Try these five fun tips to getting patio accessories without breaking the bank:

1) Second hand
Patio accessories don’t always have to be new to look great. Sometimes you find the most interesting and character-filled pieces in second hand, antique or junk shops. They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so why not take some time out on a Sunday and trawl the local second hand shops for your treasure.

2) Repair and repaint
If you can’t afford to buy your patio accessories, then perhaps you can afford to refresh your existing ones. Time is usually the only thing you really need to breath new life into your outdoor accessories. Get out a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush to wash down and strip off all the dirt, cobwebs and grease from your furniture, pots and awnings. A good wash will work wonders and all it costs is your time. If you have wooden furniture or a pergola then a small investment in a pot of paint or lacquer is all that you’ll need to restore your timber back to its former glory.

3) End of Line
Many outdoor furniture and department stores have sales throughout the year. This is to get rid of older lines and make way for the new designs and models. Take advantage of end of line discounts and pick yourself up some planter boxes, pots for planting, chairs and tables, awnings and even lighting.

4) Damaged or incomplete
Some businesses have a special section in the store where you can pick up some drastically reduced items. The reason they are so heavily discounted is because they have been damaged, displayed or are incomplete. Outdoor accessories and furniture is going to get worn and damaged anyway, just from being outside, so a few scuff marks or divots won’t be noticeable in an outdoor setting.

Mismatched or eclectic furniture and accessories seem to look great on a patio. The diversity in styles can add character and make your outdoor area feel more casual and cosy.

5) Garage Sales
Garage sales are an excellent way to stock up on patio accessories with out breaking your budget. Look out for moving house signs, where people are getting rid of good quality items rather than simply getting rid of their junk. You can negotiate a great deal and in most cases, the owner just wants to see their belongings going to someone who can enjoy and look after them. At garage sales you can pick up chairs, tables, pots and sometimes plants, shelves, candles and mats. Any or all of these accessories will help to make any outdoor patio look great on a very small budget.

• Building allows designs to be created specifically for the home environment.
• Building may include custom design features.
• Building may dovetail with other renovation projects around the home as part of a wider plan.

Cons:

• Building is a potentially major commitment of time and money, which can get complex if you’re also doing other renovations.
• Building is usually done through third parties, like architects, builders and contractors.
• Building usually requires building approvals, and may get held up in process.

Buy- Pros and Cons
Pros:

• Buying a patio provides a built-service of all the construction processes, including council approvals
• Top providers also handle plans and approvals
• The project costs are all factored in upfront
• There’s a very large range of patio types available

Cons:

• Buying means not doing a custom design or using custom materials
• Buying a patio means a separate process from the other renovation work
• Buying will involve departing from a designer house motif

The rule of thumb for building a patio is really cost effectiveness and efficiency. These factors impact in different ways, depending on the cost, size and complexity of the work.

The time and money factors

The net time and cost comparison is that buying a patio is cheaper and quicker than building. This is largely because buying is basically an installation of an existing design, whereas building may mean a full design process starting from scratch. That’s actually a big difference, because the design process adds a dimension to both cost and time.

Working with third parties is also an acquired taste in any form of building. In the case of building the design and building processes are often separate entities. When buying you’re only dealing with one entity as a supplier of all functions.

Making a decision

The decision making process can be difficult. After all, this is your home, and you want the best. The most thorough approach is to compare designs for building and buying. What you get for what you pay is the obvious, and safest, measure of value.

You’ll find the comparison between building and buying obvious, because the design market is naturally more costly. The commercial patio designs on the market are actually pretty similar in content to designer patios. They’re cheaper because they’re backed up by manufacturers supplying materials and standardized installation methods which reduce costs.

Build or buy is your choice, but remember you’ve got plenty of choices. Compare quality, and you’ll find cost and efficiency make a big difference.

Patios are true design assets. The patio can achieve enormous improvements in any house, including:

• Extra living space
• A personal space for homeowners
• An entertainment area
• A safe play area
• Lighting and insulation effects
• An indoor/outdoor area for gardeners
• Space management for the outside zones

The patio is in effect an extension of the house. It acts as a real property asset, providing living space at a fraction of the cost of a full extension. Patios are also very durable things, and they’re extremely low maintenance building options in terms of cost.

Design options and values

Patios provide a lot of valuable, as well as useful, design options. That’s another area of flexibility conventional home renovations don’t have, particularly relative to cost. Patio designs can be tailored and built or bought “off the shelf”, but they provide an invaluable exterior design value to houses which is both cost effective and practical.

To install or build a simple covered patio does as much as a new room in terms of adding functional space to a house. Many people eventually enclose their patios because they’ve literally become part of the house. This dual function design effect is one of the major values in patios, both in terms of cost and property upgrading.

