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Paving courtyard ideas


25 Great Patio Paver Design Ideas

By

Lisa Hallett Taylor

Lisa Hallett Taylor

Lisa Hallett Taylor is an expert in architecture and landscape design who has written more than 1,000 articles about pool, patio, garden, and home improvement over 12 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Design and is certified in fine and decorative arts appraisal.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 05/21/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto 

It's a big step out the back door: you've decided to build or remodel a patio. If it won't be the traditional concrete slab–or will be covering up an existing one–you'll need to choose patio materials that go beyond just looking good. A patio that's made to last must be built with materials that are strong and durable.

Whether working solo or with a landscape architect or contractor, the budget, size of the space, color, and architectural style of your home are going to influence the choice of materials. So is availability: local stones blend in with the surrounding environment and don't cost as much as harder-to-find materials that have to be shipped.

Safety and Surface Texture

Think about what the patio will be used for and who will use it when looking at materials. Flat, smooth, even surfaces are necessary for dining areas, living rooms, and for accessibility. Rough cobblestones and bumpy aggregate concrete pavers could cause someone to trip or impede the mobility of a person who uses a cane, walker, or wheelchair. Conversely, ultra-smooth surfaces like concrete or polished granite can become slippery when wet. Apply slip-resistant coatings to high-traffic surfaces that have the potential for becoming slick.

Consider Concrete

An attractive, cost-saving option is to use concrete pavers, which can be cast into a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Different textures and finishes can be applied to concrete, like rock salt, aggregate, faux finishes, etchings, stamping, and hand carving. Even objects as simple as brooms or rakes can create attractive textural surfaces.

Stone Options

Visit a local stone yard or supplier to discover what's available in your area; this is one of those things you need to see and touch up close to make a smart decision. Popular types of stone include:

Both stone and concrete pavers are often spaced apart, with loose materials like pea gravel or sand or ground covers like thyme or Irish moss to fill the gaps.

Take a look at our favorite 25 stunning and very different examples of patio pavers.

16 garden paving ideas – how to create the perfect patio space in your backyard

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The right garden paving ideas can transform an outdoor space, whether you live in an urban setting, a suburb or a country village. And if you're redesigning your outdoor space from scratch, paving a new patio will likely be right at the top of your to-do list. 

Here we offer expert advice on ideas on what to consider and where to start with this garden landscaping project. Use our step-by-step guide to help bring your patio design to life, taking other key considerations such as the position, style and cost (of course) of your new paved space into account too.

1. Decide on a space to pave

Japanese style garden designed by Sara Jane Rothwell Garden Design

(Image credit: Marianne Majerus)

Firstly, assess where you want to pave your backyard at garden design stage. A patio or other paved area needs to be easily accessible and weatherproof to ensure you gain maximum benefit and usage.

You are more likely to enjoy your space if you are not overlooked, too, so choose a private area or at least one where you can bump up the privacy with the right garden screening ideas. Using trellis and plants is a great way to create privacy around your new paved area and to introduce more greenery to your garden too.

2. Create access with pathways

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If your favorite spot is halfway across the lawn, look into practical laying a gravel path or stone walkway like a herringbone path for easy access.

Consider the shape and size of the area you will be paving. It will affect the size of paving slab you use, the amount of materials you need, your budget, and most importantly the look of your garden. Draw a simple plan of your house and garden and shade in the area you would like to pave.

When deciding, be considerate of your neighbors too. Don’t block their light, and ensure your drainage is adequate, otherwise water may overspill into their garden, and you may be liable for flood damage.

3. Put your garden paving's purpose first

(Image credit: Chaplins Furniture)

Figuring out the exact purpose for paving an area of your backyard in the first place is key to ensuring that all the details are right, including your patio's dimensions right. Some things to consider are:

4. Experiment with a rough patio layout

(Image credit: John Lewis)

Once you've established the ideal position and size of your paved area, lay out lengths of string in your backyard to work out how the dimensions will actually suit your outdoor space. This will also help you better visualize how your backyard will look and feel as a whole once the paving is complete.

