Gardenseeker offers a few words of advice for those contemplating designing their own patio.

When you choose your paving for the patio, try to see it laid somewhere in a real life situation. Don't buy on the basis of catalogue pictures. The colours are not always true; catalogue patios are often set up in a photographic studio, where the lighting will enhance the texture of the slab.

You will rarely see a patio picture in a catalogue, without some form of planting design around the edges. The art director knows that this enhances the effect of the paving - learn from this.

There is no need to stick to one type of paving or surface in the design - experiment. Pebbles, gravels, bricks and tiles, can all be incorporated. A contrasting brick edge can also be effective.

Generally, it is better to choose a colour that contrasts or compliments, when the patio is laid near to the house. Do not try to match the colour of the brickwork for instance. (Dark brickwork - light paving and visa versa). Dark colours are less reflective and are therefore not so much of problem in terms of 'glare'. Do not underestimate the effect of glare.

Make your patio user-friendly. A darker slab will also feel much warmer (or hotter) than a lighter slab, and will retain - and radiate heat well into the evening after the sun has disappeared.

The sizes of paving slabs are usually given in 'nominal' measurements. Bear this in mind when you first design your patio area. The measurement includes the pointing which you are going to have to do - usually a 10mm allowance. This is important to bear in mind if you decide for some reason to butt your slabs together instead of pointing them.

A 600x600mm slab will probably be only 590x590mm in real life. If you make provision for a 12 slab run of butted slabs, you will end up 120mm short (5 inches). This can be quite upsetting.

Alternatively, if your jointing/pointing is nearer to 20mm wide, then you can end up 120mm (5 inches) over your estimate on a twelve slab run. (Even more upsetting!)

With some of the riven/york finish slabs, it is virtually impossible to provide the 8-10mm joints advocated in some catalogues when laying the slabs - especially if using a combination of sizes for a random rectangular effect, unless you simply dribble sand down the gaps. (This is quite acceptable in some instances).

It is a good idea to lay some of your slabs out on some level ground, to get the feel of them and assess joint width.

If using a random rectangular pattern design to lay your patio, then make sure that you choose paving which work within the pattern. The relevant sizes will have to be in multiples of the smallest dimension. For instance, 300x300mm, 600x300mm, and 600x600mm will form a 'random rectangular' bond, but you will not be able to include 450x450mm. To use the 450x450mm slabs within a pattern you will have to incorporate them with 225x225mm, 225x450 and possibly 450x675.

Make a laying plan, or get a ready-made 'pattern-sheet' from your supplier which will have various random patterns printed out. I find that for laying 'three-size' patterns, a ratio of say 30:60:35 of 600x600mm : 600x300mm : 300x300 respectively, works out fine. `Random' it may look, but plan it to look that way!

This article originally appeared on the website www.gardenseeker.com as part of a larger article. Please see external link.

The article Designing a patio originally appeared on 999 Today