Patio Or Deck? Which Is Best?
An addition to your home such as a patio or deck makes a fantastic entertaining area and also extends your living space. A well-designed deck or patio doesn’t just enhance the aesthetics of your property but also adds value and makes a great selling point. With this in mind, perhaps you’re wondering whether to choose a patio or a deck?
Ultimately your decision depends on your location, your lifestyle needs, and your personal tastes. There are, however, some pros and cons to each which may help with your decision. So, let’s take a closer look.
Patio Pros
- Patios are easy to maintain provided you’ve chosen good quality paving/tiles
- Paving looks good with a broad selection of housing styles
- There’s a great choice of shapes, colours, and textures
- Long lasting provided you have good quality paving
Patio Cons
- Concrete impacts the environment resulting in high levels of CO²
- Patios require more intensive construction beneath them, especially in an area where there is a lot of ground movement
Deck Pros
- The material looks completely natural
- Quicker to construct, especially when raised above the ground
Deck Cons
- Can become slippery in wet weather
- Requires regular oiling to keep its colour
- May not last as long particularly if untreated softwood is used
MAIN POINTS TO CONSIDER
While the list of pros and cons is helpful there are other factors to take into account, such as:
Style of Property
Let’s start off with the style of your property. If it’s traditional with an abundance of decorative features and verandas then a timber deck is likely to look out of place and is unlikely to suit its style.
If, on the other hand, your house has timber cladding and/or a modern design, then decking will look great with it.
Essentially it’s a good idea to consider your style of house while taking into account the pointers in the list above.
Personal taste
Perhaps you have the type of property which would suit a deck or a patio. This being the case, then it’s more about your personal tastes. Are you drawn more to timber than concrete? If this still doesn’t help you to make up your mind, then the next thing to take into account is your garden.
Style of Garden
Do you tend to choose clean, simple lines or are you more interested in textures and interesting details? If it’s the latter, then paving is a better choice for you since it’s easier to create texture and interesting patterns with paving than it is with timber.
If you prefer clean and minimalist then timber is a better choice for you. While we can create a minimal style using just one type of paving, because the individual slabs are shorter than the boards used for your deck, paving will still look less ‘streamlined’ than decking.
Have both
If you just can’t make up your mind then why not have both? Combining paving and decking in modern properties look great and the contrast is very effective.
Cleaning Paved/Tiled Areas
You’ll soon be enjoying your new patio or deck, which brings us on to maintenance and cleaning. While a deck simply needs brushing and regular oiling to keep it looking pristine a paved or tiled patio requires a different type of maintenance. While brushing should be sufficient most of the time, depending on its location your patio may require a deeper clean from time to time. Doing this yourself can be hard work and time consuming which is why we’re happy to recommend another local Brisbane business who can do it for you.
South Queensland Restorations provide a wide range of services including tile cleaning in Brisbane.
They can also remove grime and other contaminations which often gets between the tile joints using their high-pressure washing service. With a team that’s fully trained, licensed, and insured, they’re efficient, reliable, and an all round great bunch of guys!
If you’re looking for an experienced builder to create your dream patio or deck, then look no further. Call Additions today on (07) 3396 3884 and let’s discuss your ideas.