5. Think about how big your paving slabs should be

(Image credit: Bradstone)

Now you can decide what sized paving slabs will best suit your project. Using smaller slabs can help make a patio look larger, however, over a larger area, bigger slabs will be more cost effective. By contrast, smaller slabs will give a more traditional effect, perfect for cottage gardens, for example, while larger slabs can look more contemporary.

'Changing the direction of the paving, introducing other surface materials or simply using different sizes of the same material – small porphyry cobble setts next to porphyry pavers, for example – can help to mark out one area with a particular function from another,' says Matt James, garden designer and horticulturalist.

6. Consider non-slip paving alternatives 

Timber or composite decking can make a great patio alternative to paving or tiles. This eclectic setup from Wyevale Garden Centres features reclaimed-effect decking. See more decking ideas

(Image credit: Wyevale Garden Centre)

If your patio space is going to be used by children or elderly people, you might want to choose a non-slip paving stone material. In some cases, where water might collect and potentially cause damage to furniture or property, you might want to consider gravel or decking, rather than paving.

7. Settle on modern or traditional

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There are typically two main backyard paving styles to choose from: Modern or traditional. To create a chic, contemporary look, choosing pavers made from materials like polished sandstone, porcelain or low chamfer blocks. For a more traditional feel, riven sandstone flags or tumbled block paving are ideal. 

Whichever finish you decide on, you should always make sure it complements the style of your home, especially if you are planning to link your indoor and outdoor spaces.

8. Match backyard paving with your home

(Image credit: Kory Kevin Studio)

As we just said, any landscaping or external structures and outbuildings should always try to reflect the style of your property and blend into your backyard. You can achieve this by matching your patio area with the outside of your home and continuing your indoor color theme outside, creating an outdoor living space.

If your house has a lot of red brick or clay tiles, then a similar coloured sandstone or block paving will work well while light-colored, modern rendering works well with the silver grey spectrum of granite or natural stone flags. Either way, always look at samples to ensure that the materials you choose will complement existing architecture.

9. Think about all the details

(Image credit: Boys and Boden)

Paving and faced brickwork joints should be the same width and run perpendicular, depending on the pattern, and pointing color should never clash.

If your paving is being laid alongside decking, ensure attention is given to decking fixings, too, using specialist screws. For hardwood and cedar decks, stainless steel or brass colored screws are best. Never use nails — you can’t lift the boards easily without damaging the edges. As with paving, consistent spacing is essential.

10. Blur the boundaries between indoors and out

(Image credit: Malcom Menzies)

Using the same surface material and wall colors both outside and in helps to blur boundaries between the house and garden, making both spaces feel bigger. But few materials can be used for both floor surfaces. A textured finish is important for grip, so another material of a similar size or color, or a weatherproof version, is necessary. 

Western red cedar or hardwoods such as oak, iroko and balau will extend wood flooring outdoors, especially if the planks are laid the same way, but wood-effect materials will work brilliantly, too. Plastic composite decking is an option, or paving — try CED Natural Stone.

Creating a seamless transition isn’t as simple as raising an exterior surface to the level of the internal floor height, as it could compromise the damp-proof course (DPC). With new extensions, a high DPC can be added, or, with existing buildings, interceptor or tidy slot drains installed on the threshold. Patios and terraces should slope gently away from the house so water doesn’t collect by walls.

11. Work with the patio's boundaries

(Image credit: Ryland Peters & Small)

'Walls and fences provide useful garden space, so think vertically with your design scheme,' advises James. 'Fix vine eye screws and wire to a fence, or a trellis to a wall, for wall shrubs and climbers to grow up. You can mask ugly walls with cedar strips, ornate trellis or concrete render. If you choose to paint them, keep the colours light and subdued so that boundaries recede. Cobalt blue walls, for example, will make the space feel like a blue cell, so stay neutral. Tall fencing, walls or dense planting can create cramped little corners in small courtyards, which aren’t practical to use. However, if you subtly conceal parts of the garden so that you can’t see the entire space all at once it can make it feel bigger than it actually is. A large potted bamboo or two, a freestanding trellis covered with sweet peas or tall planting with lacy perennials, such as Verbena bonariensis spilling from the flowerbeds, will help to achieve this without taking over your garden.'

