7 Good Reasons to Install a Patio
What are 7 good reasons to install a patio? Before we jump into it, we want our readers to know we have written this article with few assumptions in mind. We’re assuming that you’re relatively quite new to patios, you might be considering decks as an alternative option, and you might not be fully decided on which type of patio to install (paver, flagstone, stamped-concrete, and so forth). This helps us provide a bit more context to our arguments so you can have more perspective.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
7 Good Reasons to Install a Patio:
1. Entertainment and Relaxation:
A top reason as to why individuals decide to install patios is for entertainment and relaxation purposes! Patios help you entertain family, friends and guests, and they enhance your enjoyment of numerous activities. What do people do on their patio? This can include dining, having some drinks, firing up the BBQ and going on a cooking adventure, relaxing in your patio furniture (or playing poker or playing board games); or sitting back and enjoying a spa, fireplace, patio bar, or waterfall. Patios set a gorgeous foundation for all of your entertainment and relaxation.
2. Longevity:
Patios last decades! Most especially, paver and flagstone patios can last you a lifetime – assuming they’re properly installed and maintained. Decks generally start failing after 20-30 years, or even earlier.
So why do paver and flagstone patios last longer? They’re made out of stone, or stone and concrete, and as such are much more able to withstand the natural elements. Decks, whether it’s wood or pressure treated wood, are a weaker material than stone or concrete and as such, they’re generally much more prone to the negative effects of biology, chemistry, and physics. Also, to source a historical argument, take an empirical-observational look and see that there are numerous patios across Europe, Asia, and the world, that are hundreds of years old and still in quite decent condition! In sum, all types of patios generally last longer than decks, and paver and flagstone patios can last you a lifetime.
3. Aesthetics:
To put it quite simply, patios are the most customizable option as a surface covering for your backyard. They come in infinite colours, textures, makes, and patterns. If you happen to really like the texture of wood but don’t want a deck, you can for instance find pavers that come with a wood texture ingrained into them. If you want the look of a tile but without it’s fragility or slipperiness, you can get pavers or flagstone that look like tiles. If you want to get a diamond, circle, or another creative design, realistically only with patios could you get that done. Patios truly define what it means to create a bespoke landscape feature – impress your family, friends, neighbours, and guests!
4. Budget-Friendly:
Generally speaking, patios can be budget-friendly. It does depend on each person’s preferences and flexibility, what kind of design they’re installing, which types of paver or flagstone or concrete they want, and more. As a general point though, we can confirm paver and flagstone patios are likely to cost in similarity to decks, or possibly more or less (again depending on your preferences). Moreover, concrete-based patios generally cost less than decks and paver and flagstone patios.
5. Practicality:
Patios are highly practical surface coverings for your backyard. You can do numerous activities and build numerous landscape features on your patio. What can you install on your patio? Cabanas, pergolas, outdoor kitchens and bars, outdoor fireplaces, waterfalls, retaining walls, and more! However, patios generally lose their practicality when you’re dealing with steep slopes; but, if you’re not a fan of wooden decks and you prefer the benefits and look of stone/concrete patios, you could always build a 2-storey patio which could solve the steep slope issue. In sum, patios are highly practical features.
6. Low-Maintenance:
Let’s split this into two groups.
With the first group, paver and flagstone patios have very low maintenance. Most manufactures and quarries nowadays state their products do not need sealers as their products are sufficiently durable without them. Sealers are now used more as an aesthetic option – if you want a glossy or satin look. Further, the days of weeds and mold growing in between your joints are over thanks to advancements in polymeric sand (that fill in the joints).
As a second group, decks and concrete-based patios have high maintenance. Decks need sealers every year, and concrete-based patios need sealers every 2-3 years. This is to prevent breaking, cracks, cavities, mold, rot, shrinkage, and other problems.
7. Asset:
Patios are seen by many in the real estate and landscape industry as a great home investment. It’s hard to estimate how much of a return you’ll gain from it, but from a 2018 study by the National Realtors Association (USA), we see that patios have very favourable reviews.
It’s quite tricky to analyze the statistics you find over the internet when it comes to the benefits of re-modelling your home (whether it’s interior or exterior), most usually what we see is an opaque presentation of the statistics without their methodologies shown. Even with that, given the 7 reasons we’ve discussed in this article on why you should install a patio (longevity, maintenance, practicality, aesthetics, and more), it’s reasonable to conclude that patios are a great home investment!
Are you convinced by these reasons to install a patio?
We hope it helps, but in any case it ultimately really comes down to:
- Your personal taste and how much of a custom look you want to establish.
- Your budget.
- How you wish to use your patio (entertaining, relaxation, dining, and more).
- How your patio will complement your home and landscaping features such as pools and spa, cabanas, pergolas, waterfalls, retaining walls, kitchens, and fireplaces.
- And how you value all the arguments cited in this article (some place higher value on longevity or entertainment and relaxation than maintenance or practicality, and vice-versa!).
We hope you perceived this blog post as informative. We write with over 25 years of experience as a company, we’ve seen and done it all, and we assure you can have confidence in our expert recommendations and analysis.
