Creating whimsical features in your home

Two reasons why your patio builder might recommend building a small patio

by Edwin Johnston

If you want a new patio and are not sure what size it should be, here are some reasons why your patio builder might advise you to construct a small one.

Your garden is not very large

If the back garden in which you'd like to build this patio is small or medium-sized, then your patio builder may recommend building a small patio that is smaller than you may have originally envisioned. Even if you have enough room for a larger patio, a structure like this might swamp your not-very-large garden and look disproportionate. This might reduce your home's resale value, even if the patio is well-built.

Secondly, an overly large patio that takes up most of your garden might also cause issues if your interest in gardening evolves over time and you decide that you'd like more space in which to plant shrubs or plants, or if your family grows and you would like more lawn space for running around and playing games. In either of these situations, you might need to remove some of the patio paving (as well as any base layers) and relay new turf, which could take a long time and be costly. As such, if the builder offers this recommendation, it's best to follow it.

Your budget is modest

If you're working with a modest budget, your patio builder might suggest that you build a smaller patio. Whilst it is possible to build a large patio for very little, you may not be as satisfied with the final product as you would have been with a smaller, high-quality patio. Even if your patio builder is highly skilled, they won't be able to build a patio that will last for decades if they have to make it with materials available to a modest budget.

If you and your family will be using this patio regularly and it will, therefore, be subjected to lots of foot traffic, building a big one with cheap materials will inevitably result in you having to do lots of repairs or even replace the whole structure within a short period. As such, in this situation, it would be better to build a compact patio with the best materials your budget allows for so your patio can last for many years. You can always have your builder extend this patio at a later date when you have saved up more money, if you feel like a bigger patio is the way to go.

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