12.

Frame a large paved garden space with planting

(Image credit: Future + Ti Archive)

Vertical garden ideas save on ground space and can add depth to all types of paved garden space. Get creative and trying using the likes of trellis and more to grow clematis, jasmine or rambling rose. 'Plant up the boundaries first with climbers, then layer plants down in front of them, finishing with the smallest at the front,' advises garden designer and horticulturalist Matt James. 'With space at a premium at the back, choose well-behaved wall shrubs instead of big, spreading shrubs. Good choices would be Ceanothus, Chaenomales and Garrya elliptica – the gorgeous silk tassel bush – pruned and trained tight to the boundary. For an oriental feel, try tidy clump-forming bamboos like Fargesia nitida and grasses like Miscanthus; both are tall but thin.

'For the middle tier, plant smaller evergreens such as Christmas box, sage, Cistus, Pittosporum ‘Nanum’ and the smaller deciduous Viburnums, depending on the aspect. Mix in stalwart perennials, like Japanese anemones, Geranium phaeum and ferns for shade, with asters, Echinacea, Linaria and Lysimachia for sunny aspects.

'Plant the pockets in the front tier with ground cover perennials such as silver Stachys byzantina, Ajuga, catmint, ornamental dead nettles and low-growing thyme. Sprinkle a few bulbs throughout for added interest in this space.'

If you have space, then a well-watered container garden with fresh carrots and runner beans is a cook’s dream. Bush roses, fuchsias and camellias are beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers that thrive on a patio if a kitchen garden isn't your thing.

13. Enhance a small paved area with a green wall

Claire Greener Landscapes installed a bespoke green wall against the boundary of this courtyard garden, creating an instant rich tapestry of ferns, evergreens and flowering plants.

(Image credit: Claire Greener Landscapes)

A good way to make the most of a small paved garden space is to fit a green wall, consisting of interlocking planting trays filled with specialist planting medium, attached to structural support posts and specialist backing boards. This can take all manner of evergreen and flowering plants and even edibles, and for best results should be irrigated automatically.

14. Complete garden paving with outdoor lighting

(Image credit: Neptune)

Create the perfect atmosphere by investing in some soft garden lighting. Solar-powered garden lighting is an ideal option, particularly to avoid dangerous trailing wires. Solar lights come in many different varieties to hang in branches, trellis, or around a table top. Richly coloured Moroccan lanterns are soothing on a summer’s evening, especially if you use insect-repelling citrus candles. For brighter options, a qualified electrician can install power and down-lighters. 

15. Add those final touches to your paved space

Croft Collection by John Lewis

(Image credit: John Lewis)

Complete your paved garden space so that it is not just a joy to look at, but also to be in. Think about garden seating, complete with an awning or even a patio umbrella to protect against the rain. 

You could even add one of the best chiminea options or bring your favorite fire pit ideas to life to create a stylish focal point. If there is space, consider a BBQ or an outdoor dining area, ideal for family meals and entertaining friends. 

16. Think of the effects of weathering on paving

(Image credit: B&Q)

Appearances are important, but so is performance. Garden paving and decking should be slip-resistant, durable, and require little maintenance. Retaining structures built with bricks, blocks, sleepers or stacked stone should stand firm even if the soil beneath is waterlogged. While good-quality materials cost more, they will last longer.

From a visual perspective, check if a material weathers well. Oak, natural stone and copper only get better with age. Concrete imitation paving won’t change at all; however, for some people, this is exactly the point.

Which is the best paving material to use?

