Outdoor Patio Design & Installation

Smith Landscaping builds dozens of custom outdoor patios every year. Imagine a small hidden room in the back of your garden or a grand terrace around your outdoor kitchen or pool to entertain large groups of family and friends. Anything is possible. Patios extend the living space of your home and allow you to enjoy the outdoors comfortably. You can extend the time you spend enjoying your patio into the cooler months with a fire pit or built-in electric or natural gas heaters. Audio and visual technology can be incorporated so you can watch the big game or your favorite movie on those perfect evenings. Our designers have done it all and would love to help turn your dream patio into a reality.

Smith Landscaping builds outdoor patios out of many materials, including:

• Natural stone
• Flagstone
• Brick
• Pavers
• Concrete
• Patio and Deck Hybrid Structures
• Custom Outdoor Patios

Custom Outdoor Patio Examples

Outdoor Patio Design Consultation Process

Contact us today to set up a free initial consultation. During this consultation, our designer will go over outdoor patio options and listen to your ideas. He or she will share photos of past jobs with you and start to focus on the design elements and materials you like best, and that will best compliment the existing features of your home. Photographs and measurements of your site will be taken to help in the design process. Please have a plat of your property available to give to the designer. We offer patio design and installation services throughout Salem, Alliance, Canfield, and surrounding areas of Northeast Ohio.

Here are some things to think about in advance of your consultation:

• Patio Size – Think about future outdoor furniture placement and how your patio will ‘flow’. It is important to consider your future uses for space while we are in the planning phase.
• Outdoor Kitchen – Do you want to incorporate any components of an outdoor kitchen? Built-in grills, smokers, burners, warming drawers, sinks, and refrigerators are all options.
• Patio Materials – Dimensional flagstone, irregular flagstone, pavers, brick, or some combination of materials are all choices to consider. Please refer to our gallery for inspiration.
• Outdoor Lighting – Proper lighting ensures safety and security and will let you enjoy your outdoor space long after the sun goes down.
• Heating – Electric or gas heaters are available for the cooler months. Built-in fire pits are another awesome idea, you have the option of wood-burning or natural gas/propane.

We’re looking forward to working with you through the patio design and patio installation process to create the outdoor patio of your dreams in your own backyard!

Video: Concrete Paver Installation Process

What to know before installing pavers

In addition to cost, one of the most important questions that people ask about before installing pavers is the design. Designing a base for paver installation is relatively easy and can be done by a professional or by DIYers. The important thing in design is that the base should be able to carry the weight of the soil. For this purpose, the design must take into consideration the depth of the soil, the slope of the base and the amount of water that will be poured on the ground. If you are installing pavers on your own, you should plan carefully the design of the paver.

In addition to design, another important step that you should consider before paver installation is the standards set by the State. States have their own set of standards for paver installation. Most of these standards require paver installation to adhere to certain rules. For this reason, you have to make sure that the pavers you will use to comply with the standards set by the state.

You also have to understand that most states require that the foundation material used in the installation of a driveway, pool or any other type of driveway used for any structure must meet the requirements of the Federal Surface Driving Test (FST). This means that for an FST-compliant driveway, all sub-bases, including the concrete sub-base used in paver installation must be designed and built according to FST specifications. For this reason, you have to be very careful when you design your sub-base for paver installation. If in doubt about the required design, always ask the manufacturer or the local experts to do the necessary corrections for you.

How do you prepare the ground for pavers?

If you own a home that is more than 50 years old, there is a process that you will have to go through in order to make sure that your driveway and patio are prepared properly. This can be done by picking out all of the pavers that will be used and making certain that each one has been paver cut properly. Then you will have to dig some holes in the ground that is large enough to accommodate the pavers that you want to lay down.

The next thing that you will have to do is to rake the gravel in preparation for the gravel to go into the holes that you have dug. After you have done this, you will then have to spread the gravel on top of the ground in order to make sure that it is completely covered. It will take several days to several weeks for the gravel to completely set in the ground. You will want to watch for how the weather is going to affect the installation process so that you do not have to deal with water that could cause the paver stones to be blown away.

Once you have laid the gravel and the players are in place, you will be ready to take the pavers out. This is something that you should do very carefully because there are certain things that you will need to be aware of such as how do you prepare the ground for players so that they last for a long time. There is nothing more frustrating than putting your hard work into a project only to see it ruin after a few months.