Backyard Patios: Everything You Need To Know

Sucessful backyard patio planting

One day I walked out of my door to find a family of deer feasting on my daylilies. They stood there looking at me, munching away as if to say: “What did you expect? You planted dinner. Naturally, we’ve come to show our appreciation!” I got exactly what I planted! Here are some tips on how to plant what you want to get!

Our Backyard Philosophy

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Patio Questions you should consider:

For successful planting around a backyard patio, there are multiple things to consider before deciding exactly what to plant.

Is there a particular view or object (like an air conditioner or street view) that you want to hide?
Is there a favorite view you want to leave unobstructed or perhaps frame?
Are you planting for shade on your patio?
How much sun and water does the area receive?
What is the soil quality in the area?
Are there access constraints to the planting area such as sloped land?
What size plants can the area support in terms of height, width and depth?
Do you want plants with bold and bright color contrasts or muted earth tones?
Do you want to attract or keep away certain types of wildlife? Think deer, birds and bees.
When is the “peak-use” season for your patio? Each season, plants have a time where they look their best. Coordinate and stagger plant peak cycles according to when you’ll be using the space most. (For instance, I love Astilbe, which blooms in June- just when backyard firepit season is in full swing.)

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Choosing Plants For Backyard Patios

One question that I’m asked frequently is: ‘How do I create a low maintenance landscape around my patio?” The key to low maintenance landscaping is knowing the size a particular species of plant or tree will reach at maturity.

For instance, those cute ‘little’ yellow plants you see lined up in the garden center could grow 18” per year for the next 20 years, resulting in menacing, yellow monstrosities. They are destined to make your patio area an unmanageable, over-crowded jungle regardless of how much maintenance and sweat you put into them. Scratch the idea?

Maybe not.

It’s likely that those little yellow plants have a dwarf cousin with similar color qualities but won’t end up blocking your view a few months down the road. Growing at just a couple of inches per year, a more manageable version becomes a better option for a small area.

For a low maintenance patio landscape that stays colorful and small, try Drift Rose, Astilbe, Little Kim’s Lilac or Variegated Liriope for a splash of color in a dwarf size. Avoid planting Juniper, Goldthread Cypress or Crimson Red Berberis.

If there’s a certain plant you love, but worry it will grow too big for your particular backyard patio space, ask for a close dwarf relative or hybrid! Chances are there’s something out there that will meet your requirements. To ensure that your space remains beautiful and low maintenance, make sure the mature size of anything planted won’t exceed the area it’s been allotted.

Backyard Patio Planting For Screening, Privacy & Shade

The right plants like Schip Laurel, Green Giant, Arborvitaes or Green Mountain Boxwoods can create an excellent natural visual barrier, hiding or screening unsightly objects like electrical boxes and air conditioning units. The right shrubs and trees can also provide a high degree of natural privacy from neighbors and passers by.

Looking for natural shade? Amalanchier, Crape Myrtles and Northern Magnolia are smaller trees that provide great protection from sunlight. They’re ideal for planting close to your patio because they don’t get too big. In addition to ample shade, the Crape Myrtle provides a dynamic show of color in mid-summer when patio season is in full swing.

Hemlock, Rhododendron, Viburnum, American Hollies or Schip Laurel are screening plants that do well in both sun and shade. They are great choices for getting horizontal privacy screening, but they will take up a little more room than some of their more compact patio-side counterparts. As a bonus, they do well in a variety of soil types, grow relatively quickly and are easy to maintain. Most of their varieties are evergreen, which means they’ll look great all year round.

Backyard Patio Planting: Noise Barriers

There may be noise that you want to dampen- whether it’s passing cars or loud neighbors. Luckily, there are plenty of great plants and trees that work well as sound barriers. To defend even more against unwanted sounds, layer a variety of shrubs and trees to form a more dynamic natural acoustic barrier that reaches all the way to the ground.

A Seamless Experience: House To Backyard Patio

When you decide to add a backyard patio to your home, it’s similar to adding an addition. The patio space should feel just as integrated and a part of the existing home as any other area. When we’re creating a backyard patio design, we’ve found that the kitchen is typically the perfect launching point for zeroing in on the homeowner’s personal design aesthetic.

When we make our way through the kitchen, en-route to the backyard space, we’ll take note of what is there and what features or updates are in that space. In understanding the kitchen area and the existing traffic patterns, we’ll have a good foundation for integrating the backyard patio space into the home’s existing design scheme and floorplan. This will help to create an intuitive, purposeful and unified living experience.