Most garden designers use three to four different materials, such as granite, brick and oak, to avoid a look becoming too busy. This makes it easier to achieve garden design unity. Don’t feel you can’t break up one monotonous material – knapped flint along side clay bricks is common in rural gardens, for example. Or use smaller units of the same thing – a ribbon of rough granite setts running through crisp sandblasted granite slabs could subtly delineate a children’s play space.

Natural stone paving is well worth the money also: durable, frost resistant, it should last decades if properly cared for. As a rule, if you don't know what you want, go for sandstone, which complements most garden design schemes. In a contemporary garden, granite or limestone paving slabs will look very smart, too.

Paving a gravel form a linear path in this contemporary garden

(Image credit: Marcus Harpur)

Which paving style is best?

Hard landscaping can enhance or ruin a scheme. Rustic clay pavers, river-worn gravel, split riven sandstone and tall hazel hurdles suit more traditional designs. For modern schemes, sawn limestone, quartzite, planed oak – even polished concrete – are common, although cut, sanded or planed materials usually cost more. But don’t be afraid to break the rules. Traditional materials used in a contemporary way (such as porphyry or sandstone planks) also feature extensively in modern designs, for a pleasing hybrid of old and new.

Do you need planning permission to pave a UK garden?

There are no restrictions on the area of land which you can cover with hard surfaces at, or near, ground level. However, significant works of embanking or terracing to support a hard surface might need planning permission if you live in the UK. Likewise, if you live in a listed building, you will need listed building consent for any significant works whether internal or external.

How materials behave and affect the wider environment is a hot topic. Water run-off is a key issue, especially in UK towns and cities where old drains can no longer cope with run-off from so much extra paving and tarmac. Rules introduced in 2008 now mean impermeable surfaces mustn’t exceed five square metres in a front garden unless angled to a lawn or flowerbed; otherwise you’ll need planning permission.

Many permeable alternatives exist, from gravel and block paving (‘rumbled’ blocks look more natural) to reinforced grass (such as Geogrid  from Grassform), so it’s not difficult to comply. Porous paving and bound gravel, even permeable tarmac, are also worth considering, especially if you want to create an eco-friendly garden. 

How do you prepare ground for pavers?

The key to the lifespan of all hardscape is the foundation or sub-base. The depth and construction varies according to materials. Garden paving slabs typically require a solid foundation (5cm to 20cm deep, depending on soil conditions and material), ensuring no movement. Brick or block pavers for driveways are usually laid on compacted sand (a ‘laying course’), over a thick sub-base. Only the edges are cemented, to hold the whole surface together.

Gravel drives need a compacted sub-base, but paths typically don’t. Never scrimp; ask a landscape contractor for advice.

(Image credit: Joakim Boren (Mulroy Architects))

Can you lay a paved area yourself?

Taking the DIY route and learning how to lay a patio or paved space yourself will help save money on a garden redesign and guarantee that it is done on your timescale. A contractor will likely be quicker and provide a better-quality finish, but you will have to fit into their schedule, and it will affect your budget. And, don't forget, if you are unsure about your patio's design, it may be worth hiring a garden designer for a day's consultancy.

Deciding which course to take will allow you to create a more accurate schedule and budget. 

How much does it cost to pave a garden in the UK?

The labour cost for paving will depend very much on where you live, but expect to pay between £75 and £100 per square metre for someone to prep and bed down the paving slabs on a mortar mixture.  

The cost of the patio slabs depends on their design, size, construction, quantity and quality. Cut natural stone costs more than split, while loose gravel is cheaper than resin-bound. Concrete imitation paving costs less than the real thing and, being a uniform thickness, is quicker to lay, too. Factor in labour and machinery, and always get quotes from at least three contractors.

It is worth remembering that up to 80 per cent of your landscaping costs will be allocated to ground works. There is often little difference in costs between the installation of cheap paving products and more expensive ones, so choose the paving that you really want.

DIY keeps costs down, but know your limits. Laying a gravel path is simple (don’t forget the cost of edging), and laying herringbone path is within the reach of a competent DIYer, but for brickwork, rendering, plastering and patio stone, employ a professional for a quality finish. Retaining walls and steps isn’t easy, plus it’s essential to get them right for safety.

