It’s the time of year to spruce up your outdoor space and give yourself a spot to relax with a morning coffee, or gather for barbecues. If the weather has inspired you to build a patio space, you might have noticed the price of materials—creating a patio space can be expensive. But you can make one on a budget, if you get the right materials.
Pea gravel and edging
A gravel patio is an affordable option to create an outdoor space for less. You can use a weed barrier ($19.99/3-foot by 50-foot roll), pea gravel ($4.68/0.5 cubic foot), and some edging ($27.54/40-foot roll) to define a patio space and keep it clear of weeds. The edging comes with stakes to attach it, and this type of patio can be assembled relatively easily with a hammer, shovel and some scissors or a utility knife for trimming the weed barrier. If you have uneven ground, it may also be helpful to level out the dirt underneath before spreading the weed barrier to make sure your patio is flat.
Composite deck tiles
You can make a patio from interlocking wood and plastic composite deck tiles ($82.99/27 12-inch by 12-inch tiles) for a versatile and simple patio floor. Before you put down the tiles, you might need to use some weed barrier ($19.99/3-foot by 50-foot roll) to keep grass from growing up in between the deck tiles. These tiles do need to be laid out on a level space, so you might need to even out and tamp down the dirt underneath for them to work.
DIY concrete pavers
You can make your own concrete paver patio with quick-set concrete ($5.20/60-pound bag) and a patio paver mold ($29.98) to make your own concrete pavers for a patio. You’ll need about 20 bags of concrete for a 50 square foot area if your paver mold is two inches thick. In order to successfully pour a concrete patio, you will need to level the dirt underneath the pavers and add a sand ($6.80/50-pound bag) or gravel ($4.64/50-pound bag) base for your pavers. This method for creating a patio is more labor-intensive, and it will take longer, but it will also last longer than other options.
Rubber pathway pavers
To create a patio from rubber pathway pavers ($79.85/package of six 16-inch by 16-inch pavers), you will need to level the area first and use a weed barrier ($19.99/3-foot by 50-foot roll). You might also consider using some edging ($27.54/40-foot roll) to keep the pavers from shifting. The advantage of the rubber pavers is that they’re easy on your knees and durable for outdoors, but a patio made from this material can shift more easily than concrete or stone, so it can be hard to keep the pavers in place year-round.
Pre-made concrete pavers
Pre-made concrete pavers ($1.98/ 12-inch by 12-inch paver) are an affordable option for laying a patio if you choose a simple design. As with other paver methods, using a weed barrier ($19.99/3-foot by 50-foot roll) to prevent plants from growing up under your pavers is a good idea. You can also choose to use gravel ($4.64/50-pound bag) between your pavers to fill in any gaps and firm up uneven spots. Pre-made pavers have the advantage of not being as time-consuming as pouring pavers into a mold, but they can shift more easily than molded concrete with a base.
