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Design Your Patio with Natural Stone
Today’s homeowners are increasingly interested in ways to expand their living space past the interior of the home. One way to create a great outdoor living space is by adding a patio. It is an exterior space that can be used for entertaining, dining, family fun and even sustainable living.
As a Florida resident with a small home, I count on my patio year round. Whether it’s listening to the birds chirp in the Spring on a Sunday morning while enjoying a cup of coffee, throwing a dinner party under the stars during the Summer, or toasting s’mores around the fire pit in the Fall, a patio can be a multi-season recreation center. It’s that extra room in the house that can provide hours of enjoyment and where you’ll constantly find yourself.
From a design standpoint, a patio should be designed to enhance the style of your home and garden, and can also serve to define different areas of your yard. When thinking about the type of patio that’s right for your home, consider your existing architecture first. For example, a colonial-style home might mesh well with a brick patio, or if the budget permits bluestone or slate pavers offer a refined classic look. If you have a contemporary-style home, poured concrete might give you the look you want. Then, take into account how you want to use the space and what features, such as grill islands, wet bars, and water / fire features, will be must haves. When looking to add features to your outdoor space, weigh your options between what you and your friends and family will get the most enjoyment from against the perceived value being created by that feature. Outdoor kitchens and water features generally hold value exceptionally well, whereas you can easily go overboard with upgrading a grill which might not hold its value as evenly over time.
One type of material that is popular to use when designing a patio is natural stone. A natural stone patio is a durable option that will blend well with your backyard. Natural stone can be used as flooring, knee walls, and in a number of popular features including outdoor kitchens and fireplaces. Some popular natural stone flooring choices include slate, quartzite, bluestone and limestone. Products like Norstone’s Stacked Stone Rock Panel and Basalt Interlocking Tiles are excellent options for wall sections, including grill islands, water features, and fire pits. The trend with outdoor living spaces and natural stone patios is to include luxury elements, anything from built in gas fire features to wood fired pizza ovens, with premium finishes like stacked stone, granite, and marble, to enhance the space and create that “wow” factor.
A stacked stone patio will also add a touch of elegance and a contemporary vibe that more basic building materials like stucco or brick might lack. A natural stone veneer patio will also last longer and hold its color better than manmade materials. However, remember that whatever material you decide is best for your patio, you are sure to enjoy the space, simply by being able to step outside the hustle and bustle of the house and enjoy life outside four walls and a roof. So, get outside, take a deep breath, and take advantage of the outdoors!
