Differences Between Patios And Verandahs

Everyone likes to make the best of their back gardens, but there are a number of ways to do it and some of these involve having a permanent structure added 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.