Patio Extension Ideas

Informal Pea Stone or Mulched Seating Area

• Perhaps your patio space is consumed with your barbecue and dining table, with little room for casual seating or chaises. Consider adding an informal, pea stone or mulched annex to your patio. Choose a side of the patio to extend from and excavate down about six inches. Place a perimeter border of either landscape ties or pavers to hold the material in place; add your crushed stone or mulching.

Fireplace or Fire Pit Area

• Create a warm, cozy fire pit area off the main portion of your patio. For a fire pit, the base material can be as simple as a large circle of crushed stone centered with a brick or stone fire pit. Consider using pavers in a large circle pattern for the patio material. Use two tones of paver colors for the inner and outer circles for contrast and interest. Border some of your patio extension area with 2-foot walls for casual seating around the fire. Build a corner fireplace on a dry laid paver or flag stone extension.

Hot Tub Patio

• Hot tubs can take up a lot of patio area. An option to deal with the congestion on your main patio area is to build a patio extension for your hot tub. You can keep the existing material theme--concrete, pavers, brick or block-- or define the area with a different material. Make sure the base material is level and can handle the weight of a hot tub full of people and water. Concrete is fairly inexpensive and easily leveled, where as dry set pavers may have a tendency to shift. Create the extension with a privacy screen, either natural shrubs or with fencing.

Zen Garden Patio

• Create a short pathway from your existing patio to a peaceful patio area. Surround the extension with arborvitaes to inhibit noise. Construct your patio out of bluestone, brick, or consider installing grass paver grates. This product has cut-outs within each block, allowing grass to grow through the holes. Build a small rock waterfall in a corner or a stone fountain for the center. Offset from the hustle and bustle of the main patio, a peaceful extension can be a place to escape to.