Where to source your patio paving?

Where you buy your patio paving slabs really depends on your budget. Cut the costs by with plenty of research. Local builders merchants and DIY sheds offer good deals, and using local materials can cut costs, but this isn’t always the case. Brazilian slate, for example, is cheaper than Welsh. Likewise, reclaimed materials are rarely cheaper than new.

If you have the time and budget to look for something more interesting, specific, or in line with the style of an older property, many reclamation and salvage yards carry reclaimed paving slabs that might be perfect for your project. 

Garden paving never looked better 🙌

Lucy is Global Editor-in-Chief of Homes & Gardens having worked on numerous interiors and property titles. She was founding Editor of Channel 4’s 4Homes magazine, was Associate Editor at Ideal Home, before becoming Editor-in-Chief of Realhomes.com in 2018 then moving to Homes & Gardens in 2021. She has also written for Huffington Post, AOL, UKTV, MSN, House Beautiful, Good Homes, and many women’s titles. Find her writing about everything from buying and selling property, self build, DIY, design and consumer issues to gardening.

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Walking through the streets of the private sector, one involuntarily pays attention to the design of courtyards. Particularly attractive are beautiful, tastefully decorated landscapes, near which you want to stay longer. Unusual compositions with artificial ponds, waterfalls, with elements of topiary, alpine slides and rockeries are interesting. Creating an extraordinary landscape in the yard requires work and knowledge of the basics of its design.

Contents

Principles of planning a yard near a private house

Yard is a part of a land plot adjacent to a private house. It is divided into the front, or front yard, and back. The front yard is between the facade of the apartment building and the fence. It is open to everyone who wants to look behind the fence, and is the calling card of the owners. For this reason, its design is treated with particular scrupulousness.

The back yard is behind the house and hidden from prying eyes. A secluded resting place is arranged here, outbuildings are located, poultry and animals are kept.

The layout of the yard largely depends on the size of the plot and the needs of the family. But there are general principles of its improvement, which the majority adheres to. The list of objects located on the territory of the yard includes technical buildings and decorative elements of the landscape. The first of them are a necessity, since they provide comfort to the owners of the house, and the second ones are needed to satisfy their aesthetic needs.

The objects of technical importance include a garage, a parking lot, a summer kitchen, a guest house, an arbor, an aviary for a dog. A garage and a parking lot are usually located just outside the gate, and other buildings are located in the depths, where road noise and street dust do not reach. An aviary or booth for a dog is arranged in a dead corner, but not too far from the outer fence.

Objects of decorative value, these are flower beds, ponds, deciduous and coniferous plantations, lawns, small architectural structures, etc. Their number depends on the area of ​​the yard and such elements in most situations are located along the fences and walls of outbuildings.

The space directly in front of the porch is not accepted to be filled with vegetation - it must remain free for movement. On the site at the entrance to the house, tiles or other paving covering are laid.

Exception to rule. When the yard is spacious enough, flower beds are broken near the porch on the side of the steps, where flower beds do not interfere with movement.

Front yard seating area

Pergola or shed, this is common in the front yard. They are surrounded by flower beds and climbing plants, and together they make up a landscape composition.

If there is free space, you can complete the picture with any hydraulic structure: a waterfall, a fountain, an artificial pond. The proximity of water contributes to a special microclimate, especially desirable near the place of rest.

It is very popular to build a patio in front of the porch. Proximity to the front door to the house makes it possible to spend every free minute outdoors. Here you can drink a cup of morning coffee, gather with your family for evening tea or keep secrets with friends and girlfriends.

On a small paved area, a table and a few chairs are set - these are the most necessary items in the arrangement of the patio area. Potted plants and sheer curtains providing light shade, comfortable wicker furniture and cushions are used to create a cozy environment.

