Patio Furniture and More

Many new homeowners suddenly find themselves with bare, small concrete pads and patios by front, side, or rear entryways that are functional but lacking a bit in flair. While your landscpaing options are a bit limited to the small space you have to work with, below are some quick and easy ways to spruce up that small patio and add some visual pop to your home:

Color is Your Friend: Bare concrete may be functional but it’s far from sexy. Consider staining or painting the concrete (be sure to use a paint that will hold up to outdoor foot traffic) a complementary color to your house.

You can also add a quick splash of color with potted plants or flowers, or, if you’re more ambitious, add in-ground plants or flowers around the patio. Since it’s a small area you’re usually not talking about a huge number of plants or long hours with the shovel and hauling mulch.

Tiling is Far From Rocket Science: This depends on your comfort level with DIY projects, but it’s often a surprisingly easy and affordable job to add slate tile or patio stone to a small concrete patio, dramatically increasing the visual appeal. Since you’re working with a small space it’s not as intimidating as tiling job might otherwise be, and slate tile or patio stone is reasonably inexpensive.

Trees and Shrubs Can Shrink Your House: Small patios at entryways often are dwarfed by the house as a whole, especially with two story homes, as they look particularly small and silly compared to the house.

Consider planting some small trees or shrubs beside the patio to blunt the intimidating height of the house. This serves to visually blend the two elements together, making your house and patio appear to more harmoniously co-exist. If you’re planting close to the house, though, stick to dwarf tree varieties or trees that are easily trimmed, as you don’t want the tree crowding the house as it grows over the years.