Deck and Patio Planning and Designing

Patio Deck Plan and Design

Plans and designs of garden patios and decks in the past have been limited to basic wooden structures, sporadic stone placement, or slabs of concrete. However creative the ideas were – the design options just weren’t there.

Luckily for homeowners, planning and designing a patio deck is a completely different story these days, as paving stones allow for numerous opportunities for creative and stylish patios and decks that increase outdoor living space while adding unique style, beauty and value to any home. The creative patio deck design options desired by homeowners can finally be achieved with the help of interlocking pavers.

You're much more likely to spend time in a room that includes elements you love, such as your favorite colors, décor, or furniture. The same of course goes for patio and deck design, too. This is why the planning phase of any patio or deck design is so important.  

Patio Deck Design Plan

Your garden patio or deck design can serve several different functions, all depending on the planning phase. In addition, there are many pavement options available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, styles, and design possibilities. There are many things that must be considered during the planning phase to ensure that you end up with the perfect plan for the patio or deck design of your dreams.

Plan Deck or Patio Functions

Are you looking for a patio deck design plan that will allow you to enjoy meals and conversation with friends and family? Do you prefer a more secluded patio deck design that serves as a haven where you can enjoy some quiet time away from the worries? Or do you want your plan to turn your backyard into a tranquil spa, complete with a hot tub and shady cabana or a pergola?

Brainstorm as many patio and deck design ideas as you can, and consult with other members of your household as to just what they want from the patio or deck design as well. It is essential you plan this part out, even if you’re going to hire a designer. Planning out what you ultimately want from your patio or deck design is the only way to ensure that it turns out perfect once it’s installed.

Our professional design team will gladly help with ideas and assist you in determining what you want your patio or deck design plan to achieve. Please contact us at (818) 244-4000, or fill out a free design consultation request for any help you need with planning your patio or deck plan, as well as a free estimate!

Once you know what functions you want your deck or patio plan to serve, you can start thinking about choosing a pavement for the actual construction.

Plan Deck or Patio Pavement

The pavement you chose ultimately determines not only the beauty and uniqueness of your patio or deck design, but also its cost, durability, and ease of maintenance.

As a conscientious homeowner you want assurance that the pavement for your patio or deck design plan will look beautiful for a long time, require little maintenance, stand up to the weather, return it's cost to you, be easy to clean or repair, and compliment the design style of your home.

Where traditional decks and patios have been limited to brick, cobble, flag stone, wood or concrete slabs, the available choices for appearance, maintenance/reparability, and cost have been quite discouraging. Let’s take a look at our options.

Pavement Options

For more information and comparisons on the major pavements available, a complete pavement comparison guide can be found on our paving stone advantages page.

Wood Patio Deck Design

Few aspects of a home require as much maintenance as a wooden deck design. Their life span is usually referred to in terms of 10’s of years, and being constantly exposed to the elements a wood deck design needs sanding and requires treatment every year in order to maintain the desired look.

Concrete Patio Deck Design

Concrete is the most common pavement for patios and deck design, but it’s drawbacks in beauty, maintenance/reparability, and long term cost are seemingly endless. A "paving stone look" can be created by stamping concrete, but this offers none of pavers’ advantages in terms of strength, durability and reparability, or beauty. Patterns must be selected from existing stamps, and the colors often come out different than intended. Furthermore, by its nature, concrete shrinks and therefore cracks. Plastic-shrinkage cracks are immediately apparent, visible within 0 to 2 days of placement, while drying-shrinkage cracks develop over time. “Repairs” can be done, but patches and seems will probably leave the deck design looking worse than it was just with the crack.

Brick, Flag, and Cobble Stone Patio Deck Design

Brick, flag, and cobble stone are similar to pavers in the sense that they are modular units used to create a pavement surface. Their color, shape, and textures are very limited however, and unlike pavers they don’t offer the durability, resistance to gradual ground movement or earthquakes, or the reparability. On top of the above mentioned, brick, flag stone, and cobble stone still cost much more pr. sq/ft than pavingstone!

Paving Stone Patio Deck Design

The popularity of interlocking paving stones is sky-rocketing, and it's easy to understand why. The unlimited variations and styles available to paving stone’s texture, shape, and color blends are unrivaled by any other pavement. With recent advances in the skill and technique of laying pavers improving - combined with paving stone dropping in price - the unrivaled beauty, upkeep, and long-term cost efficiency of properly executed paving stone installations have started becoming very apparent.

Be sure and visit our paving stone gallery to get a better idea of the unique beauty and style paving stones offer.

Choosing a contractor

By this point you should have a good plan and a good idea of what you want your patio or deck design to achieve, which functions you would like it to serve, the pavement type you wish to use, and the appearance you would like it to have. Keep in mind that not all pavers are laid equally. Improper installations of paving stone lead to problems of their own - including cracking, loose and/or uneven pavers, and even installations so bad that they must be completely redone.

Paving Stone installations can and should outlive your home, so why waste time and money on general contractors when Southern California's leading paving stone installers are servicing your area, and more reasonable than our competitors?

Pacific Pavingstone is built on customer referrals who all say without hesitation that we're THE BEST! We have our own crews who have been trained by us to deliver the highest quality possible - with no subcontracting! - Our salesmen don't use gimmicks to get your business, such as marking the price up by 20-30% to give you a "special price if you buy today." We have been featured on HGTV, "Extreme Makeover Home Edition", and the Pasadena Showcase. We have been named one of America's Fastest Growing Privately-Owned Companies by Inc. 500 Magazine.

Don't take our word for it - talk to one of your neighbors. With over 1000 customer referrals, we can surely find someone near you who will be happy to tell you what it's like doing business with Pacific Pavingstone.

Contact us today to schedule your at-home design consultation with one of our experts.
Call Now: (818) 244-4000. Or fill out our online Estimate Request Form