Too Big is Better Than Too Small: I’ve never heard anyone complain that their finished patio was too large, while it’s very common totalk to disappointed homeowners that are happy with their new patio but surprised it seems so small, when it’s filled with patio furniture and plants.

It’s easy enough to buy more furniture or plants to fill out space, but much harder to expand your patio once it’s built. If you plan on having parties and entertaining friends, you should shoot for a minimum patio size of 500 sq. ft. If you already know what patio furniture you’ll buy or already have it, drag it out into the area where you plan the patio to be. If it helps you visualize the space, spray paint the grass or lay garden hoses out so that you can see roughly how big the patio will be with your furniture in place.

Be Creative: Compared to some major home renovations, patios are actually relatively cheap, and it’s your chance to really make your backyard (and house as a whole) sparkle. Don’t limit yourself by simply plunking down a traditional square or rectangular patio and calling it good.

Patios can take many forms, including two separate patio areas made of different materials and connected by paths or walkways, and they can incorporate elements such as fountains and garden ponds. Let you imagination run free, as patios cost less per square foot than any other home addition so you get more bang for buck.

Maximize Your Assets: Every backyard is different and what works well for your neighbors patio might be terrible in your own backyard. Patios should be planned to make the most of the light and views that you have to work with.

Pay close attention to the orientation of your patio as far as where the sun rises and sets, and where the existing shade will be throughout the day. Will the planned patio be shady enough to enjoy when you’d like to relax on the patio or will you be baked to a crisp by unrelenting sun? Will the view be pleasing and relaxing or will you be staring at the side of your neighbor’s house if you build your patio as you’d originally planned?

Mix Up Your Materials: You’ve got a large palette of materials to choose from when planning your patio, including concrete, brick, flagstone, slate, and more, all of which come in a multitude of shapes, colors, and designs.

As long as what you choose is durable, don’t get locked into thinking that your only option is a red brick patio, with brick, brick, and more brick, nothing but brick. If that’s the look you like, then by all means, enjoy your brick patio, but don’t be afraid to incorporate a variety of materials into your design, as each adds interesting elements and contrasts to patios.

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.

The most important question is a simple one: What do you plan to use your patio for? This will largely determine what size patio you should build, as well as influence whether you’ll add elements to your design such as benches, space for a particular type of patio furniture, etc. If you’re going to err on one side, make it bigger than you need, as you’d be surprised at how quickly a patio set and people can fill up what you thought would be a spacious patio for entertaining.

Next up is to ask yourself when you plan on most often using your patio. In the mornings when the sun is rising? In the evenings, when the sun is setting? Answers to these questions will help you decide the orientation of the patio so that you take into account the path of the sun, where natural shade will occur, if you need to incorporate shade structures into your plan, etc.

The last one is another easy one, basically just what sort of materials do you like. Patios are constructed from all sorts of materials including concrete, brick, stone, and slate, and come in a vast array of colors and designs. Some materials lend themselves better to certain designs than other, so you should decide on what materials you’d like to incorporate before you start designing your patio.