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Patio inspiration/help needed

jazminenjazminen Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hello all, needing inspiration how best to extend a patio. Will be relaying paving and need to extend about a meter (maybe just in the middle part?), any creative/simple to do yourself solutions? Thank you!

Posts

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I couldn’t unpack the photo. Perhaps you could upload it using the ‘postcard with mountain’ symbol.
    Rutland, England
  • jazminenjazminen Posts: 5

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I used to have an old patio of concrete slabs
    To extend it cheap n cheerful I removed the grass and laid a weed membrane, edged the boundary with bricks and filled it with white gravel




    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Is it a question of budget or not finding the same stone colour?

    You could also just leave wider gaps between each stone and fill them with setts or gravel or lay them with the usual spacing but leaving some slab sized holes or one big one, filled with earth and/or compost in which you can plant aromatic herbs or plants.

    If you give those slabs a good clean with a Karcher pressure washer you may well find you can source something similar in colour and texture to fill the extra space.  It'll weather again soon enough and any difference will not be glaring for long.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • jazminenjazminen Posts: 5
    edited March 2021
    Thanks @Pete.8 that looks quite good. We're gonna extend the house in the future so no point spending £ on re-doing the patio now, so looking for a quick fix to make it more usable!
  • jazminenjazminen Posts: 5
    @Obelixx, thanks that's a great idea. The existing slabs are not particularly nice but we'll get the whole garden redone when we've done the house extension, so we're looking for a cheap n cheerful solution now that we can realistically do ourselves!
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I think Obelixx's idea of spacing out the existing slabs with gravelled ares between would look really good if you intend to re lay them.
    My way was easier but not as pretty.
    You could try this to clean up the slabs-
    https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005IW4GWI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    I was dubious that it would work well, but I used it 10 days ago and the results are impressive.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • jazminenjazminen Posts: 5
    is gravel difficult to maintain? Is there a difference in terms of maintenance with gravel and pebbles? Want to put a table and chairs on it, so needs to be stable etc. Thanks!
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    No maintenance needed.
    I put down Cotswold Chippings which are quite large.
    If you go for pea shingle it will be much smaller and easier under foot. 
    I have had a table and chairs on mine and it was fine.
    If it gets a bit uneven, it just takes 1 minute with a rake to sort out

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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