To make your backyard patio feel like a seamless extension of the rest of your home, pay close attention to the kitchen area for valuable aesthetic contribution.

Backyard Patio Lighting

Most patio projects will include some kind of lighting. To select the right lighting for your area, stay away from anything that is going to be too bright, and is likely to attract bugs. Go for a low voltage system that’s bright enough so you can see- but is also dim enough so that you’re not sending an invitation to pests like mosquitos.

‘The color of light is rated in Kelvin (K), a temperature scale.’ It’s also referred to as ‘color temperature.’ 2700K light is considered “warm” and mimics mood lighting. 4000K light is considered “cool” and bright and creates greater contrast. When considering lighting, look for the manufacturer specifications in regard to color temperature. It can be found on the product packaging.

Well designed lighting will increase the usefulness and beauty of your outdoor space. If your patio or other space lacks adequate lighting, it can not only detract from your experience at night- it can create real safety issues. You need to get the lighting right. This is doubly the case when the lighting is, for example, (quite literally) set in stone!

PATIO LIGHTING

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Backyard patio fire pits

Our most requested patio feature is undoubtedly the fire pit. There is nothing that makes a cool summer evening more enjoyable than the natural flickering light and warmth of conversation by the fire.

The majority of our fire pit installations consist of three types: Prefabricated fire tables, brick paver and natural stone fire pits.

A natural wood-burning fire pit creates an atmosphere that’s perfect for a night of informal campfire-style conversation. Alternatively, opting for a propane-fueled fire pit makes for a cleaner burn, less the campfire smell and smoke.

It’s essential that any fire feature is designed to get hot enough so your patio doesn’t get too smokey. A properly-constructed fire pit will support a burning temperature hot enough to minimize smoke- effectively sending it and embers on a safe, straight path upwards.

If you find that your fire pit is causing smoke to linger around your patio, check to see if it is getting enough oxygen. Also, make sure that the wood is dry enough so that it’s able to burn properly.

3 reason your fire pit may not be working properly

As a quick recap- there are three reasons your fire pit or fireplace might not be working properly.

It wasn’t designed to pull oxygen into the firebox
The fire isn’t get hot enough- so heat and smoke isn’t moving fast enough to rise above the seating area
The wood is too wet to burn properly
There isn’t enough small, starter wood

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Backyard Patio Surface Cost By Material

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Backyard Patio Maintenance

There are three primary types of maintenance that will keep your backyard patio in great condition for years to come.

Patio Cleaning & Pressure Washing

Your patio should be cleaned once per year to remove algae growth and accumulation of dirt and mildew. A pressure washer (when used correctly) can work wonders. Otherwise, a safe cleaning solution and brush will do.

Patio Joint Flushing (Reinstalling Polymeric Sand)

Joint flushing is primarily for pavers and dry-set flagstone. These joints should be flushed out every two to five years. Ignoring joint flushing for too long causes weeds to grow between pavers and flagstone. Restoring patio surface joints is a relatively straightforward task with polymeric sand. The process for patios made of pavers involves cleaning the patio, sweeping the sand into joints and then lightly applying water to allow the sand to set.

Patio Sealing: Sealing prevents water damage and staining. We prefer to use a silicon-based patio sealer called Ghostshield. When working with natural stone and stamped concrete, sealants protect the materials from exposure to the elements. Sealing also prevents pavers from cracking and ‘spalling’ when they freeze by keeping water from penetrating the porous concrete material.

Planning your patio project

When planning a patio project, consider the maintenance requirements of the plants too. ‘We see a tendency for landscapers to default to planting bushes around a patio and calling it a day. But what someone might not know is that there’s a certain amount of maintenance that comes with that’, says Jon Kontz, CEO of PLANT Design Group in Yardley, PA.

‘We don’t default to a ‘just-plant-bushes’ approach.’ Your experience with your outdoor space is dependent on the quality of living it brings to you and your family. Spending your time cleaning and manicuring messy or overgrown bushes (or paying someone else to do it) may detract from your ability to enjoy the space.

‘In these cases, the homeowner needs to know upfront what kind of maintenance hours they’re getting into.’ An educated landscape designer with extensive knowledge of plant species, their growth patterns and care requirements can really pay dividends.

Maintenance has a cost, but so does ignoring it. When maintenance isn’t planned for and performed, it inevitably leads to some type of premature degradation of the patio. Consider just about any joints that are exposed to the elements as being prone harbor weeds.