Patios have a lot of design capabilities, too. The many off the shelf designs, and they’re a good indicator of what patios can do in terms of making a house look great at low cost. Any basic house design can be turned into a real work of art with a good structural patio design. This removes the “basic box effect” in new houses in particular, where the new house obviously needs something, but is looking a bit bare or underdone on its own.

Hard cash values- a patio can be a house and a half

The design issues directly affect the value of a house. A house with a big modern patio will outshine an identical house without it. The perceived value of the house with the patio is much higher. The appeal of the patio is loud and clear to buyers, who see added obvious value in the patio.

In hard cash terms, the difference is between a house and a house with much more substance in terms of both appearance and functional space. In Australia in particular, the patio is a natural addition to a good house, and a definite cultural preference for home buyers.

1. Rustic outdoor furniture

Transform the area instantly with the use of wood or wrought iron furniture. Old and worn out timber pieces can be neatened up with a light sanding, followed by a rich stain and a coat of varnish.

Wrought iron benches, love seats and tables scattered around the patio provide additional seating for informal gatherings. Create your own rustic furniture with logs and leather.

2. Ornaments or plaques

Liven up the walls with some relics from the past. Wire candle holders will also add to the atmosphere for night time entertaining.

Get creative with those bits and pieces you were going to throw away. Take an old clock and put a timber or cane frame around it. Hang a weathervane or bird feeder from the rafters of the veranda.

3. Heritage colours

It is no accident that heritage buildings give a sense of stepping back in time. Using the accepted heritage colours on painted surfaces gives a genuine feeling of the past. Use colours such as clotted cream, mission brown or rivergum green to brighten up an old dresser.

4. Wind chimes

Wind chimes not only look appealing they have the added benefit of filling the outdoor patio area with sound.

Make your own with heavy pipes and wooden chucks or hefty hollowed out bamboo poles.

5. Straw and bamboo furnishings

Floor mats or blinds made from straw and bamboo are pleasing to the eye and have practical uses as well. Position a blind to protect from the afternoon sun. Use straw or cane matting as placemats or drink coasters on the table.

Fill some cane baskets with pine cones, pot pouri or other seed pods.

6. Plants

Plants in clay or terracotta pots or hanging baskets will remind you of your childhood holidays spent with grandparents or weekends in the country.

Train vines and creepers along a wrought iron trellis or arches. or hanging baskets will remind you of your childhood holidays spent with grandparents or weekends in the country.

7. Lighting fixtures

Keep it old with wrought iron frames that use iron cups for encasing the light fixtures or use candles in wire holders hung along the edges of the veranda. Scour the second had shops for others cast offs. You’ll be surprised what a quick clean and fresh coat of paint can achieve. Add a new shade in nostalgic fabric and tassels.

8. Garden Bridge

Wooden bridges over fish ponds can give any yard an instant rustic feel. Use recyled hardwood timbers for the hand rails and railway sleepers for the floor. Bridge kits can be bought on line if you want to build your own. Not only do bridges provide a walkway from one side of the pond to the other but they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and create a focal point while looking out from your patio.

9. Handcrafted items

Nothing says rustic as well as handcrafted items. Use left over scraps of fabric or timber to create wall plaques and table ornaments. Line an old cane basket with a hand sewn placemat as a bread warmer or hand the drinks around on a tray made out of wooden triangular off cuts. The internet is a great source for ideas on hand made goods or head down to any charity fete if you’re not so handy yourself.

What about a timber or wrought iron wine rack hanging on the wall or ceramic statues on timber shelving? Don’t stop with these nine ideas to create a rustic look for your outdoor patio. The only limits are your imagination.

There was a time when choices were limited to the park bench style seating or plastic tables and chairs. These days the selection of patio furniture available is as varied as the styles of pergolas themselves.

The Dining Setting

No pergola, veranda or outdoor living area would be complete without table and chairs. Somewhere to entertain guests, serve a meal or simply enjoy a coffee and a magazine is imperative. If you have a large area and the budget allows, why not look at the informal dining suites designed specifically for the outdoors? Choose from coloured steel frames, glass table tops and chairs topped with comfy padded cushions.

If your pergola is predominantly timber you may want to continue that theme with your furnishings. Sturdy Jarrah tables and chairs come in a range of sizes and shapes from the basic square look four seater to massive ten place seatings or octagonal if your space allows. Mix and match the cushions with some slip covers in plains, stripes or patterned fabric.

The down side of timber is the maintenance to keep it looking pristine. A seasonal light sanding and a generous coat of furniture oil will protect your furniture from the elements.

The Outdoor Café Look

Perhaps you want to retain a cosy, intimate atmosphere. There are some lovely small round tables with iron frames and mosaic tops available, from striking black and white to a variety of terracotta shades.

There’s nothing wrong with an upturned barrel and a colourful tablecloth on top either though. Cut a hole in the centre and add an umbrella if your pergola is open roofed.

