Off the Urban Grid

How to Make a Patio Out of Extra Wood

Backyard patios can enhance your backyard and really make it shine. If you have extra wood beams or know of where you can get surplus wood for a cheap price, building a homemade patio is a fairly simple project that can be done in a day. Below are step-by-step instructions for creating a space to feature your outdoor furniture as well as potted plants.

You will need:

8-10 wood beams of the same length
Right angle brackets
Long nails
Hammer
Wood stain and paint brush (optional)
Mulch

Step One
Determine how large you want your patio area to be and cut or purchase the lengths of wood beams accordingly. Basically, you will be building a square foundation for your patio out of the four beams, and then you can add four or more beams to one of the sides to create more space for people to step up on or for your plants.

Step Two
Once you have the beams into place, you will have to ensure that they are lined up properly. Depending on your yard, you might have to add dirt underneath the beams to even out the ground. If the beams aren’t fitting together properly, try turning them over.

Step Three
Attach the corners of the beams together with angle brackets. The brackets fit on the inside corners of where two wood beams meet. Use your nails and hammer to connect the beams together with the brackets. This will create your foundation for the patio.

Step Four
Add four or more wood beams to one side of the patio foundation. This is where you can put more seating or even your grill and some plants. It can be challenging to match up the boards so they fit perfectly, so you might have to rearrange the beams or flip them on the other side to match up the edges.

Step Five
Attach the right angle brackets to the top of the beams so that one bracket will connect two beams together. Remember, if the ground isn’t even, you can always add some dirt to ensure that the wood is resting evenly on the earth.

Step Six
You can stain the wood if you want it to be a richer color, or you can leave it natural. This step is optional.

Step Seven
Fill the inside of the wood patio foundation with mulch. If you had to cut down dead or dying trees, have someone create mulch out of them for you to use. Christmas trees can be easily turned into mulch too.

Now you have a beautiful patio area that you didn’t have to spend too much time building. Your outdoor furniture can go here as well as an herb garden.

Tags: building a patio from scatch, homemade patio, wood base