Ideas for a Walkout Basement Patio

Coffee and Wine Patio Bistro

• Create a space to begin the day with a nice cup of coffee and croissant, and a glass of wine, crackers and cheese at the end the day. Design the patio to create your very own personal outdoor bistro. If the patio has an existing concrete base consider staining the concrete in to give it a distinctive look. If the foundation for the patio has not yet been laid, think about using flagstone or pavers to make it special and different from what everybody else on the block is using. Shop outdoor gardening furniture stores to find just the right bistro table and chair set to make your coffee and wine patio unique. Or take an afternoon and repaint a great find of wooden or metal chairs you run across at a yard sale or resale store. Make custom cushions in your favorite colors, textures and fabric designs. The more you do to personalize your coffee and wine patio bistro, the more inclined you will be to enjoy it.

Water Feature

• Add a water feature to the walkout patio to make it unique, calming and a private retreat. This can be a simple, do-it-yourself weekend project. Select a ready-made cement fountain that only needs water. This will attract birds to the space. Attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the patio by planting purple coneflower and butterfly bushes. You can also make a more elaborate water feature by using a small, prefabricated water pool purchased from a garden center or home improvement store. Consider adding koi fish to make a small water pond.

Railroad Tie Bed and Border

• Use railroad ties to define a space for a small garden. Use creativity in the lengths and layout. For example, cut ties in lengths of 4 to 6 feet and buttress them together to form a square or triangle. Use the ties to form different shapes and spaces, and create raised bed gardens. One space can be for flowers, another for vegetables and another to grow fresh herbs.

Grass, Foliage and Flower Borders

• As an alternative to a stone paver border, you can create a "live border." Use plants and foliage to define the end of patio space. Use tall growing plants like daylilies to give the border color and height. Save space to plant tulips, iris and freesia bulbs to add fragrance and welcome spring. Use annual flowers like petunias to provide a splash of color in summer. Or, you can create a "green," foliage-only border by using hosta, coleus or dwarf varieties of grasses such as fountain grass, feather reed grass or Japanese blood grass.

Paver Pathways

• Add distinction to the patio by using brick, flagstone or concrete pavers to create pathways. They can be laid, formally with a cement grout, or placed right on top of grass with 3 to 4 inches left between each paver for a natural look. The pathways can lead to other areas in the backyard, and to navigate footsteps of family members and guests to the patio area from a side-fence entrance to the backyard.