Improving The Safety Of Your Patio Area
Having a nice patio space in your outside courtyard area can be lovely, and give you more options for how you design and structure your hosting setup. A nice patio can be somewhere you hang out with a book and a drink, eat with friends, or let the dog sunbathe like he or she owns the place.
However, because a patio is often comprised of a combination of slabs and staged ground, if that space isn’t safe, even slightly, then it might not only look worse, but potentially cause issues. You shouldn’t feel like you’re always having to watch where you step or constantly doing mini-repairs just to use it.
Patio spaces do take a little upkeep (like power washing the grime off now and then), but it’s rarely going to take more than varnishing a deck would, or how you might manage any other area exposed to the elements.
In this post, however, we intend to help you improve the safety of your patio area.
Be Mindful About Wobbly Paving Or Loose Tiles
A slightly lifted slab or loose tile can be annoying, but it’s actually a pretty good warning that something has gone wrong with your setup or the land is being affected by other influences. But of course, if you’re carrying something hot from the kitchen or just walking out there barefoot, this is hardly the safest outcome to deal with. Such little shifts can still cause trips or lead to more serious movement that cracks other areas too. The last thing you need is to increase the fall hazard chance of part of your home, especially if you have elderly relatives who come to visit often.
Now, you may just need to reseat the slab. Other times, if it keeps coming loose, it might point to something going on underneath, like tree roots shifting things or perhaps a leak that’s affecting the ground underneath. Which leads to our next point:
Check For Patio Slab Leaks
A lot of people don’t realize water damage under a patio can be a slow and sneaky problem, because we tend to think of gardens as places that can get wet anyway. You might not even know it’s happening until things feel soft underfoot or you spot weeds growing where they shouldn’t. In some cases, it’s caused by a broken outdoor tap or an underground pipe leak.
Alternatively, if there’s a wet patch that keeps reappearing or your patio is sinking in parts, it might be worth calling a plumber to take a look, especially if you have outdoor plumbing or an irrigation system nearby that could have affected the staging space. It’s better to sort it early than let the foundation shift too much, which opens its own can of worms..If anything, it can help to avoid that swampy patio smell when the water’s been sitting there too long.
Keep It Clear, But Not Sterile
Patio spaces are best when they’re designed with navigability in mind, as if your patio is cluttered with items such as random chairs, planters you’ve been meaning to sort, or tools that live there “for now,” then moving around can become a bit of a hassle. This can also increase the chance of falling over a trip hazard, especially at night, and of course a patio is hard and not a surface you want to trip over on.
So, try to keep the walking paths clear. You don’t need a minimalist patio unless that’s your preference, but a little bit of order is wise, especially if you have a fire pit in the centre. Safety is always key in any home design, especially outside.
Think About Footwear & Surfaces
We’ve already spoken about wet patios, but of course, they can be wet just because of the recent rain. That said, patios can sometimes become ice rinks too.. If you can, look at adding some grip, be that textured outdoor rugs or surface sealants that help give a little more traction.
Also, just having a clear rule (even if it’s just for you) about wearing shoes outside helps avoid slipping or cutting your foot on tiny bits of debris. It’s tempting to wander out barefoot, but even a flip-flop adds some protection.
With this advice, we hope you ca more easily improve the safety of your patio area and so with confidence. Some arranged patio slabs seated into the ground might seem like the simplest and most basic of designs, but even this does require a little upkeep from time to time, and time spent on keeping yourself and your family safe is never wasted.
