Integrating a patio with the house

This project is one that most households will be familiar with - extending the living space of the house into the garden through the creation of a patio area.

As the before and after pictures below show, it was not simply a question of laying slabs - the ground had to be properly prepared, and existing boundaries modified so as to provide a much more subtle blending of the hard area into the surrounding lawn.

The top photograph shows the importance of proportion. The width of the steps with adjoining stone walls has been set to the full width of the French windows to extend the house proportion into the new area and integrate both areas. Step widths should be generous.

I hope that these photographs show the benefits of having a professional design even for a small project such as a patio - where practically all of the labour can be done by the householder if they so desire.