Bournemouth · Dorset
Patios in Bournemouth
A patio starts at the back door, and in Bournemouth the height of that door above the garden usually sets everything that follows.
01
Door height, and where the paving can sit
The older Bournemouth housing tends to sit high on its plot. Step out of a Victorian villa in Westbourne or an interwar semi in Moordown and the garden is often well below the internal floor, so paving cannot simply run out level with the room behind it. The paved surface stays down clear of the damp proof course, the difference is taken in a step or two at the door, and where a terrace at floor height is genuinely wanted it is built up and held rather than piled against the wall of the house. Newer sliding and folding doors pull the other way, because the whole point of them is a flush threshold. That means a drainage channel along the door line, the paving set below the internal floor, and a fall carrying water clear of the wall rather than letting it stand against it. Get the threshold wrong and the rest of the terrace, however well laid, spends its life fixing a problem it caused.
02
Which way the back of the house faces
Aspect decides where a terrace is worth putting, and in Bournemouth that is not always against the house. A north-facing rear elevation leaves the area by the door in shade for most of the day while the far end of the garden keeps the sun, so the sensible answer is often a small landing at the threshold for access and the main sitting area out where people will actually use it. Shade changes the material as well. A surface that never dries fully goes green and turns slippery underfoot, so the finish has to give some grip without being so open that it holds dirt, a lighter tone lifts a corner that gets no direct sun, and porcelain sheds surface water and cleans off more readily than a soft sandstone. On the wooded sides above the chines the light shifts through the day rather than staying put, which is worth watching for a while before the layout is settled.
Covering Bournemouth
We provide patios throughout Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and the surrounding parts of Dorset. Call 07926 470907 for a free, no-obligation estimate.
How it works
Simple, straightforward process
- 1
Get in touch
Call, message or use the enquiry form. Tell us roughly what you need and we’ll arrange a convenient time to come and look.
- 2
Free estimate
We visit, measure up and talk through the options and materials — then give you a clear estimate, free and with no obligation.
- 3
The work
We agree a date, turn up when we say we will and get on with it, keeping you informed and keeping the site tidy as we go.
- 4
The walk-round
We walk the finished job through with you and leave everything clean. If anything isn’t right, tell us and we’ll put it right.
