A Carmel backyard built around the fire pit

Most homeowners in Carmel start with a small concrete slab that does not let them enjoy their property. This one was replaced with a patio designed around where the family actually wanted to sit.

Instead of building an extra room addition or a sunroom to enjoy the outdoors, our clients appreciate that brick patios give the same feel and are a lot more affordable. Our patio designs maximise the usable space to create something more functional for the way a family lives outside, and we incorporate fire pits, outdoor kitchens and grilling areas that other general contractors would not typically think about.

The fire pit and the wall around it

Most of our clients prefer a round fire pit, but there are square and rectangular ones as well. There are two different types: gas burning, which is connected to a gas line that runs underground and is hooked up to the house, and wood burning, which uses wood to ignite and continue burning. Platinum Patio follows all guidelines to make sure every fire area is the proper distance from the house and other structures.

Retaining walls are a great way to provide extra privacy or to sit around a fire and enjoy time with the family. Many homeowners finish their paver patios with a beautiful and functional seating wall, which is used for privacy, to block off neighbours, and to seclude the outdoor living space.

The base underneath it

Platinum Patio digs about 8 to 10 inches down into the ground, over twice as deep as other landscape design companies. We then fill the space with crushed limestone, which is ideal for durability and allows water to safely filter through and away from the house. On top of the limestone we install landscaping fabric to make sure weeds or other unwanted plant material never come through to the paver patio. On top of the fabric comes more crushed limestone, followed by leveling sand and then finally Belgard concrete pavers.

The patio is secured in place by Perma-Edge technology rather than the normal plastic edging you usually see surrounding a patio. Traditional edging tends to come up and out of the patio over time, and homeowners often trip on it. Perma-Edge is more of a cement that lines the patio with a solid layer to hold its shape.