Patio Preparation and Construction

Having an outdoor patio offers convenience and value for most homeowners, and can even raise the value of your home if you ever have to sell it. Even though constructing your own patio can be a costly, exhaustive and time-intensive experience, knowing how to prepare your yard and the process of creating the patio itself is invaluable in planning ahead. A landscaping professional can offer more helpful advice, so make sure to seek out a local landscaping when you’re ready to get a patio built.

Preparing for an outdoor patio requires the site to be surveyed and staked in order to take precise measurements. Preparing the sight correctly means that the layout is planned to take not just the length and width of the area, but also the landscape itself and the depth of the area, both of the patio and how deep the soil must be excavated in order to seat the patio’s slab. After the area is measured, a builder will break the ground and remove enough topsoil in order to securely seat the concrete slab that serves as the patio’s base. The equipment needed for an excavation depends on the size of the job – smaller patio areas may only need shovels for digging, while a larger project needs heavy equipment like a backhoe.

After an area is marked and the earth within is removed, a lumber frame is build in order to contain the concrete or cement used as the base. If materials like stone or brick are used, this will be placed on top of the base. Underneath the concrete slab is a material called “substrate,” which protects the slab from the earth underneath it.