Cheap Ways to Build a Patio

Pavers come in all shapes, sizes and price points. These pre-cast concrete blocks fit tightly together on a level bed of sand to create an inexpensive patio. Local home improvement centers frequently offer plain pavers for as little as $1 per square foot. However, if you’ve got a good amount of sand available, you can create a homemade concrete mix and customize shapes to create a one-of-a-kind patio in your yard.

If wood is abundant in your area, you can create a patio or walkway with thick slices of tree truck and limbs. Build a rustic patio by laying a level bed of sand for a base, covered with two-inch thick slices of large tree trunk pieces. Fill in the gaps with slices of tree branch – cutting them at least four inches in length to drive them deep into the ground to keep them from dislodging.

Collecting small rocks can be more than just a hobby if you gather enough to create a patterned mosaic patio. Although an outdoor pebble mosaic can be a time-consuming project, the result can equal a stunning piece of outdoor art and a conversation piece within your landscape. If pebbles aren’t available in your natural surroundings, they can be purchased for very little money at a local garden center. Finish your masterpiece with outdoor cement filler between the rocks to create a continuous, hard surface.

Even though brick can be relatively inexpensive, it’s more than a bargain if you’re able to locate a demolition site where it’s become a castoff. Some construction managers actually welcome people to salvage such materials, with permission, to reduce the expense of having them removed from the site. Making a brick patio with a sand base and filler is easy, since the small pieces can be laid in many different patterns.