It will start small… but weeds, ground cover or poorly placed tree roots can grow and expand into patio and structural joints causing costly damage and premature need for replacement. Make sure your landscape designer walks you through their patio maintenance package or plan to make sure you feel comfortable with the true cost of ownership.

Pro Tip: A geotextile is ‘a permeable textile material used to increase soil stability, provide erosion control, aid in drainage and stabilize patio substrates.’ GatorFabric is a fabric designed to be buried in the ground and is critical for the long term stability of your patio project!

Restoring a backyard patio

Restoring or redoing a patio is a worthwhile endeavor in certain cases. It’s dependent on 2 factors:

1) The installation method used to create the original patio

2) The condition of the existing materials and base

The labor cost to re-lay a patio can range from $10 per sq. ft. to $40 per sq. ft. depending on whether the surface is dry-laid pavers or natural stone, set in mortar and concrete or on a concrete slab that is sunken or weathered.

If you’re interested in restoring a stone patio surface that is dry-set and buckling, it could be as simple as removing the pavers carefully, re-compacting a proper base then re-laying and sealing the pavers. But if the patio pavers, stone or bricks are mortared to concrete and that concrete is heaving and buckling- you’re almost certainly looking at starting from scratch.

There are some exceptions, when the concrete can be ‘mudjacked’ into place using a process like this one here. If the surface is in good condition, it might be able to be lifted in which case the patio can be rebuilt reusing those same materials.

Backyard Patio Design Consultation

When we go into a design consultation with a new client, the very first thing we want to know as landscape designers is how the space will be used. It seems obvious, but this end-goal dependent element can go overlooked even by professionals.

When we know how the homeowner is going to be using that space, then we have the basis to lay out the size, shape and orientation to the home that will meet its intended purpose.

Next, we’ll need to know:

Are there obstacles that prevent a certain build approach or design element?
Are there any special build limitations such as slopes or inclines?
What kind of materials are best suited for the budget and application?

First we identify the intended purpose, any key project constraints, the desired outcome and budget, then we are able to show you what’s possible- effectively working backwards to arrive at a design and material selection.

Backyard patio cost estimate tool:

Backyard Patio Types & Estimating Cost

Threshold Level Patio (Porch) Cost Estimating

A threshold level patio (if your threshold is raised) is typically the most expensive type to build as it will be tied into the structure of the home, and requires walls and footers if it is going to be off the ground.

Here is a way to estimate how much your patio will cost if it were built raised off the ground.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio area. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

The face footage of the patio wall. Take the average height of the wall surrounding the patio and multiply by the length of the wall in linear feet (LF) to get face footage. For a 12” high patio wall that is 30 feet long: 12” high x 30 LF = 30 Face Feet of wall

If the patio is over 6” high, you may want to incorporate railings or seating walls per local code

If you need steps, we factor them in, too. Take the width of the steps and multiply by the number of risers to get linear footage. For 48” wide steps with 5 risers: 48” wide steps x 5 risers = 20 LF of steps

Click here to try our instant patio price calculator (desktop or tablet only)

Ground-level Patio Cost Estimating

The least expensive option is to create a ground level patio. Here is a way to estimate how much your patio will cost if it were built at ground level.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

Multi-level Patio Cost Estimating

Besides having multiple levels to the patio- functionally speaking- different patio levels are used to separate the areas of the patio into ‘rooms’ according to use.

Here is a way to estimate how much each patio area will cost depending on how far each “area” or “room” is raised off of the ground.

You’ll need to estimate:

The square footage of the patio area. For a 10’ x 20’ patio, multiply 10 x 20 to get 200 sq. ft. 10’ x 20’ = 200 sq. ft. of patio

The face footage of the patio wall. Take the average height of the wall surrounding the patio and multiply by the length of the wall in linear feet (LF) to get face footage. For a 12” high patio wall that is 30 feet long: 12” high x 30 LF = 30 Face Feet of wall

If the patio is over 6” high, you will want to incorporate railings or seating walls per local building code.

If you need steps, you will have to factor them in. Take the width of the steps and multiply by the number of risers to get linear footage. For 48” wide steps with 5 riser: 48” wide steps x 5 risers = 20 LF of steps

Backyard Patio Styles

Classic American. This patio is usually made out of traditional pavers, concrete or stamped concrete and surrounded by bushes, mulch and seating walls.

Boutique or English. Reminiscent of an english garden or ‘cottage style,’ this style can be created with brick, irregular flagstone or dimensional bluestone.

Formal. Formal patios typically have a more manicured feel, leaning towards natural stone construction. This formal style can be created with fine crushed gravel, dimensional bluestone or even travertine.
Modern. Modern patio style is sleek and sophisticated, typically with asymmetrical geometric shapes and lines.

