A garden patio can increase the use and enjoyment you get from your garden. Make it large enough to accommodate some seating and perhaps a table and you have an outdoor room where you can retire in peace or entertain family and friends. Before rushing to concrete over any part of your garden, take time to plan the space carefully to ensure that what you build is an asset not an eyesore.

The first point to consider is location. Usually a patio adjoins the house, with doors opening from a living room onto a terrace forming a transitional space between indoors and out. Think about how the patio will relate to your internal room layout as well as its relationship to the garden and seek to encourage a smooth flow between the two. Consider sunshine, shade and prevailing winds. Sometimes a patio is sited as an independent structure away from the house, perhaps to take advantage of a viewpoint, a patch of afternoon sun, or a shady spot in sun-baked garden.

The dimensions and shape should be considered next. Be guided by how the space is to be used: a bolt-hole outside the kitchen door might be cozy for just one or two people but a terrace outside the main living room needs to be much more generous, particularly if you intend to include a dining table and chairs. If you already have outdoor furniture you can measure it to find out how much space is required. Remember to leave at least two feet (60 cm) behind each chair and plenty of room for people to walk past and around fixed furniture. A patio that is too small can actually become an obstacle between house and garden rather than a link.

Most houses have internal rooms that are rectangular or perhaps L shaped and these shapes tend to be comfortable and practical in most outdoor situations too. Of course there is nothing to prevent you introducing curves, circles, squares or irregular organic shapes but these need careful planning if they are not to look contrived or to result in awkward junctions. Remember that the patio is essentially an extension of your house, so take inspiration from the shapes, dimensions, materials and any decorative features of the existing architecture and use these as your starting point.

The patio is also a point of contact with your garden, a place to get up close to the colours, scents and textures of living plants without getting your feet wet. Bulky evergreen shrubs will give privacy and shelter from draughts; sprawling plants will encroach onto paving and soften its outline; the stored warmth of masonry will bring out the scent of flowers and foliage and may allow you to grow plants that would be too tender if positioned out in the open. Flowering plants in pots and containers can make an invaluable addition in the summer months but they are no substitute for a permanent framework of shrubs and hardy perennials planted in well prepared ground.

The construction of your patio is best undertaken by a competent professional builder or landscape contractor. Most types of paving require a foundation of compacted crushed stone or concrete at least 10 cm deep depending on local conditions and regulations. It is very important when laying paving next to a building to allow for surface water drainage away from the building. Ground levels against the house wall should never be raised without taking specialist advice as this may lead to damp penetration or structural weakening of the wall. Construction of a patio does not normally require planning consent in the UK; in other countries, or for sites where special conditions apply (eg historic "Listed" buildings), seek advice from appropriate local authorities.

About the Author

Roger Webster is an award winning garden designer. Find our more about patios and garden designers at his website.