Designing a Brick Paver Patio
Before you can ever break ground on a paver patio, you must first have a design. You'll want to create a paver patio design that reflects and compliments the rest of the house - not one that stands against it. When meeting with the client for the first time, take notes and photographs both the outside of the house and the inside of the house (when relevant). It will give you a sense of the client's style and the materials used inside and outside the home, so you can select a paver that will compliment the existing colors and textures of the home. Well-worn cedar shake siding looks great with a sand-molded brick paver designed to have an aged dignity, while a more modern home exterior might look better paired with a tumbled concrete paver or even non-tumbled concrete brick.
Also consider the intended purpose for the brick paver patio; frequent large gatherings of people means there's a need for a larger patio; be sure to accommodate that need. Or you may be working for a quiet retired couple who only need enough space for a bistro table and chairs on their brick patio. Some other paver patio design considerations:
- Do they need room for a grill (or possibly a built-in grill)?
- Will there be a hammock on the patio?
- Is there a potting table in their backyard now?
Ask questions but also be observant of what's in the yard and garage now.
With the brick patio style and use considerations taken care of, it's time to take some measurements. Measure and note all features of the house, including doors, windows, spigots, utility boxes and anything else that might have an impact on your design. Make note of the NSEW orientation of the patio area; you don't want to build a paver patio that is fully exposed to the sun at the hottest time of the day.
With measurements, photos and notes in hand, it's time to get to the drawing board. To create the patio design you can use graph paper, drafting vellum, or some other paper that will be easy to draw on and copy. I like using ¼" scale for smaller projects and 1/8" scale for larger ones, but use the scale you are most comfortable with when you create your brick paver patio design. Be sure to clearly note the scale being used in the design! Designing in 3/32" scale but building the patio in 1/8" scale (it happened to us once) can be an expensive lesson.
Some general rules about brick patio design dimensions:
- The typical patio set, including a round table and four chairs, needs a minimum area of 12' (diameter) for people to be able to sit comfortably around it. Larger is better, but 12' is the minimum.
- For the typical grill cart, you'll want to have 20 square feet of patio space (it sounds like a lot, but a kitchen table is usually 15 square feet, and it can't burn you if you touch it!). This area should be several feet away from the home and out from under any roof overhangs.
- Use the client's 'typical' entertaining as your guide. The average patio user needs 20 square feet of space to feel comfortable. Multiply that by the number of people the client typically has over for a party to get a sense for the 'people space' you'll need to provide.
- Home entry/exit. Plan to allow at least 30 square feet of space around your patio doors. Without this room the patio will feel like it's right on top of the you as soon as you step outside, forcing people navigate around obstacles, making the brick patio an uncomfortable exercise, not a welcome destination.
From www.groundtradesxchange.com