How to Construct a Courtyard

Select a location for your courtyard and wall it in if it is not a space already surrounded by buildings. Use hedges, fencing or brick to wall in any open sides on your space. Add ivy, grapes or other climbing plants to cover fences or walls with greenery or paint the walls to match the home's exterior so that the outer perimeter is cohesive.

Lay a floored entertainment area. Choose a design that will contain and complement the shape of the outdoor furniture you intend to place in the space. Begin by levelling the area: layer with an inch or more of compacted sand that you throw down in layers and tamp with your feet, a tamping tool or a lawn roller and then level by dragging a 2-by-4 over the surface to smooth it. Lay the brick or concrete-tile flooring on your level surface, which places your entertainment area typically in the center of the courtyard or against the living space. Add a wedge of cement around the outside edge of your flooring to help keep it in place.

Add outdoor accessories to the floored area to create a comfortable entertaining space. Added items such as outdoor fireplaces, pergolas or gazebos, tables and chairs.

Add decorative features in large open spaces in the courtyard, such as bird baths, fountains, raised growing platforms, ponds, benches and statues, to create subsections of your courtyard.

Lay walkways that adjoin the main sections of your courtyard. Use paving stones or brick to set down pathways in the courtyard according to your design.

Plant the garden areas of your courtyard. Mixing decorative and consumable vegetation will offer variety. Select a mixture of warm and cold weather plants, so that they will bloom at different times keeping your garden attractive longer.