One of the most exciting projects that you can start at your Arlington, Alexandria, or Springfield, VA is a patio installation. A patio is the foundation or the “heart” of most outdoor living spaces. This will be where you set up an entertaining area, a dining area, and more.
For many, it becomes an extension of the home and encourages homeowners to spend more time outside.
Of course, this can all feel a bit overwhelming if you’re just starting out. That’s why we’ve put together this patio design guide to answer some of the most common questions and provide helpful information that will help you plan your patio.
We’ll cover everything you need to know to get started with your patio project and see it through to completion.
Since you’ll want a patio expert to guide you in the design/build process, you need to find the right professional for the job.
Hiring a patio company can feel like a daunting task, as there are many patio design and build companies in our region.
To find a company that you can feel confident will build your patio properly, look for one with extensive expertise. That means you do not want to hire a patio company that only builds a few patios a year. They simply can’t be experts in hardscaping if they aren’t doing it regularly.
You want a company that at least builds dozens of patios each year—maybe even more. At Kingstowne, we build between 150 and 200 patios each year, and in our history, we have built thousands. It’s an area of expertise for us, not just something we build from time to time.
There’s a lot of complexity involved in a patio installation, and you simply can’t risk making mistakes.
You also want to look at some of their finished projects. One way to get a good sense of what kind of work patio installers have already completed is to look at their portfolio. This is also a great way to start getting some hardscaping ideas for your project.
As you start to narrow down your list and come closer to hiring a patio company, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
You want to ask things like, How will this patio affect my drainage? And, how do you perform base prep? These are not exciting elements of building a patio, but they are imperative to the success of your project. Ensuring your patio installer pays attention to all the essential project details is critical.
Seeing your patio dreams come true is contingent upon hiring the right company for the job. You want to choose a company that has the authority and the expertise to bring your dreams to life in a way that won’t lead to problems down the road.
For instance, you don’t want to be making costly repairs because drainage wasn’t addressed or base prep was done wrong. You also don’t want to end up with a patio that was nothing like the vision you had in mind.
When you make a wise choice in hiring a patio company, you can have peace of mind that everything will come together just right. They’ll also walk you through each step of the process, making it more enjoyable for you.
You know you want to add a patio, but you have no idea where to start with designing it. We often hear this from homeowners. Getting the process underway feels overwhelming. There are a lot of decisions to make during the process, including things like patio materials, size, and the location where you want it installed.
The best way to start planning for a patio and make some of these decisions is to think about how you want to use the space and what amenities, features, and furniture you plan to incorporate. This will help provide an idea of the size and location for your patio.
The materials decision is often a combination of budget and personal preference.
A landscape designer can help you determine what works best for your patio. They will likely ask you some important questions to help you decide what you desire from your patio design.
These include questions like the following.
Let’s look a little deeper at some of these decisions you’ll have to make in the patio planning process.
Determining the right patio material is an important decision. If you think of it like an indoor project, this is like choosing your countertop or flooring material. You know there are plenty of options at different price points.
At Kingstowne, we have designed and built concrete, paver, and natural stone patios and have extensive experience with each material.
As you can imagine, there are pros and cons of each material. While concrete is the least expensive option, it’s also not typically the preferred aesthetic choice. Concrete won't be as attractive or versatile as pavers or natural stone. It is also prone to cracking due to our freeze/thaw cycle.
Another option to explore is a paver patio. Pavers are a man-made material, meaning they can be made in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Pavers can be anything from long and plank-like to small and brick-like. Homeowners often express that when it comes to patio design ideas, they love the versatility of pavers.
Natural stone is the most expensive option for a patio. In our region, flagstone is the most popular choice for a natural stone patio. It is a highly durable material (after all, it has survived in nature for thousands of years!). But the cost of natural stone sometimes means it’s out of the homeowner's budget.
Personal preference is also a considerable factor in determining which of these three patio materials is best for your project. Homeowners often approach us with a specific patio material already in mind.
You’ll also want to think ahead about where you want your patio and how you plan to use it. These two decisions go hand-in-hand.
Determining where on your property to install your patio should depend on some key factors, including:
Proximity to the home. Most of the time, homeowners want their patio to be relatively close to a door in the home for easy access. Most people add a patio a few feet from the home’s foundation.
