For the evenings when your friends come over to spend some quality time outdoors, extending your patio can prove to be useful.
Apart from making more space for entertaining guests, it adds to the value of the home. At the same time, your budget will have a significant role to play while planning the renovation, and you probably don’t want to spend beyond that.
Fortunately, several cost-effective options are available for extending your patio. To know more about them, read through our comprehensive guide on some cheap ways to extend patio.
Cheap Ways To Extend Patio
Things To Consider
Before beginning with an intensive project like extending the patio, it’s essential to take into account all your options at the beginning. Firstly, you must measure the area and figure out a suitable plan for the extension accordingly. It’s also essential to make an estimate of the cost involved beforehand to ensure you don’t end up overspending.
Notably, we’ll deal with the costs, advantages, and outcomes of building various types of patio extensions in this article. And armed with that knowledge, you’ll surely be able to make a well-informed decision.
FIve Cost-Effective Patio Extension Ideas
Installing A Deck
Adding a deck is an easy and quick way to extend the patio without utilizing concrete. Decks can work wonderfully for covering damaged or worn-out patio surfaces.
Plus, if you’re experienced in handling wooden home furnishings and other structures, you might be able to install a 200-square foot deck within a weekend. Another significant advantage of decks is that they are long-lasting and durable enough to endure heavy foot traffic.
That said, you’ll have to set up a foundation to build a deck. Some great instances of easy-to-build foundations are compacted bases with a few heavy-paving slabs on the top and driven posts.
Furthermore, installing a deck will raise the height of the entire patio by two to three inches or more. Make sure to keep this in mind while planning for the deck installation, especially if the existing patio meets a door threshold in the home.
Materials
The good news is that you can choose between a number of decking materials, which come in distinct colors and finishes. While wood is the most commonly used variety, it requires regular maintenance and must be oiled on a yearly basis.
Alternatively, you can go for composite decking materials, such as recycled rubber, polyvinyl decking, plastic, and PVC. Each of these materials is available in visually appealing varieties and is much cheaper compared to hardwood materials. Moreover, they’ll need minimal maintenance annually.
Costs
The expenditure will vary based on the surface area of the planned decking extension, and you’ll have to add the cost of laying the foundation. That said, hardwood materials typically cost around $40 to $80 per square foot, while others such as pressure-treated wood and four to six-inch-wide PVC planks are priced at around $4 to $10.
Using Gravel
Gravel is another excellent option if you are extending patios as it is a cost-effective material that offers considerable durability. At the same time, you should keep in mind that it isn’t the most glamorous option on the market.
But then, you can get gravel in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, just like decking materials. Thus, you get ample scope to add a personal touch while extending the patio.
On that note, home gardens today feature this material to define a patio space or a path. In fact, pea gravel, a small pea-shaped stone available in a range of colors, finds a place among the most economical patio extension materials.
Zeroing In On the Right Gravel Type
Landscaping stores across the country offer plenty of choices for gravel, so you’ll need to keep a few things in mind. Firstly, pea gravel is the best choice for paths and patios as it’s just around 3/8 inch in diameter and is safe and comfortable to walk on.
Another attractive alternative is river rock, which consists of slightly larger stones and is available in a range of colors. Furthermore, they can make a smooth walking surface and allow homeowners to arrange their patio furniture without any unevenness.
The Need For A Base Layer
It’s essential to lay a compacted and firm base layer prior to applying gravel on any patio area. The process simply involves blending stone dust with crushed stone and compacting it.
Though it isn’t too technical, it can be physically taxing and will take around two to three hours to be completed.
The Amount Of Gravel Needed
Notably, a gravel depth of two to four inches is considered ideal for a patio extension. Anyhow, to figure out the amount of gravel needed, you’ll first need to calculate the square footage of the extension.
Following this, divide the figure by 0.35 to work out the gravel needed in terms of cubic feet. You may order gravel in cubic feet, yards, or by the ton from a local store for landscaping supplies.
