits or fireplaces) installed over a two to three years plan. Remember you will be living with your new space for a long time so make sure you look at all the options before the first shovel goes into the ground.
