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If there is free space in front of the house at the dacha, many owners build verandas, erect terraces or build gazebos. Alpine slides and decorative garden paths become a more modern solution. Recently, a new hobby has appeared – building a patio in the country with your own hands.
What’s this
This is the name of a certain open area, as a rule, in an isolated courtyard or in a garden. A patio can be covered with a light canopy or built right under the open sky (translated from Spanish, “patio” means “patio without a roof”). Comfortable upholstered furniture is placed here, coffee tables are placed, and then friends are invited to get-togethers. Instead of full-fledged walls, the patio is surrounded by a decorative fence or light openwork partitions are placed.
To equip such a zone with your own hands, you do not need to put a lot of effort. On warm days, it is convenient to use it as an open-air living room or dining room.
Video “How to make a patio with your own hands”
From this video you will learn how to make a patio in the country with your own hands.
options
When arranging the site, it should be borne in mind that it can be used for different purposes. Changing one interior item for another, the patio is quickly converted into:
- summer kitchen;
- dining area;
- living room;
- solarium for sunbathing;
- playground for children and adults;
- sports area.
There are no restrictions on the size of the area allocated for the patio. Any section of arbitrary shape will do: elongated, curved or encircling the main building along the perimeter. It is necessary to organize some kind of elevation above the ground, sometimes without any foundation. A wooden flooring or an embankment of stones, paving slabs, etc. is suitable. It is also desirable to provide for a certain slope for the entire territory so that wastewater does not flood the site, flowing down to neighboring beds.
The patio can be made multi-level by dividing it into several zones and constructing decorative transitions between them. One zone, for example, to make a dining room, on the second place sun loungers and deck chairs. Often, something like a hearth in the form of a fire is organized here, or a miniature pool is built.
With a sufficient size of the balcony, the patio can also be arranged in it, and if the architectural features of the house allow, then even on the roof.
We build on our own
A suitable site is best chosen in the backyard. Well, if a separate exit leads here – you don’t have to go around the house to get inside. Another place is a secluded section of the country garden, always in the shade of trees, away from street noise and prying eyes.
A suitable recreation area for two is easy to organize on a site of 3 square meters. m. To accommodate a company of four, it is desirable to allocate a place of 4 square meters. m.
Since the platform needs to be somehow raised above the ground, a dense material will be required that can withstand heavy loads. The easiest way is to concrete the entire area, but it is much more beautiful to use specific flooring options.
A good solution would be:
- natural stone slabs, with their help a fancy pattern is laid out;
- paving slabs or bricks of different colors to highlight individual zones;
- garden parquet, able to withstand any bad weather;
- decking that looks beautiful in landscape design.
The budget option involves the creation of flooring from boards treated with an antiseptic, or more expensive decking. The flooring frame is assembled from wooden bars or a more practical metal profile.
Before you start arranging the patio, sketch out a rough plan of the site on a piece of paper. Define on it:
- where to break the hearth;
- how a dining table with benches or a sports simulator will stand;
- what to lay out the border.
Now it’s time to prepare the selected area:
- the site is cleared of debris, the shrubs are uprooted, the sod is removed;
- soil is removed to a depth of about 20 cm to get rid of future weeds;
- lay a sand cushion.
If you live in a region with a rainy climate, it is recommended to additionally cover the sandy layer with a plastic film or geotextile.
Bridge
For the construction of an open-air site, a serious foundation is not needed. The ideal option is to lay a monolithic platform with a slight slope away from the residential building. If you plan to make a protective canopy over the patio area or enclose it with a practical gazebo in the future, you will have to make a strip foundation.
A monolithic platform is constructed according to the following scheme:
- The prepared area with a sprinkled sand cushion is leveled. The height of the sand layer should rise 2 cm from the ground level.
- If concrete slabs or paving slabs are used, the coating is laid directly on the sand, caulking the cracks with cement mortar. A border is laid out around the perimeter.
- If it is planned to build a flooring from boards, a frame of bars is built around the perimeter, which is then sheathed with material.
- To drain water, the pavement is either made under a slope, or drainage grooves are provided 40 wide and 15 cm deep.
Experts do not advise covering the area with small pebbles, it is difficult to walk on it even in shoes. If natural stone is used, it should be laid with the even side up, and make sure that there are no thresholds that are easy to trip over.
When the coating is laid, sand is poured into the openings between large parts (stones, slabs), which is then scattered over the entire surface, making sure that it caulks all the existing cracks. After the entire area is filled with water.
The procedure with sand and water is repeated twice more, only after that the site is considered ready. From it to the house, it is desirable to draw a path using the same coating material.
hedge
If the patio area is chosen in the backyard, the wall of the house will serve as a natural windbreak. The other sides are left open or covered. For complete security, the area is fenced off:
- mobile screens;
- a hedge of climbing plants;
- trellis.
Canopy
As protection from rain or sun, the patio area can be covered. To this end, a light canopy is constructed above it, preferably from a translucent material, such as plexiglass or polycarbonate, so that the area is well lit during the day. Often the recreation area is divided into two parts, covering only one with a canopy. Here you can install a portable barbecue or barbecue oven, and sunbathe nearby in the open air.
Another option is to stretch the awning by building a folding frame for it.
Practical owners dig in support posts around the perimeter, on which supports are mounted in the future, turning the patio area into a light open gazebo.
The easiest way to protect yourself is to place a tall folding beach umbrella over the table.
Furniture
You can equip the patio area with any type of garden furniture, it is only desirable that it be made of materials that are resistant to temperature extremes and excessive moisture, and also do not fade in the sun. Wrought iron, cedar, wicker, rattan, or plastic furniture will do.
The dining area is equipped with a bench, chairs and a table. It is advisable to periodically treat all wooden parts with antifungal drugs. The recreation area is equipped with sun loungers, deck chairs and a rocking chair. For the living room, a sleeping corner or a garden sofa with a coffee table is suitable.
Other elements
For evening lighting, it is better to use garden torches or solar-powered lanterns. If it is possible to lay the wiring, the lighting can be made more sophisticated by hanging lamps on the wall of the house or hedge.
A fireplace or barbecue will turn the patio into a summer kitchen and a picnic area. A popular solution when a fire pit is set up in the center (in compliance with all fire safety standards).
Patios are well decorated with flower beds, pergolas and a garden in the form of pots.
In order to organize a solarium in this place, you will need to build a small pool.
Building Tips
If the zone is settled in a lowland, be sure to take care of the drainage channels, otherwise the site will remain damp for a long time after rain. If there is nowhere to divert water, the easiest way is to dig a hole in the area and dig a wide basin into it, decorating the “shores” of the man-made “lake” with flowers in pots or in any other way.
Caring for the patio area is not burdensome. You just need to keep clean, removing garden debris. By the way, in order to reduce the cleaning time, it is not recommended to plant deciduous trees around the site – with the onset of autumn, falling leaves greatly spoil the appearance of the site.
But here your children can play, safe and clean, while you look after them, sitting in a sun lounger or preparing dinner in the house.