Important. It is possible to create a full-fledged resting place on the territory of the front yard when it is isolated from the road by a blank fence or a high hedge. Otherwise, it will not be very comfortable to spend time in a sincere conversation at the sight of prying eyes. Moreover, you will not be able to relax in a hammock or on a garden sofa swing.

How to set up a backyard

Backyard design with gazebo, patio area and pond

Between the house and the garden there is a space that is used in two directions: for a garage with a parking lot for a car and a resting place. If there is enough space, you can do both by dividing it with a hedge, a vertical green screen, or a flower garden. At the same time, the garage with parking is located closer to the gate.

The back yard is the best place for a recreation area near a private house. It is easy to create a completely isolated space here, inaccessible to the views of neighbors and street dust. On the one hand, it is protected from the wind by the wall of the house, on the other hand by an orchard, and from the side of the neighboring plot it is separated by a fence. By constructing a light canopy, you can spend time in the backyard seating area without fear of summer rain.

This is where it is most convenient to create a barbecue area, install a barbecue or fold a garden stove.

It is also a suitable area for creating a sports ground, a place for children to play with a sandbox and swings.

Naturally, the backyard, regardless of its purpose, is decorated with various types of flower beds, it is appropriate to plant tall coniferous and deciduous trees here.

Paths and paving

A hard surface in the yard is important from a hygienic point of view. It allows you to keep the yard clean, and it is easier to take care of it: wash, remove leaves, throw away snow. Most often, continuous paving is used, when most of the yard area is laid out with paving slabs. Paths are laid from paving in different directions, helping to get to various areas: a garden, auxiliary buildings, a shower, a bathhouse, and so on.

Ford type paving is mainly used to create paths to various objects. The principle of its device is that a gap is left between the individual tiles.

At the same time, for ease of movement, the distance should not be more than 30 cm, and the tiles themselves are chosen large enough so that the foot fits completely on them. The space between the elements of paths of this type is filled with lawn grass, pebbles, small gravel.

What to make paving and paths:

It is also possible to make a concrete screed with the prospect that some tile material will be laid on it in the future.

Plants in the design of the yard

Flower beds and flowerbeds help to create a special flavor around the house. The type of vegetation is selected depending on the style in which the site is designed. The size of the yard, the degree of its illumination and the design of the house are also taken into account.

Bulbous

Bulbous flowers will provide a spring explosion of colors: tulips, lilies, hazel grouses, daffodils, muscari, alliums, saffrons . Their flowering period is not very long, but many species and varieties allow you to choose plants in such a way that it lasts from April to early June. At the end of flowering, the bulbs completely wither, modestly giving way to other horticultural crops.

Conifers

Variety of shapes spruces, pines, junipers and arborvitae opens up space in the landscaping of the yard area. They are used in the creation of hedges, are present in mixborders, planted in rocky gardens and as tapeworms on green lawns. Undersized and dwarf species are popular because they are suitable for decorating small yards and are used as container crops.

Dwarf conifers

Ornamental shrubs

Background plants are designed to emphasize the bright colors of beautifully flowering perennials. In this performance, 9 are of interest.0191 snowberry, privet, tamarisk, mackerel, lilac . They will cover the fence and barn and will not divert attention from more refined plantings, such as roses, hydrangeas, peonies or irises.

Shrubs with decorative foliage and lush flowering act as dominant plants. These are Thunberg barberry , forsythia, various types of spirea, spindle tree, viburnum buldenezh, louisiana, viburnum viburnum .

Tip. Evergreen shrubs and trees will add showiness to the flower arrangement: boxwood, holly mahonia, holly, cinquefoil, aucuba.

Perennials

Flower beds are based on herbaceous perennials. They define the backbone of the flower bed, around which the rest of the composition is built. For sunny places, erigeron, liatris, anemone, yucca, are suitable, and sedum and hosta grow well in the shade.

The space left between perennials is filled with annual flowers that bloom all summer.

