36 DIY Patio Ideas to Transform Your Backyard

How to Build a Patio Guide in 5 Steps Speaking of, take a peek at our favorite front door awning ideas, too. Once you’ve selected your design and set your foundation, you can begin to place your pavers. Discovery family, is the premier home lifestyle and entertainment brand on cable TV, in streaming on discovery+ and Max, in stores, and online here at HGTV.com. We offer home design, garden and how-to ideas, inspiration and advice based on our brand’s 30 years of expertise and experience. Learn more about us, our editorial standards and our gardening experts.

Look at the Smallest of Spaces

Once you have figured out the location and know you won’t hit any cables, use stakes and string to make an outline of your patio’s area. The size and complexity of a patio determine how much time and work it will take to build. Before beginning the process, determine the necessary quantity based on the size of your patio. If necessary, seek professional guidance to ensure the building of a stunning and useful patio. Prioritize safety when working at heights on a patio renovation by using strong ladders or scaffolding.

Before putting down the concrete pavers, plan how you are going to place the paver stones.To keep the patio flush with the yard, you’ll have to dig out about 10 in.Make sure to wear safety glasses and gloves when cutting to avoid injury.With the help of natural stone, brick, or concrete slabs, you’re just one weekend away from a serious DIY backyard upgrade.Compared to hiring help, DIY installation provides major cost savings.

Click to find out more To screed the sand for leveling, start at one end and place the screed (or 2×4’) on top of the pipes. If it isn’t, which is likely, use the tamper tool/ plate compactor to tamp down the soil. These extra leveling strings will help considerably when you are leveling the inner portion of the patio space. At this point, you should add additional stakes through the middle of the patio. Work front to back and left to right, then tie strings where the other strings meet.

Choose Alternative Furniture Materials

Establish the patio height with strings stretched across the edges of the patio. Set the strings parallel to the gravel base and at a height equal to the thickness of a brick (not a stone) plus a 1-in. The next step in the project is to lay the stone border.

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Decide on the highest point of your patio and raise the form to that level. Drive a deck screw through the stake and into the form to lock it in position. Use a 48-inch level or a laser level to ensure that the entire perimeter of the form is level. Double-check that the top edges of the form boards are level with each other. Use a trowel to level the sand in the nooks and crannies around the perimeter. When you run the compactor over the bricks to seat them in a later step, they’ll settle down flush with the stone.