Houston offers a wonderful environment for enjoying the outdoors most of the year. If you own your own home, adding a patio is a great idea to extend your indoor living space to the outdoors. Here are some patio building ideas for your house.

Take a quick tour of the outside of your home. You are looking for the best spot to place a patio. Look for an exterior entrance or a place where a door can fit without interfering with interior flow. Having a door on to the patio will allow easy access to this space from inside. Some houses have a natural point where building a patio makes sense. The door to the back yard or a large side yard is usually an ideal location.

What shapes can you consider for a patio? The most common shape for a patio is square or rectangular. This is the simplest shape to add to the side of a house, especially if you plan on enclosing it or covering it. However, you can go with just about any shape you like. Rounded edges can soften the lines of a patio and help it flow into flower beds or along the side of a pool.

Materials are another consideration when considering patio building ideas. Concrete is the most common material used as patio flooring. However, there is no need to go with a plain grey concrete slab. You can stain the concrete when it’s poured with just about any color you can imagine. You can also have the concrete stamped with subtle patterns to give it depth. If concrete is not in the budget or not the look you want, you can go with pavers, stone, compacted cobble, or sand.

The size of your patio depends completely on your desires, budget, lot space, and subdivision rules. Most home owners want to balance their patio space with yard space and garden areas. Plus, if you plan on enclosing it or providing a cover, a large patio space may be too cost prohibitive.

When you are thinking about a patio, think about adding permanent features to it when you are building. Do you want an outdoor kitchen? You will need water and electricity run to that area before pouring a slab. Thinking about these extras will make your new Houston patio something to remember.

See Texaspatiobuilder’s Patio Enclosures to get some ideas for your Houston Home.