Tropical Island Feel

Cane furniture either in the natural earthy looks or painted in a variety of different shades and colours create a sense of the tropics and exotic island living. Choose from the tub style, chairs with curved backs or the grander high backed look of India. Add some plump cushions with slip over covers for easy cleaning.

Furniture on a budget

Quality furniture can be sourced from second hand stores and flea markets. Give the item a coat of paint designed for outdoors for a fresh and colourful look.

Pieces of timber or specially cut glass sitting on top of cut of logs can make great side tables or logs on their own can provide extra seating around the edge of the patio or along the path.

Before you throw out that old sofa think about how it might look on the veranda with a cheap throw rug over it.

Verandas and patios are a place to retreat at the end of a long day or relax and entertain friends and family on weekends. The more comfort you bring in to the area the more time you and your guests are going to want to spend there.

It’s true to say that you may be limited in some way depending on the size of your property and the way it is designed, but for the most part you will have plenty of choice in the final structure and how it looks.

Most people assume that they can only have one structure and they need to decide between them, but this isn’t necessarily the case. For example the Heritage design can equally well be used for a carport as it can for a covered entertaining area outside. So if you have the room, why not get a carport added to the side of your home and a separate verandah added to the rear?

This can give you an extremely versatile space to use. While the carport will obviously be used to park your car (or cars, depending on the size) in for most of the time, if you decide to hold a party or celebration of some kind you can park your vehicle on the street and then use the carport for part of the celebration as well.

A home pergola is another great example of how to utilise one area of your home in a more cosy and private way. Let’s suppose you have room at the side of your house as well as at the rear. You could have a small pergola added to the side to give you a private area for relaxing in on your own – perhaps potting some plants, reading a book, or simply laying back on a sun lounger and enjoying a few stolen moments of peace and quiet.

With this taken care of you can then add a much larger structure to the rear of your house which can be used by the whole family. This type of verandah or patio area would provide an area to socialise and to relax and perhaps have parties too – so you will always be able to use it in a number of ways.

And then when everyone else has gone home and you have your house back to yourself again, you can sneak round to your beloved pergola and sit back and enjoy a nightcap in privacy. What better way to make good use of the exterior of your home?

So you can see, combining designs when you are thinking of adding structures like this to your house can be an excellent idea. Not only can it give you the option of creating more than one area to enjoy for different reasons, it can also provide you with extra outdoors space that you probably wouldn’t use as much otherwise. Just think of that small space down the side of your house. Would you use that more often if you turned it into a small pergola? Of course you would.

So think about your space carefully when you are deciding which structure to add. It might be a lot more versatile than you think.

Patios can be made from several different types of material. Brick is a good choice if you want your patio to have an elaborate design, because you can make many different kinds of patterns with them. Herringbone designs in particular can look very effective.

Flagstones also look extremely good and you can get these ready made in specific designs as well if you wish. They also have a classic feel to them that can look good in any garden.

Alternatively you can opt for crazy paving patios, although these are somewhat out of date at present. Another option is a concrete patio, which takes away the need to lay lots of bricks or tiles, but can take a while to set – during which you don’t want it to rain, or to have a cat walk across the middle of it!

One point that many people don’t think about when they are thinking about a house patio project is the surroundings it will be going in to. Take a look at your property as it is at the moment. What colour is it? What is it made of? Do you have exposed bricks or are the walls all painted a single flat colour?

You might also want to take a look at the garden, as this can also help you determine what kind of patio you want to have. If you are thinking of having a home built barbeque included in the design then you might want to build a brick patio with a barbeque that matches, tucked safely up one end.

Another point to bear in mind is that you can do a lot more with your patio than you may at first think. For example you can also add in troughs and raised flower beds as part of the overall design. Again this works best with brick patios, as you can use the same bricks to do the whole job. Make sure you order enough to complete everything. If you would like to include items like this as part of your new patio design, it can limit the materials you use if you want everything to blend in seamlessly.

One final point to remember is that your patio does not have to be in one solid lump. Some types of patios are built with holes in the middle of them to allow for planting. This can produce a terrific effect with the right plants, since they will cover the edges of the hole and soften the overall hardness of the patio wonderfully.

There are a lot of different types of patio to choose from, and even when you have made your choice of material it is up to you to create something that is truly worthwhile, and an excellent addition to your home.

Some people get confused when faced with whether to go for a patio or a veranda, since the difference isn’t always that well known. An outdoor patio is made of a hard material such as brick or tiles, and can range in size from being quite a small area to a very large one depending on the amount of space available and the needs of the owners.

Outdoor verandahs differ from patios in that they are always covered areas which are attached to the building. By contrast a patio can often be uncovered, but a veranda will always have some kind of roof – possibly fixed or sometimes with retractable sections so that you can still enjoy the sun if you want to.