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POOL PATIOS

We’re often asked, ‘What is the most ideal poolside patio?’ Here is our list of backyard patio recommendations along with the materials best suited for poolside use.

Make sure your backyard patio is big enough. If it isn’t, people will inevitably resort to walking on the grass, tracking grass and dirt into your clean pool water (a headache for whoever has to clean the pool). You need at least 5-6 ft. of patio width around the pool in the narrowest areas (enough for two people to pass each other while carrying something). You’ll need even more room if you want to put a chaise lounge or bistro table in the area.

Low maintenance tops the list of concerns when creating a poolside patio. Paver patios or natural stone patio joints and materials that “spall” (produce fine gravel or sand) will bug you if you don’t like sand and gravel sticking to your wet feet.

Comfort is pretty high on our list too. Bluestone (unless it is in almost full shade) can get too hot to walk on with bare feet. We encourage all of our pool patio customers to stick with materials that are light-colored, steering clear of dark greys and browns.

Safety, although mentioned last, is definitely not least of our concerns. Even though it looks beautiful, polished and stamped concrete has to be properly prepared or it can be very slippery. Tile, like sealed travertine, can become slick when it’s wet or if a thin film of mildew or moss is present.

The patio surface materials we use most often:

- Light colored pavers like Techo Block Blu Grande: up to $39 per sq. ft.
- Bronte natural stone set in concrete: up to $67 per sq. ft.
- Plain brushed concrete: up to $15 per sq. ft.
- Stamped concrete (finished with a non-slip surface): up to $30 per sq. ft.

Backyard Patio Structure Types

Your patio can be built with or without a structure. There are two different categories of patio structures:

‘Attached’ and ‘standalone.’

Attached Backyard Patio

An attached backyard patio structure is connected to the home and requires customized architectural drawings since attached structures make use of the house for some degree of structural support.

The most common factor used to determine the feasibility of an attached design is the home’s existing window locations relative to the proposed structure’s roof line. (Specifically, where the patio structure’s roof line will intersect with the home.)

Though we create custom designs and pricing for each project, the cost range for attached pavilions and porches we have built in the past range from $110-$167 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. attached pavilion would be approximately $33,000- $50,100.

Standalone Backyard Patio

A standalone (unattached) patio structure or covering is structurally independent from the home. A standalone pavilion offers more design flexibility since you don’t have to coordinate with existing roof lines and windows. A potential downside is that a standalone pavilion puts the patio roof farther away from your current living space(typically a minimum of 3-7’ depending on the township regulation).

Though we create designs and pricing that are customized for each project, the typical cost range for standalone pavilions we have built in the past range from $88-$147 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. standalone pavilion would be approximately $26,400- $44,100.

Ideally, we generally want to keep the patio area as close to existing living areas as possible for a smooth transition and maximum usability.

COVERED BACKYARD PATIOS

Patio coverings are structures used primarily to provide protection from weather elements like sun, rain and wind. There are multiple structure types that can be used to create cover for a patio.

Pergola

A pergola is a structure built with columns and rafters that provides partial protection against sun. They can be built attached to your home or existing outdoor structures or standalone. Though we create custom designs and pricing for each project, the cost range for pergolas we have built in the past range from $64-$109 per sq. ft. The cost range to budget for a 300 sq. ft. custom standalone pergola would be approximately $19,200-$32,700.

Pavilion

A pavilion is a roofed structure that has sides that are typically open. They are common, free-standing structures ideal for creating a roof over a patio and provide complete overhead protection from rain and sun.

Gazebo

A gazebo can provide comprehensive protection from the sun as well as rain by way of a hexagonal or octagonal roof. They come in all flavors and can be attached or standalone. Add curtains or lattice for an extra level of protection. Or, add automatic curtains that deploy and retract with ease.

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IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

Our team of design experts listen to how you want your new space to make you feel, and then create a haven that does just that. Your outdoor space has the potential to be its own special getaway. Savor it as your best kept secret, or share it with your friends… we won’t judge, we just want to help you build it.

Call us at 215-321-5678 if you’re ready to talk about how we can help bring your ideas to life this summer. We can’t wait to hear about your ideas!

About JOn Kontz

Jon has designed and installed landscapes for more than 25 years. He founded PLANT Design Group in 2015, with locations at Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, PA, and Carousel Village in Newtown, PA.

Outside of business hours, you can find Jon fly fishing, rock climbing and farming with his wife and 3 children.