Patio design in Boise, Idaho

Good patio design in Boise starts with a simple complaint. The builder's slab fits two chairs and bakes by noon. Or you're starting from bare dirt and can't tell how big the patio should be. Or the old concrete has cracked and tipped toward the house.

Patio design is figuring out the size, shape, spot and material before anything gets built, so the patio fits how you live and holds up here. I'm Kabe Hockema. I design patios as part of my work as a landscape designer, and then I build them. I've been at it since 2012.

Size it for the furniture you'll use

The most common patio mistake is making it too small. A good rule: measure the furniture, then add about 3 feet on every side so chairs can push back and people can walk past.

• A small table for four needs about 10 by 10 feet.
• A table for six, with a grill nearby, needs closer to 14 by 16 feet.
• A sofa set around a fire pit wants about 14 by 14 feet, with the fire pit in the middle.

Before I build, I mark the patio outline on the ground. Set your real furniture inside it. If it feels tight, it is.

Where the sun hits

Boise summers are hot, and July afternoons are hard on a patio with no shade. A bare west-facing patio can be tough to use from mid-afternoon until sunset. An east-facing patio gets soft morning sun, then shade from the house later in the day.

If your patio has to face west, plan the shade at the same time: a tree, a shade structure, or a patio tucked close to where the house casts its shadow. Some people plan around the morning instead. The Caldwell outdoor living room was built to face the sunrise.

Pavers, natural stone or concrete

Each material behaves a little differently in our climate.

• Concrete pavers. Separate pieces set on compacted gravel and sand. They flex a little as the ground freezes and thaws, and a broken paver can be swapped out. They come in lots of colors and shapes. See my paver patios page for more.
• Natural flagstone. Irregular stone with a natural look that suits gardens and relaxed spaces. For a dining area, I pick flatter, thicker pieces so chairs don't rock.
• Poured concrete. Often lower in cost up front. In clay soil with freeze-thaw winters, though, it tends to crack, and patches never quite match.

The part you don't see: base and drainage

What's under the patio decides how long it lasts. Our clay soil holds water, and when that water freezes, it pushes up. So I dig out the soft soil, then put down gravel in layers and compact each one. An edge restraint holds pavers in place so they don't creep.

The patio also needs a slight slope away from the house, about a quarter inch per foot. You won't notice it when you walk on it, but rain and snowmelt will run off instead of pooling by your back door. If the patio sits against a hill, a short wall can hold the slope back. That's covered on my retaining wall design page.

Shape and how it connects

A patio should feel like part of the yard, not a slab dropped in the middle. I connect it to the back door with a landing, then to paths and lawn. Straight lines suit modern homes. Curves soften a yard full of plants.

A lot of Treasure Valley homes have a back door a few feet above the yard. That calls for wide, comfortable steps, which is what outdoor step construction handles. A seat wall along one edge gives you extra seating without more chairs. If you want a fire pit, I leave enough room for chairs to sit back from the heat.

Patio cost: what moves the number

• The square footage.
• The material: pavers, flagstone or concrete.
• How much digging and haul-off the base needs.
• Removing an old slab or patio.
• Add-ons like seat walls, steps, a fire pit or lighting.
• Access. A tight side gate means more hand work.

You can see a patio redo on this patio reconstruction in Boise.

The patio as the anchor of the yard

The patio is usually the anchor of backyard landscaping. Planting beds, lawn, lighting and water features all get laid out around it. That's why I design the patio with the rest of the yard, even if you build it first.

Patios across the Treasure Valley

I design and build patios in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Garden City, Star, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton and Hidden Springs, plus Sun Valley and Ketchum.

Plan your patio

If you want patio design in Boise that fits your furniture, your sun and your soil, schedule a consultation. I'll come out, mark it on the ground, and help you pick the material that makes sense.