Are you thinking about extending your living space by using more of your front or back yards? No doubt that adding living space will require additional patio for dining or other recreational use. What are my choices you may be asking yourself…well, please allow me to assist here and give you numerous options. We’ll touch upon what materials we can use, the differences in cost, and longevity & maintenance. The two most popular “flatwork” options besides standard grey concrete are pavers and flagstone. There are of course others like: exposed aggregate & stamped or stained concrete, travertines, saltillo & other tiles, canterra & Durango stones, and acrylic coatings to name the most popular. These half dozen options represent about 95 percent of what people are using for patio extensions. We’ll concentrate on the three most popular.

Pavers are probably today’s most popular flatwork option. First of all the word “paver” is the generic term for that type of material. There are dozens of companies throughout Arizona and the United States that manufacture their own brand of paver. Here in the valley there are companies like: Belgard, Arizona Block, Phoenix Pavers, Acker Stone, Pavestone (sold at Home Depot) & Artistic Pavers just to name a handful of the most popular. Besides coming in different colors, they come in different sizes, thickness, standard or tumbled, and multiple pieces to create patterns for artistic flair. Standard pavers have very clean edges, where a tumbled paver edge is “roughed up” to give it more of the old world, Tuscan look. The cost of pavers in my opinion is the best overall value and ranges anywhere from $5 to $9 per square foot depending on how much you are installing and the type of paver you choose. The sub base is compacted using a material called ABC and then a layer of sand ranging from 3’4” to 1 ½ inches deep is applied, graded, and set. The edge of your patio known as the border or soldier course is set with mortar to keep the main area from falling apart on itself. Sand is applied to the finished patio by brooming and watering which helps it set up nicely for heavy traffic. A good paver with the proper installation should last 15 to 20 years with little difficulty. Negatives…hot under foot and patio has to be periodically re-sanded when rain washes some of it away.

Flagstone is also extremely popular. It comes in a variety of colors, can be mortar or sand set, saw cut (clean look) or snap cut (a more rustic look), and more than 90 percent of the flagstone we use is quarried right here in northern Arizona in a place called Ashfork. Flagstone is commonly used for BBQ counters, wall & pillar caps, and step stones to name a few other uses. Flagstone costs between $10 & $14 per square foot, depending on the type of flagstone chosen, and cleans up nicely with a strong hose or power washer. Flagstone is not a DIY project. It takes a true artisan to work and lay the stone for a professional look. Negatives…warm under foot and grout joints have a tendency to “spider crack” away from the stone while the patio settles. Joints may have to be re-grouted once or twice during its’ life span and lasts 15 – 20 years.

Concrete products give you a wide variety of looks. There are broom & salt finishes. You can add color or use an exposed aggregate (small rocks in the concrete mix). You can stain existing concrete yourself for about $1 per square foot with products found at any home improvement center. You can stamp concrete (during the install) with a variety of patterns and colors, or use an acrylic topping to create a variety of different looks. Acrylic finishes get applied over existing or new concrete and of course the most popular is the standard “kool deck” finish around our pools. There are acrylic coatings that can mimic old stone, flagstone, or saltillo tile to name a few. Standard grey concrete is between $4 & $5 per square foot depending on quantity installed. If you already have concrete and just want to spruce it up, coatings range between $4 & $6 per square foot depending on the pattern chosen. If you are starting from scratch and need to pour concrete and then add the coating, your starting cost will be at least $7.50 per square foot and can be as high as $11 per square foot. That’s why pavers are my flatwork recommendation when possible because you can’t beat the price point and overall beauty. Negatives…costly if you don’t already have concrete, and it also has a tendency to crack with our expansive soils here in the valley. Lastly…not easily repaired if it does.

If you have any questions on patio extensions, or are looking for a quality landscape contractor for your yard makeover, please contact me personally for a complimentary consultation. We offer a free landscape design on an approved budget! Remember…when it comes time to designing & building great landscape, it all starts with a master plan!

In all the years I have been a practicing landscape contractor, I don’t think I have ever come across a potential client that does not like a good water feature if it’s in the budget. Even if it’s out of their budget, everyone I meet would love to have one. There is nothing like the beauty of a custom water feature and the tranquil sounds they make. An artistic and strategically placed water feature will lull even the most restless to sleep. Having two on my own property, I can really relate to that. With our great weather that allows us to have the windows open for many months of the year, hearing the sound of running water as you travel from one room to another…well…there is nothing like it, especially at night when going to bed. What a great way to relax and doze off! They compliment any backyard recreational space and add great curb appeal if placed in the front yard. You just can’t go wrong with a good water feature. Each creates its own unique sound, so there really are dozens of audible options to choose from like splashing, trickling, cascading, etc.

If this is something you have thought about for a while and are ready to move forward, please keep the following things in mind. There are two ways to go about it….cheap and prefab, or custom and more expensive. As with just about anything in life, you get what you pay for. You can purchase a small, pre-cast feature that you simply place in the yard, fill it with water, and plug it in. You may be able to find something halfway decent in this department between $500 – $1000. There is no need to call a professional for this type of feature. Just a credit card and a small pick up truck and you are good to go. If you don’t have electric in the vicinity where you plan on placing it, there will be an additional expense here. Also, if you want to set up an auto-fill so you don’t have to manually fill it with water, this again will add to the overall cost. I would budget $1,300 for a prefabricated feature, which includes the water & electric run. You should be able to find something that will suit your needs in this price range without breaking the bank.

The most common water features today are made from scratch using a detailed plan drawn by a good designer. They have all the bells and whistles to keep them as low maintenance as possible, but all water features require a little bit of upkeep and TLC. Materials available for fabrication can be block, metal, stone, tile, etc. They usually operate on a timer identical to what you would find by your pool equipment that can turn it on and off at specified times. It operates on 110V electrical power using a GFCI circuit, has a water run for the auto-fill and a pump to re-circulate the water. You can add other accessories such as lighting and remote controls. You are only limited to your imagination here. Custom water features truly require a professional to be built properly. As a landscape contractor and a person who has design & installed hundreds over the years, I have learned to avoid the pitfalls that an average do-it yourselfer would make. A well designed, custom water feature usually starts at about $3,000 to about $6,000 on average, although I have done a few over the years for over $10,000. Material options available today and the complexity of the build are what drives price.
Every water feature poses its own construction challenges and requires a little upkeep like your pool. A chlorine tablet in the pond keeps the algae down during the majority of the year; although you may need some algaecide during the summer months when the water temperature is excessively warm. If a water feature is on your landscape wish list, may I remind you to always start with a master plan, as I have talked about in previous articles. If you do things one at a time without a master plan, you will only end up with a finished product that looks like it was done in many stages and not necessarily all by the same person. Continuity and flow are the primary components of a good plan.

If you have any questions on water features, or are looking for a quality landscape contractor for your yard makeover, please contact me personally for a complimentary and professional consultation. We offer a free landscape design on an approved budget!

So remember…when it comes time to designing & building a good water feature, sometimes you just have to go with the flow!