Christchurch · Dorset
Patios in Christchurch
A lot of Christchurch bungalows open straight onto the garden through sliding doors, so the patio is set out around the doors and the falls.
01
Level with the doors, and falling away from the wall
Those sliding doors are usually the widest opening in the house, and they run most of the width of the rear elevation, so the terrace serving them wants to run the same width rather than sit as an island out in the lawn. What people ask for most is to walk out without stepping over anything, and that is the part to set out first. Finished paving has to stay well down from the damp proof course, and the fall has to run away from the building rather than along the back of it. Squaring those two things across a wide opening normally means a drainage channel at the doors, catching what comes off the paving and what runs down the glass. There is no adjusting any of it later. If the levels are wrong the whole terrace comes up.
02
Which side gets the sun, and what to lay on it
A bungalow casts one storey of shadow instead of two, so a terrace tight against the back wall keeps more of the day than the same terrace behind a house, and the shaded band under the eaves is narrow enough to use rather than avoid. Which way that elevation faces still decides where people actually sit, so it is worth standing in the garden at the hour the terrace will be used before its position is fixed. Material then follows exposure. Porcelain handles both of the things this town does to paving, the damp that hangs about on the low ground and the salt-laden wind at the seafront end of the town, while a riven sandstone sits more comfortably against older brick and render. Out towards Somerford and Burton the ground takes water readily enough for a terrace to drain at its edge; on the low ground it will not, so that edge has to discharge into a channel and not into the lawn.
Covering Christchurch
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.