If you are in a position of trying to decide which one you would prefer, you need to think about what your individual needs are to be able to make the right decision. For example a veranda will be attached to the rear of your property and can extend round the side as well if you have the room. It is also ideal if you like to stay outside but don’t like the sun too much, as you can sit in the shaded areas all day. You will need to determine when and where the sun falls on the rear of your property before you decide how far out from your house the veranda should extend.

Patios have rather more versatility in some ways, since you can build them on many levels and in any shape you wish. With a veranda you need to have a certain number of supports to be able to hold the structure up, whereas a patio doesn’t have this concern.

If you would like a patio you need to think about how big you want it to be and where it will be situated in relation to your house. Some people even build more than one patio area if they have a large garden, so that they can enjoy sitting in different parts of the garden.

Of course if you have the right kind of property you may be able to have the best of both worlds, and have both a verandah and a patio added to your garden. This can transform your property and give it an additional outside room to enjoy, with plenty of space for parties and barbeques as well.

It should always be remembered that both structures are fairly permanent, so it is worth spending some time sketching out your ideas and building in areas for planting and flowers to soften things up a little as well. As with so many areas in the garden it is quite often the finishing touches that make all the difference to the final look, so make sure you don’t forget them, whichever structure you eventually decide to go for.

But just as with any other external fixture to your home, an awning will need cleaning from time to time and if you want to keep it looking at its best you will need to do this on a regular basis.

The first step should be to check the instructions given on the packaging that came with the awning itself. Different products may have different requirements so if the instructions give you specific steps to follow then you should certainly go along with these.

However most awnings have fairly similar needs and they are not complicated either. The frames should be wiped down with a soft clean cloth which is slightly damp, to remove any dirt that the wind kicks up during the day. If you do this regularly there shouldn’t be any need for any hard scrubbing.

Awnings do differ in their design and structure, so make sure you use the right method for your particular design. If you have a fabric awning then soap and water is the best way to clean it. If you don’t keep on top of this job you may find that more stubborn stains will develop, and if this is the case you may need to call out a professional cleaner to get rid of them. This is one particular point which goes in favour of you cleaning them regularly yourself to make sure no build up occurs.

You will generally find that most awnings for use on your house patio are treated to be waterproof, or at least showerproof. In the case of retractable awnings the fabric still needs to be able to retract easily, so the awning still needs to be quite flexible.

This isn’t to say that you should leave the awning out in all types of weather though, especially not if you want to keep it clean and looking good all year round. Make sure you retract it if heavy rain is forecast.

When you do clean it, it’s best to do so in warm weather if you can. While you shouldn’t be soaking it in water to clean it, you will need to be able to sponge out any stains and so the awning is likely to be damp once you have finished. If you were to retract it while it was still damp, you might end up with mould growing on it, which could ruin the material altogether.

The moral here is to devote a little time on a regular basis to keep your awning looking as good as new. And if you find your existing one doesn’t scrub up to standard once you have cleaned it, perhaps it is time to buy a new one. After all, an awning can add a stunning touch to any patio if it is well looked after.

But before you do anything you should take some time to work out what you would like to do. Make a start by sketching out a rough plan of your entire garden to scale, and mark in any features that you would like to keep in place, or that are permanent anyway.

Lightly sketch out your existing patio and then work out what you would do if you added a section onto it. Would you need to extend it in a certain direction? Would that affect any features you already have, such as flowerbeds and perhaps part of the lawn?

It’s also a good idea to think about how you will use your garden, mainly because you will have to work out how much bigger the patio will be once the addition is in place. If you need lots of room to entertain people, a barbecue area might be a good idea. Conversely you may not be prepared to lose a lot of your lawn if you have young children, so bear this in mind too.

Once you have an idea of where you want the extension to be, mark it out in your garden using some string to indicate roughly where the edge will be. This will give you a much better idea of the size of your whole patio once it is finished.

Regardless of the size that you want your outdoor patio to be when it is complete, you will want the new addition to match the existing patio as closely as possible. Obviously the shade will not match exactly, since a certain amount of weathering will have affected the original patio, but a close match will provide you with a good finish once the elements have done their job in the ensuing few weeks and months.

Another point to bear in mind is whether there will be a difference in height between the existing structure and what you intend to add to it. If there is you may want to think about building a step or a slope into the design, depending on your needs. If there is a reasonable difference between the two levels you could take the opportunity to build a raised bed into the design, softening the join between the old patio and the new one with some good planting and foliage.

If the difference between the old and the new is still quite visible, try blasting your old patio with a proper cleaner to get all the grime and dirt out of the floor. It’s amazing how much difference this alone will make, and it’s worth spending a couple of hours doing this as it will improve your brand new larger patio no end.