Have you put in a patio?

[nicole]

The patio DH and I have been thinking about installing has morphed from a simple rectangular concrete slab to something that I'm fearing will cost a LOT lot more! I'm interested to find out what kind of creative things other CCers have done.

So if you've installed a patio, please share your pictures, what materials were used, size, cost, whether your project was DIY or hired out, and/or anything else you think might be helpful!

[dal]

We had a concrete slab when we moved in. It was old and not level anymore when we moved in so we replaced it. We were originally going to just put another concrete slab to keep the costs down BUT we got estimates for pavers as well and it didn't cost that much more to put in pavers (i forget the actual numbers but it was about $400 more for the pavers I think). We had masons do the job. That said, it is a small patio at the bottom of our deck.

[~queen~]

We added a patio to my previous home we just sold. It was standard paver material (not the expensive kind!) and had curves, a seating wall and a step down circular dining area. Size-wise, I *think* it was 16X25???? It was professionally done for about $15k - which included the vinyl steps.

http://images1.snapfish.com/348%3C9939%3B%7Ffp347%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E36%3A%3E%3B% 3B4%3EWSNRCG%3D32339%3A7659856nu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/348%3C9939%3B%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E36%3A%3E%3B% 3B4%3EWSNRCG%3D32339%3A7659857nu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/348%3C9939%3B%7Ffp347%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E36%3A%3E%3B% 3B4%3EWSNRCG%3D32339%3A7659854nu0mrj

[boilermaker]

We put in a small (maybe 10x10?) brick patio just as a placeholder until we figured out what we really want to do with the area. We did it 100% by ourselves over two long weekends. It wasn't too difficult top do and we've been happy with it. Overall cost to us was maybe $200 but we got the bricks for free. So all we had to pay for was the base gravel, the base and filler sand and the mulch around it. Here's a pic from when we first did it. We've since added landscaping to it but have yet to do anything about the ugly builders' steps.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/144870410_bba12e4bb9.jpg?v=0

[FallingforPhil]

We put in a patio at our old (tiny) house. It was a veeeery tiring project, but I was very pleased with how it turned out. It's nothing fancy (I'm almost embarassed to post) but it served its purpose. Please excuse the multi-color paint--we were also in the process or repainting the exterior.

I think we spent under $500 for an 8x14 space. DH and I, along with his brother, did the entire project in 3 days.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/375017332_3368f7aca3.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/375020053_838ddbdbc4.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/375017327_bc18a6353c.jpg?v=0

[semily24]

We had a small concrete slap when we moved in, and no front walkway. We hired some guys to put in a flagstone patio and walk in the spring. It cost $3000, which I think was a steal! I'd like to have them come back this year and build a small wall around the patio.

http://images1.snapfish.com/34936964%3B%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3238%3E282%3E287%3EWSNR CG%3D323356838%3A%3A%3B5nu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/34936965%3B%7Ffp339%3Enu%3D3238%3E282%3E287%3EWSNR CG%3D3233753%3A48%3A49nu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/34936965%3B%7Ffp339%3Enu%3D3238%3E282%3E287%3EWSNR CG%3D323375936%3A%3A%3A%3Cnu0mrj

http://images1.snapfish.com/34936965%3B%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3238%3E282%3E287%3EWSNR CG%3D3233759382569nu0mrj

[nicole]

Thanks for the posts, ladies! Any more?

Also, if you have flagstones, bricks, or another uneven surface, does it bother you walking in the patio? Like is it uncomfortable or do you catch your toe and fall? That's definitely something I would do :p

[mkvh]

We did DIY flagstone this past summer. But I don't have pics because we finished just in time for the first snowfall--it took eons. It's about 700sq ft, all concrete set and mortared. We paid abou $2k for the flagstone (but had about 25-33% more than we needed) plus the cost of the gravel base and the rental for a tamper. We saved over $1k getting the flagstone at cost from a landscaper and about $2k for labor for installation.

As for the walking, I'll let you know in a month or 2!