The lower-level of my house has a walk-out to a concrete patio. The patio spans across the entire width of the house. The concrete is cracked and pitted throughout so I am having this completely removed. There is a 2nd-level deck on the floor above that currently covers half of the patio. On the patio underneath the deck is a wooden shed that is also being removed.
I am looking for suggestions for what to do once I remove the concrete. i.e. Should I replace with:
Sand and pea-gravel with either patio stones or interlocking stones on top?
Pour a new concrete patio?
Something else?
The space under the deck will be mostly in the shade so I’m thinking perhaps A-gravel in that section. In future, maybe a hot tub under the deck but I suppose this would need concrete underneath and then probably something to redirect the water from dripping onto the hot tub.
Most of our gatherings and our BBQ grill will be on the upper-level deck. Outside the walkout on the lower level, I would like just a small area (maybe 8 ft by 10ft) for a small table and maybe a couple of chairs. In the middle of the yard, we’ll likely have a firepit and then eventually hot tub under the deck. I just don’t know if I should go with patio stones or full-on concrete patio or grass or some other combination to replace the current concrete.
I just had my back patio done with pavers and the layer they put underneath so the weeds don’t grow up in between and it looks great. My neighbor has the pea gravel and some big blocks interspaced and if you try and sit out there it’s a huge pain in the ass.
If it’s just an area to lounge at I would go pavers or concrete. Something like gravel will be a PITA like someone else mentioned to mess with chairs and a table. It’ll also be painful if you’re walking around barefoot.
You can always do decorative concrete so it’s not just a generic grey slab which can give it a really nice ambiance.
I did check on the option of raising and resurfacing the existing concrete but it’s too far gone. I believe under the deck is wasted space: it doesn’t get a lot of sunlight maybe some kind of heavy duty landscape fabric, sand and rocks will keep the weeds at bay.
The lower-level of my house has a walk-out to a concrete patio. The patio spans across the entire width of the house. The concrete is cracked and pitted throughout so I am having this completely removed. There is a 2nd-level deck on the floor above that currently covers half of the patio. On the patio underneath the deck is a wooden shed that is also being removed.
I am looking for suggestions for what to do once I remove the concrete. i.e. Should I replace with:
Sand and pea-gravel with either patio stones or interlocking stones on top?
Pour a new concrete patio?
Something else?
The space under the deck will be mostly in the shade so I’m thinking perhaps A-gravel in that section. In future, maybe a hot tub under the deck but I suppose this would need concrete underneath and then probably something to redirect the water from dripping onto the hot tub.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, @Kid
Pavers
More unique than concrete and will outlive it as well.
Brick pavers set on aggregate and sand base. When done properly it will last forever and there are lots of color and pattern options to make it unique.
I had originally had that weird curvy concrete and then grass and I have them rip out the grass and put in the pavers. The first guy did a crappy job and didn’t put the layer down that keeps the weeds from coming up between the pavers and not enough sand and it look like shit so I had it redone. The second guy did the job the right way and was actually cheaper. This is from today.
