Cheap patio ideas?

Gardening related...

Have any of you clever people ever had to cover a patio area up on a low budget?

We have a 27 m2 concrete area at the back of the garden that's all breaking up and looking a bit like an eyesore!

I want to cover it up on the cheap so that we put our garden furniture there snd can use it as a BBQ area this summer. Then when we can afford to we'll pave over it with stone.

Any idea's on how we can spruce it up? Don't want to spend more than £400 really.

Cheapest method i've thought of is to lay outdoor carpet over it!! Would cost £260. Might look a bit ridiculous though if I don't get the colour right.

Any more ideas welcome?

 

Have you thought of Astro turf? No mowing needed and spilt wine can be "watered in" with a watering can. Ooooh - it won't like hot BBQ coals on it though !! Only £5.99 per sq. mtr.

 

Ooop we had thought of astro turf but hadn't seen it as cheap as £5.99 - will have to look again properly.

BBQ heat won't be a problem as its one of those chimney masonry Spanish type things, plus if we drop anything it won't matter really- only need it for a year ish. Might add character a sausage burn or two he he

X

 

add a layer of concrete ontop but add a powder that gives the wet concrete a specific colour....
you could take it a step further .... while the concrete is still wet, you can use a wire thingy that makes brick paving imprints .... they use that for driveways

 

Hi Natalie , if you need a cheap job to last you a couple of years . I would order a cubic metre of a nice looking gravel and spread 50mm thick over your area . A few nice planters a sun shade - St Tropez It may need 2 cubic metres , calculators are on the web for this.

 

Free cycle Slabs Pebbels??
Love Dims Idea

 

lived in south africa ... loose stone is never used for driveways ... the cheapest that they use there is brick imprint, which is the concrete that different colour resins/powedrs are added to when you mix the concrete

then, they have a wire thingy (like a cattle brander), that they press into the wet concrete to form a brick type effect

for small patios, and even cheaper, sometimes they just lay concrete, then when dry, they paint it with a special paint (normally in red or green) ... we called it stoep paint
http://www.medalpaints.co.za/products/mid-range-paints/stoep-paint

the next cheapest is what is called as pebble pave .... ontop of the concrete, they spray a mixture of resin (glue) mixed with tiny pebbles of different colour

 

A loose pebble driveway is very very stylish , it has to be half moon shaped with a RR on it and a mansion at the end though . I think the spec for this patio is cheap , quick and removable.

 

Gravel's got to be cheapest, surely ?

 

Good thinking Batman

 

If you intend paving over it later, gravel would also contribute to the base layer whereas astroturf or anything else will probably have to be lifted and thrown away. Only thing is gravel won't allow you to wheel anything over it and can be a pain to walk on. For interest maybe you could loose lay a few paviers of whatever you eventually want as your final surface into some sections which would also give you a firm base for table legs etc.

A few old slate slabs lifted from a shed floor go a long way in a patio area in my garden because they've been loose laid in gravel and the added bonus is they've been lifted and re-arranged.