At DNA Landscapes we have installed many patios and placed many paving slabs in many gardens as part of our landscaping services in Coventry.
With more and more people wanting to spend more time outdoors a patio provides a purpose build area for garden furniture to be located, and as a result, it's where most people will sit and enjoy the garden for most of the spring and summer months.
As most people will appreciate it is a pivotal part of a garden makeover and if you have made the decision to install a brand new one, or replace and old patio which may have been build by previous owners of the property, it makes sense to get it perfect.
When it comes to deciding on what to do there are many choices regarding a patio. The first and most obvious decision in where to position you patio, or even patios. Whilst most people step out form a kitchen or patio door onto their patio it is not a mandatory requirement. That said, it is practical to have a patio and garden furniture near to a kitchen for bringing out drinks and food which is why it is the most common place to find a patio.
Size and shape will also be considerations and will the bordering as well as the most obvious decision regarding what type of patio surface to go for...
As with all our landscaping jobs, simply have a discussion about what you want to achieve and we can help shorten down the options for you and get the desired patio outcome, or whether in fact a composite decking area would be best for you.
As landscaping experts we are the ideal patio contractors in Coventry - our attention to detail and passion for perfection mean that we take the utmost care in all aspects when constructing a patio.
It is relatively easy to get a spread of costs for constructing a patio as most of the associated quality is in what you can't see rather than what you can. Almost any paving surface will look good with brand new slabs but the stability of these, the water run away and the quality of fitting will start to show over time.
Taking short cuts in the sub base can save a contractor time and materials but that's not how we do things and DNA landscapes. Every patio and paving project is done with quality in mind and the depth and use of aggregates will vary depending on your existing ground.
You certainly don't want to be tripping on projecting slabs or splashing through puddles of water following a short shower which is what can happen if your patio contractor does not work with attention to detail. Our work is guaranteed so you will have peace of mind when we have completed your patio project.
Here is a video of a recent landscaping job in Wyken Coventry. We used a kandla grey large format porcelain paving slabs, with a manhattan grey grout. To provide a more interesting boarder that nicely frames the patio, we used pencil edge charcoal pavers. For the pathway back to the house we included intermittent black ice decorative stone in between the pavers to break up the .
So what are the material paving and patio options we provide at DNA Landscapes? Below we have provided a short overview of some of the different paving slabs which are often used for patios and pathways however, these aren't the only options.
Resin patios are becoming much more sought after for the same reason that resin driveways are growing in popularity and in many instances it will be the initial desire to select a resin driveway which then leads to a resin side pathway leading to the back garden resin patio. From a cost perspective, once you have decided on a resin driveway extending the area to include a side pathway and patio becomes much more cost effective option than just deciding on a standalone resin patio which has resulted in more being installed all across Coventry.
As stand alone resin patio is still feasible and some paving stones can be more expensive but resin patios, especially resin bound, provides a great low maintenance, low slip surface perfect for year round entertaining. As a back garden patio is much less likely to suffer potential high impact damage, unlike a resin driveway it really is a great choice if your budget allows.
Following the same principle as resin patios many home owners will want to continue their front garden driveway style down the side and through to the back of their property. As a result, we still install a fare few full block paving patios although not as many partial block paving patios. The use of smaller blocks and of different colours are often used to provide a neat surround or edging to a paved patio and look very effective.
Porcelain paving for Coventry patios has become associated with a modern garden design and as this is such a popular garden landscape style porcelain paving is much more common place. It is low maintenance, and look very dramatic and chic. The only negative is that is can become a little slippery when wet so factoring the use of big summer umbrellas or gazebos if entertaining with showers forecast would be an aspect to consider.
Marble paving has followed the trend of porcelain paving closely and exhibits very similar qualities. It is a natural material which is why each paving stone will be slightly different from another. This natural variety gives marble paving interest and appeal as well as being low maintenance and stunning to the eye.
Indian stone paving is another paving slab that has increased its foothold in both patios and pathways as well as driveways. Indian stone for patios and driveways will have slightly different thickness grades but will allow the same look to be carried from the front of the house to the back with some savings being made by switching grades. Indian stone comes in a variety of colours and sizes which when combined provides an interesting patio style which can work in both modern and traditional gardens.
Limestone and Sandstone have traditionally been used for cottage and classic style gardens but as modern tastes have changes they have become less popular at the expense of porcelain and marble. Granite and Slate come in more limited shade but if you are looking for a sharp modern dark paving surface the blue black and green shades of these provide a very smart surface which needs little maintenance and is less slippery than porcelain and marble, which also come in dark shades.
Here at DNA Landscapes Coventry, we have extensive experience installing patios of all shapes and sizes using various products and laying methods. From ground prep to grouting, every aspect of the process deserves the same level of care and consideration. Conditions of the substrate will determine the depth of the sub-base required, sufficient drainage will be mapped out and installed according to each individual job. A laser level will always be used to ascertain correct falls to avoid any standing water and provide surface water to run away. A 1: 80 would be the industry norm as a minimum fall i.e around 8mm of fall per metre.
When laying a porcelain patio, as with all paving products and wet trades as a whole, it all starts
with a good quality mortar bed. The mortar bed must be full i.e. make contact with all of the porcelain paving tiles and be uniform. This is so when “bedding” the tile in with a rubber mallet, excess force is not required, which can damage or weaken the tile, and only a limited number of strategically placed weighted taps with the mallet will bed the tile in nicely and full adhesion will be achieved. Porcelain paving tiles must always be laid with an SBR bridge bond product applied to the back of the tile. This is because the clay
in the porcelain has been fired at very high temperatures to make the product vitrified, which
results in a very hard-wearing product with very low porosity; thus, the tile will not achieve sufficient adhesion to the mortar alone without the SBR bridge bond product. As regards making cuts to porcelain it is essential to use a good quality continuous rim blade, whether using a hand-held grinder or, better still a wet-cut table saw, a continuous rim blade is a must to get that fresh, clean edge cut and a perfect finish to your porcelain patio
DNA Landscapes Coventry have installed a vast array of patios of all sizes, from 10m² courtyard patios at new build domestic to 200m² sandstone patios at Ryton Organic Gardens.
For paving - if money was no object our personal preference would be york stone paving. A natural product of Great Britain with all the character, charm and colour options you could ask for.
Areas Patio Builder Services are provided by DNA Landscapes:
Patios Coventry
, Patios Balsall Common
, Patios Bedworth
, Patios Bulkington
, Patios Burbage
, Patios Cawston
, Patios Dunchurch
, Patios Binley
, Patios Ryton-on-Dunsmore
, Patios Hinckley
, Patios Kenilworth
, Patios Leamington Spa
, Patios Long Itchington
, Patios Long Lawford
, Patios Nuneaton
, Patios Warwick
, Patios Rugby
, Patios Southam
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