Rock Costs
Pea gravel, which is the most suitable for patio extension, costs around $35 to $50 per cubic yard. Note that the colored variant of pea gravel costs a bit more. As for river rock, its cheapest variant costs around $100, whereas the smaller and more colorful ones are more expensive.
Using Patio Mats
You can also consider using patio mats for the extended patio since they are quite budget-friendly and available in several thicknesses, textures, colors, and sizes.
That said, these mats aren’t a long-term alternative and are likely to wear faster than most other patio extension materials in this guide. Hence, it’s suitable only for people searching for a convenient patio extension method for the summer season.
Coming to the materials used for patio mats, the surface is made from synthetic water-resistant materials that you can lay on any surface. To set them up, you’ll need to prepare the patio area using stone dust mix and crushed stone and finally compact the area right before laying the mats.
In case there’s a lawn area near the patio, the mats can easily be added to the top and taken off as required so that the lawn grass isn’t compromised. And if you’re wondering what their price might be, there are plenty of choices available at varying prices.
While a basic patio mat measures about five to eight feet and costs less than $50, larger mats consisting of more long-lasting materials will cost at least six times more.
Artificial Turfs
Up next, we’ve picked artificial turfs for their elegant, natural-looking appeal that can be perfect for adorning any outdoor space. At the same time, they won’t require you to stretch your budget. Note that this option is perfect for those who need to make temporary provisions for some extra space in their patio.
These turfs are made from polypropylene or nylon material that’s cut to look like tiny individual grass blades. Then, the fibers are stitched into synthetic mats made of recycled rubber.
Interestingly, artificial turfs are just as bright as grass and come in rolls. They measure around 8 to 16 feet wide and might come in any length up to 100 feet. Furthermore, you’ll be glad to know that these can be extended without laying any concrete foundations or slabs.
Preparation
Artificial turfs require minimal preparation to be set up, unlike patio mats. To get the best results, all you need to do is lay a compacted gravel base before setting them up.
Artificial Turf Costs
Firstly, laying a leveled and compacted gravel base will cost between $4 to $6 per square foot if you choose to do it yourself. Alternatively, you may choose to hire a plate compactor from a local hardware store, which should come at a daily cost of about $30.
The cost of an astroturf can vary depending on the thickness and quality of the turf and may cost between $6 to $19 per square foot.
Laying Concrete Pavers
Want to add to your brick or concrete patio to make it perfect for your leisure time? You’ll need a concrete extension of similar quality, but then, pouring stamped concrete can be pretty expensive. In comparison, a much more economical alternative is to extend the patio with concrete pavers.
These paving stones are simple to set up, so much so that homeowners can make it their weekend DIY project and get it done within a couple of weeks. Moreover, pavers come with a rare rustic appeal that very few patio flooring materials can match up to.
They are also sold in different sizes, colors, and shapes, so homeowners can get the flexibility to create extra outdoor living space as per their preferences.
Planning And Purchasing
Start by making a plan of how you’d like to cover the concrete or brick patio area using the pavers. You may use graph paper to scale the original patio correctly to help you order the materials accordingly. And while buying the materials, make sure to get enough pavers for the square footage of the patio space along with an additional 5% for the cuts.
However, patios with an irregular shape will need more cuts, so you’ll have to purchase 10% extra material in such cases. Coming to the cost of concrete pavers, they are typically priced between $10 to $20 per square foot.
Setting Up The Pavers
Firstly, you’ll need to prepare the slope of the extension to ensure proper drainage and prevent the pooling of rainwater. Then, the area has to be excavated, and a base of crushed rock will be laid to make for adequate support.
Ultimately, put in edge restraints to hold the pavers in position, pour a layer of sand on the base, and then lay the pavers starting from a 90-degree corner.
Final Thoughts
By now, you might have already picked a suitable extension method for your patio. So, get hold of the materials needed and begin setting up the extended patio of your dreams.
However, for those who’re still not sure, we’d suggest weighing your goals against the budget you’ve chalked out. That way, you can easily figure out the best among the various materials within the decided budget.
You can also seek advice from professionals at a local landscaping store since they are experienced in dealing with various landscaping materials.