Lianas

Liana-like plants seem to be created for decorating the yard. They braid arbors, arches, fences, porch posts. Climbing plantations are used to create green screens when zoning the garden, separating outbuildings from the front part of the yard.

Clematis in the landscaping of the gazebo

Often planted in the front garden in front of the house clematis . Their not too dense foliage transmits light well, and at the same time creates a kind of curtain that protects open windows from dust penetration.

Always in demand climbing roses , which can be planted near the porch, at the gate, at the entrance to the gazebo. Their long flowering period provides an atmosphere of conviviality throughout the summer season.

Climbing roses on a garden arch

Landscape features of the yard

The total area of ​​the land allotment does not always affect the size of the yard. Rather, how much land can be allocated to the yard depends on whether the owners plan to grow vegetables and fruits or not. If so, then on a small plot, a vegetable garden and a garden often take priority at the expense of the yard area.

Design of a small yard

It is difficult to make a large yard on a plot of 6 acres, but you can deceive the perception and expand it visually. A tiny pond will capture attention and distract from the surrounding background.

The illusion of an increase in territory will be stronger if the pond is made elongated. It is best to place it along the longest line. A similar effect of expanding space is felt in a landscape with a fountain installed on a hill.

If the allotment has an elongated shape, a small strip of land remains between the facade of the building and the fence for the front garden.

It is most practical to cover this area with paving, leaving narrow strips of earth around the perimeter along the fence for flower beds. Also suitable is the option when the flower garden is broken behind the fence. It will visually move the yard away from the road and brighten up its tightness. In such a situation, the garage takes place in the very corner, and the parking lot is also taken out of the fence.

A resting place near a house with a small yard is recommended to be arranged in the backyard. It will be easier to spend your leisure time here. The gazebo is sometimes arranged close to the house and has a common wall with it.

Yard design on a plot of 10 acres

A land plot of 10 acres allows you to allocate about 3 acres for the front yard (but this is not a rule and depends on the location of the house on the plot). The classic option is when the house is maximally shifted to the border with neighbors, and the porch is turned towards the gate. In such a situation, on the opposite side, there is sufficient space for arranging a yard with a front garden. Not only a recreation area is arranged here. There is still enough space left to create a beautiful landscape with a mixborder, a rose garden, an alpine slide.

Since a garage is indispensable, it is taken out as close as possible to the gate: only a parking area remains between the gate and the garage.

This layout has its advantages. The building of technical importance (garage) closes the view from the street, thanks to which behind its walls you can create a full-fledged recreation area, a playground, and build a sauna.

Design of a yard on a plot of 15 acres

On a large plot of land there is a unique opportunity to build a house in the depths of the plot. The area in front of the cottage is completely at the disposal of its owners. It is divided into two main zones: an ornamental garden and a recreation area.

The main elements of the garden are flower beds, which are located on both sides of the path leading from the gate to the porch. The design of flower beds is the most diverse, but when breaking them down, it should be taken into account that the variegation of flower beds and the piling up of many types of vegetation tires the eye. Landscape designers recommend interspersing flower beds with cut lawns and separating them with low hedges.

Uneven terrain with a rocky landscape looks original. If the site is flat and its area allows, you can artificially create elevation differences, fill them with decorative gravel and create a corner of the mountain landscape.

An artificial pond, a dry stream, wide steps on steep slopes - all these are interesting ideas for decorating a front yard.

There can be more than one recreation area in a large yard. They are created according to interests: a secluded place of relaxation, family gatherings, gathering with a noisy company.

Each sub-zone is equipped accordingly, for example, a hammock in the shade of a pergola, a carved tea arbor, an open hearth (brazier, barbecue) under a canopy.

An important detail in the design of the courtyard: lighting

An essential detail in the arrangement of the courtyard is lighting. The main objects that should be illuminated first are the front porch, paths, outbuildings and recreation areas. Electric outdoor lights are hung above the porch. They are mounted in such a way as to clearly see the steps of the stairs.

On track routes, it is important to illuminate especially dangerous areas: slopes, turns, steps.

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