If you wish to actually dine on the patio, decide on an approximate table size that will accommodate your family and guests. Another thing to consider is additional sitting areas for chairs such as lounges. Perhaps you just need a small area for a few chairs or a small table for two. At any rate, these decisions will help you determine the size of your patio.

Leave some space for you dining chairs to pull out. I try to leave a minimum of 18" to 24" behind the dining chairs. In addition, there should be comfortable access to adjoining walkways, doors to the house, and for general ease while moving around.

For example, a 60"round table and chairs will accommodate about 6 people. I try to allow 15 feet of patio for this size table, although you can go a little smaller. If you decide that you would like some lounge chairs, allow for about 10 feet from front to back.

Once you have decided on your general patio size, you can estimate your square footage. This can't change that much to help reduce costs, unless you alter your requirements.

It is the paving materials that will help you keep the patio costs low.

The least expensive material to use is concrete. Many people turn there nose up at this choice. However, you can be quite creative with concrete and it can be quite nice.

Concrete does not have to be white. It can be any color you like. I’ve seen patios of beige, gray, or even a soft peach concrete. The color should be mixed into the concrete, not applied afterwards. Coordinate it with the colors and materials of your house.

Patterns, or scoring, can also be applied to the concrete. This is different than stamped concrete. Scoring provides a lined pattern, such as 18" squares that adds interest. It can be done on the diagonal also to really spice things up.

The reason I prefer this method to stamped concrete is that it looks more natural. In addition, it hides the construction joints in the scoring pattern.

VERY generally, concrete should cost in the neighborhood of $5 to $8 per square foot.

If you decide that concrete is not what you want and you would like to use a different material, the next tier in paving costs would be concrete pavers. There are price categories within the paver category. The least expensive are the regular concrete pavers. Stepping up, there are pavers that are tumbled. Although there are different methods to create the tumbled look, generally they are tumbled in a large drum and therefore made to look old. The cost of these should range from $10 to $12 per square foot.

Keep in mind your overall landscape design. This is just as important as paving materials.