A patio not only boosts your house’s appearance but gives you an outdoor space to relax and enjoy. A new patio installation plan comes with the cost of materials, labor of patio builders, and more, which can make a dent in your budget or savings. Let’s discuss how to keep the patio costs lower.
Choose Low-Cost Patio Material
The primary factor that impacts the cost of your new patio is the choice of material. There are different types of patio materials and their prices vary. We’re listing popular patio materials from the cheapest to the most expensive.
- Pea gravel: This is the cheapest patio material. It’s a large amount of loose and smooth pea-sized stones. As they are loose, you don’t need to set or install them and can DIY the process easily, saving up on the labor cost as well. Moreover, the longevity of a pea gravel patio matches other durable materials like concrete and stone.
- Poured or stamped concrete: Concrete is the cheapest hard-surface patio material and also the most low-maintenance. Poured concrete is a paste of crushed stones, sand, gravel, and other materials. Freshly poured concrete that is stamped with flexible polyurethane stamps for colors is stamped concrete. Poured concrete costs lower than stamped concrete but both are low-cost and durable choices.
- Concrete pavers: Concrete can be manufactured into stones and installed as pavers. As concrete costs less, its pavers are also affordable. The benefit of pavers is that if one or a few cracks, the damaged pavers can be replaced without affecting the whole patio. They are less durable than poured or stamped concrete as they are more prone to water damage.
- Bricks: Bricks offer a classic patio appearance. You can try different styles and patterns of bricks for installation. For a lesser cost, look for salvaged bricks. Like pavers, cracked or damaged bricks can be replaced with new ones.
- Stone: Stone patios usually cost the most, however, the final cost depends on the stone. Slate, bluestone, flagstone, and limestone are usually employed for patios.
The Construction Method
A patio needs a foundation to stand on. You can select from four common patio construction methods:
- Sand foundation for a flat patio: The cheapest foundation is sand but it’s not preferred by contractors due to its many disadvantages. Plus, better and cheap methods are available.
- Gravel foundation for a flat patio: This is a better and more durable foundation for flat patios. An 8-10 inches layer of gravel is used as a foundation. It also gives your patio materials like pavers to contract and expand with weather conditioners and still stay firmly in place.
- Concrete foundation for an elevated patio: For backyards and landscape designs with stairs and elevation, concrete foundations are cheap and durable. The foundation is made similar to adding a room to a house. Concrete is poured to level with the house and patio installed on it.
- Wood porch for an elevated patio: Wood porch is considered more affordable than concrete for elevated patios.
Choose A Level Location
Patios can’t be made on slopes so extra labor and cost will be required to make the surface level and then build a patio. So, to lower the costs, choose a level location.
Get The Material In The Off-Season
If you want to save money on your patio construction, choose low-cost material like concrete or pea gravel and buy it in the off-season which is usually winter. Prices of these materials and you may even get a discount.
Moreover, reusing materials can save you the whole cost of the patio material. This is true for homeowners who are upgrading their backyard and reusing material from an old pathway or something similar.
Avoid DIY
Laying a patio yourself may save you money, but it’s not a good idea unless you’re installing a gravel patio. A patio laid by an expert will be sturdier and more long-lasting than one laid by a seasoned DIYer. Plus, pros will finish the process quickly and smoothly.
Conclusion
Installing a backyard patio won’t be a big burden with respect to the cost if you make decisions wisely and follow the above tips. Get patio contractors Long Island to give you more advice for cutting the costs of new patio construction.