Grading of the property. If you have a sloped property or any grading issues, these should be taken into account when determining where to install a patio. Drainage issues could arise if this is not addressed. Here is a great example of a patio in Alexandria, VA, where we used the slope to our advantage in the design.
The privacy of the space. If you live close to neighbors, you might specifically seek an area of the property where your patio will get more privacy. But there are also ways to create privacy around your patio with landscaping and physical structures.
Exposure to the sun. You might also want to consider what sunlight exposure is like in the location of your patio. If you prefer shade, you might want your patio under a large shade tree. Of course, there are also ways to create shade over your patio.
How you plan to use your patio will also impact the optimal location.
Are you looking for a very intimate and private patio that is just for your family? Or, do you plan to entertain frequently? It’s essential to think ahead and consider future needs to ensure your patio remains useful for the long haul.
The way you plan to use your space will also help you determine what patio features and amenities you might want to incorporate. We will discuss this next.
Hardscaping features and other added amenities are one of the best ways to enhance your patio space. It is often these additions that encourage you to spend even more time outside, enjoying your patio.
Some of the most popular outdoor living features include the following. These should help give you some ideas for patio design. Outdoor living features can also help make your space more usable year-round.
Incorporating an outdoor kitchen into your patio is a great way to enhance the usage and enjoyment of the space. Homeowners love the idea of cooking and eating outdoors, and an outdoor kitchen makes this possible.
Many features can be added to enhance an outdoor kitchen.
In this Arlington, VA patio, we incorporated an outdoor kitchen with features like a grill island (featuring a built-in grill), a pull-out trash receptacle, and ample countertop space. We also set up their smoker near their cooking area. Both the dining and cooking areas are close to each other, so everyone can be together.
Adding a fire pit or a fireplace to your patio design is another way to enhance the space. Fire features add both light and heat to a space, providing ambiance and an enhanced level of comfort. There is a sense of “coziness” added by this type of feature.
Fireplaces and fire pits can be fueled by gas or wood. It can be a matter of personal preference. You should know enough about each option to make a decision that’s best for you.
Some people love the smell and sound of burning real wood. That crackle and pop of the wood burning is part of the overall appeal for them of having a fire. For those who prefer a wood-burning fire, even the process of building the fire may be part of the fun.
But others might prefer the convenience of having a fire at the press of a button. A gas-burning fire does not require wood or any work to build the fire. This also eliminates the need for wood storage.
Adding a pergola to your patio can be multi-purpose. There’s no question a pergola can be an attractive addition. But it can also add shade to your outdoor living space.
Some homeowners also mount fans to their pergola for increased airflow. Shade and airflow can make your patio more tolerable, even on the hottest days.
Outdoor entertainment systems are becoming increasingly popular as homeowners want to add high-quality audio and video to their outdoor spaces.
With smart outdoor audio, you can have surround-sound music or listen to the game, even if you can’t see the television. And with an outdoor video screen, you can enjoy your favorite entertainment, like movies and TV, outdoors.
This gives you even more reasons to enjoy more time outside!
If you want to use your patio in the evening hours, then landscape lighting is a must! With the right landscape lighting, you’ll be able to safely and comfortably use your patio at night.
For homeowners who like to entertain, this is a critical addition that can’t just be an afterthought.
Once you have all of your patio design ideas and you meet with your Landscape Designer, they’ll start to make your dream take shape.
The patio design will be critical to your final result. The design will give you a preview of precisely what your patio will look like when it’s finished. There should be no surprises. At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we complete this entire process in-house, which also ensures that there are no disconnects as the design takes physical shape during the building process.
Once you’ve gotten through the patio design process, it’s time to start watching your dreams become a reality. You might be wondering what to expect next and how to get your yard ready.
There are certainly a few things that you can do to prepare for your patio installation to begin. Here are some recommendations that our Landscape Designers suggest to prep your yard ahead of your patio installation.
Clean up the yard. If you have children’s toys, tools or equipment, or other items in the way of the area where your patio construction will take place, it’s very helpful to move or put these items away. Then you can ensure they are stored exactly where you want them to be and that they don’t accidentally get misplaced if crews have to move them.
