Did you know that a nice patio can have a better impact on your home’s value than many other upgrades? It’s true. A nice back patio area is something everyone wants. Dad pictures himself grilling some ribs while Mom dreams of kicking back on a soft chair with her Kindle.

Whether or not our patio will actually live up to our lofty expectations, who knows, but we can dream, can’t we?

So, in no particular order, here are some things I’ve discovered over the years.

• Don’t buy cheap steel patio furniture. It will rust and leave stains on your concrete.
• Don’t buy those cheap steel framed patio canopy things. I’ve seen them collapsed in a pile at my customers’ backyards more times than I can count.
• Do Scotchgard your furniture cushions. The sun quickly fades unprotected fabric.
• Do create natural shade for you patio using fast growing vines, trees, etc. You can even plant a tree in a pot and move it around to provide shade at different times of the day.
• Do install gutters on your house. (Ok that is not technically a patio improvement but…) Gutters will redirect rain water away from the house and patio. You don’t want water crashing down and splashing muddy water all over everything.
• Do schedule an annual cleaning of your house, patio, and patio furniture.

If you have any ideas, please share them with us!

Free pressure washing estimate HERE.