Concrete Patio Designs...
enhance your patio and surroundings

It is important to choose the right material for your patio. Concrete patio designs may not always be the first choice for everyone, but with some careful planning and clever ideas available these days to really  "spice" concrete up, concrete patio designs can really set the style for your patio, giving it just the look you are seeking.

The material selection you decide on for your patio has a big impact on it's cost and as concrete is a very affordable option these days with the world economic meltdown that has all of us turning our cents around, concrete is increasingly popular here in sunny South Africa.

BUT, when you decide on the material to use, remember that your  patio must integrate to the rest of your home and surroundings. The harmonious flow of design and style between your house and your landscape is what adds real value to your home. So your choice must always consider this as the most important criteria.

Let's just quickly look at some of the benefits of concrete:

It's affordable.....

When you compare it to other materials, concrete is a very cost effective option.

It's easy to use.....

The ingredients consist of : sand and water (for patios you don't even require stone)

It's versatile.....

Concrete can be made into almost any shape or form; into any texture and colour.

It's energy efficient.....

Concrete has very good reflective properties, so it is slow to warm up, especially if used as the material for a patio, but then it also retains the heat so that you can enjoy the patio later in the evenings too.

It's durable.....

Concrete is extremely strong and durable and offers excellent life expectancy with low maintenance. It can also be recycled if not needed anymore.

Concrete offers much more than just a bland slab, as this photo clearly shows. It blends perfectly between the fish pond on the left and the lawn that expands all the way down to the river. It provides a stark contrast between the water and the green lawn which clearly defines the patio as just the place to come and relax with a book or magazine after an early morning ski on the river.

In fact, this stamped concrete looks almost identical to brick, but without the price. The only thing that distinguishes it from brick are the symmetrical lines running across the surface to prevent the concrete from cracking.

There is a huge range of concrete colours, textures and patterns available. And since concrete can fit any shape when poured, it is easy to use where there are different levels.

These can then easily be linked with steps as shown on this photo. The texture of the steps and the concrete compliment each other perfectly. The different sizes of the concrete patio slabs gives this contemporary patio an elegant look.

This concrete patio design shows the versatility of concrete. Just look at what the owner accomplished with his design.

Apart from the obvious of indicating in which direction you are looking, the colours blends into the garden and the rest of the patio design.

This also shows how easy it is to create patterns and dimension ~ by throwing the slab a little bit thicker, there is more contrast between the lawn and the slab.

And I still think the stamped compass just adds that little bit extra flair to this small addition to the larger patio. 

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