Clean up after pets. While this is more common courtesy, it is a nice thing to do so that crews don’t have to step in dog poop (or track it around) while working in your yard.
Consider parking. This is a big one, as we often work in very tight spaces with limited parking. If you live on a busy street with street-only parking, we ask if you can move a vehicle to give a dedicated parking spot for the crew. Often, they have to come and go from the vehicle to get tools and supplies. If you live in a home with a driveway and are having a large project done, we may need part of the driveway for staging or access. This can vary significantly depending on the project's scope and will be discussed in advance.
Don’t forget about locked gates. Another thing to consider on the day of the project is to make sure any unlocked gates are open if you won't be home. The crews will need to be able to access the site to get your project started on time.
Anyone who has had an interior renovation project done knows that construction can be somewhat disruptive. But a patio installation project takes place outside, and therefore won’t be as disruptive to your everyday life.
Even so, hardscaping work does require heavy machinery, so you can expect there will be some minor disruptions. Here’s what to anticipate.
Some dust from cutting: When pavers are being cut, you can anticipate a little bit of dust from this type of project. Since this is outside, it’s significantly less problematic than an interior project that involves cutting through drywall or wood. But you might notice some dust on your windows if the patio is close to your home.
Some noise: The machinery involved in patio installation can create some noise. Probably the loudest noise would be on a project that involves jackhammering out old concrete to put in new hardscaping. The jackhammering portion of that project is likely to only take a day. You can let your neighbors know, as a courtesy, that you’re going to be having this done.
Setting up a staging site: When hardscaping is being installed, we need to set up a staging site for the pallets of pavers that are arriving. In general, these types of projects are rarely in the way of a homeowner’s daily life, though obviously, there’s going to be some construction outside of your home, so you’ll want to keep children away until it’s complete.
We do put away tools and clean up our site at the end of every work day, but you’ll still want to take common sense precautions.
Once your patio is installed, you may have questions about caring for it. If you opted for a natural stone or paver patio, the maintenance requirements will be minimal.
When homeowners ask us, "What is the most low-maintenance patio?" we point them in the direction of natural stone or pavers, as there will be limited post-care requirements.
Concrete is not necessarily “high-maintenance.” However, when it cracks, your only real option is to patch or seal that crack. That’s always going to be visible. This is unavoidable because concrete is installed as a single large slab.
But if a natural or manmade paver were to crack, that individual paver could be lifted up and replaced.
Paver maintenance is generally just limited to keeping your patio clean. Thanks to today’s high-quality paver products, they are durable and long-lasting without much intervention.
If you have debris on your patio, like fallen leaves, sweeping it off can make a huge difference in preventing stains. Much of the staining on patios is from leaves and other debris that have been left lying on the patio for a long time. When this debris gets wet, and grows mold, it can leave stains behind.
These days, many high-quality cleaning products can also help remove stains, making paver care easier.
We also get questions about paver sealing from time to time.
Sealing can help enhance the color of the pavers. It can also help pavers resist stains; however, due to the effectiveness of cleaning products, this is not typically necessary.
Many homeowners would prefer not to keep up with paver sealing as natural foot traffic will cause the sealers to wear off over time.
Hopefully, this guide has shed some light on everything that is involved in a patio installation project.
Of course, it all comes down to choosing the patio installer in Northern Virginia to get your project underway. You want to make sure that you’re working with a company that can handle the design and construction of your project with true expertise.
It helps to partner with a pro who will listen to your ideas but also bring their skill and expertise to the table. Together, you can craft your dream space.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we love bringing hardscaping ideas to life.
We believe there is no room for error when it comes to investing your hard-earned money into an amazing outdoor living area. You need more than a cookie-cutter patio design. You want something that is truly one of a kind.
When designed and built properly, you certainly won’t end up with a boring, run-of-the-mill, or (worst of all) problematic patio—you’ll end up with the ultimate outdoor living space that fulfills all of your dreams and then some.
In the end, making a smart choice will help give you peace of mind. By choosing the right contractor for the work, you’ll be able to feel confident that you have the optimal solution for enhancing your property.
If you’re looking for confidence that your landscape design will have everything it needs, request a landscape consultation, get your customized plan, and relax as you get the royal treatment.