A patio is a paved area adjoining a house which is used for dining and doing recreational activities. It is a roofless inner courtyard typical of a Spanish-style house. The material used to make these patios is bricks, tiles and stones. If you are looking forward to constructing a stone patio, then here are three steps which will ensure you the best.
Whenever you want a stone patio, you have to make sure that the installed stone has a concrete base. This is the first step towards achieving a stone patio. The concrete footing will increase the durability of the stone and will give you great finish for years. If your contractor is trying to avoid the concrete base, you must give him/her a red flag. This shows that the contractor is trying to deceive you. Sadly most of the contractors try to avoid such an important thing. Now that you are aware of this, you can snub your contractor at that moment. This concrete is very important because after a few years your stone should be able to withstand erosion, changing climate and soil movement. If you are tight on budget then you can use this method. But it would just give you a few years of non-cracked stone.
The 2nd step involves hiring a well-informed masonry contractor/service provider. Before hiring one of these, do a little bit of research. A good masonry contractor will be able to tell you about the concrete chemicals and technology. Technology in this case has really taken a huge step. Within the past few years’ concrete additives and mixes have really changed in terms of technology. Because of such advances, old problems have been resolved. A contractor who is not aware and does not talk about such things, then he/she should completely be given a red flag. Mixing concrete with other materials is like mixing cake mix together, you are required to get the ingredients right and mix them together. Discuss it out with your contractor and test his/her knowledge.
The last step includes taking reviews. Before hiring your contractor, check for reviews of his work done. You can ask him for his website. Also take reviews from people in your neighborhood etc. This will give you a clear view bout his/her work. Even if you slightly feel that the contractor’s previous customers were not satisfied with the work, give him a red flag. This type of contractor still comes under learner’s stage.
Therefore by following all these points you will be getting your desired concrete patio installation. If you keep these three simple points in mind, you can achieve a great deal of work. A stone patio gives a very updated look to your house. Most of the stone patios these days are made from tiles as they are easy to install. There are beautiful tiles that resemble stone for half the price. Remember this is your patio, pick out what you want and don’t let your contractor sway you from your decision because it may be more work for him.
Once you have your stone patio set up, it is easy to add an outdoor kitchen, with a large gas grill, an outdoor fireplace, perhaps some really comfy bar stools and let’s don’t forget the chaise lounge (which is my favorite place after work).