A Guide to Laying Patios

Types

• Patio types can be determined by the materials used to construct a patio, as well as how the patio lies in relation to the normal ground level. Raised patios are generally constructed against houses and stand a few inches to a few feet above the surface of the ground. Ground-level patios usually measure no more than a couple of inches above the ground surface, or lie flush with the ground level.

Materials

• Brick, cut stone, natural stone and patio pavers provide the easiest to install patio surfaces, requiring only that you excavate, level and set the pieces into place, with either sand or mortar to fill the joints. Concrete patios, however, require building a frame, pouring and smoothing the wet concrete.

Specifications

• Regardless of whether you build your patio at ground-level, raised, from concrete, brick or stone, you must put a slope in your patio to prevent damage. This is especially important in patios placed against homes, which require a downward slope of one-fourth inch per one-foot of the patio's width or length, away from the home.