Patio doors and French windows bring the garden indoors

There was a time when there was the house and then there was the garden. And the only place they had French windows was in France, or in a stately home in the country. Happily for most of us those days have gone and we can now open the patio doors and let the garden in.

Of course creating a patio is only half as simple as it sounds. The complicated part is the patio itself. I should know; I’ve just made one. The trick is in the preparation. First measure out the area you want for your patio. Decide on the materials you want to use and the finish you hope to achieve. Then dig up your old paving slabs or whatever mess you had under your living room windows, down to about four or five inches. Make sure the ground is hard, adding rubble, hardcore and aggregate to create a solid base. Then mix your concrete. For the small patio you will probably need around a ton to a ton and half of course sand and concrete mix. The trick now is to start in the corner, laying flag by flag, maintaining a gentle slope towards your run-off area. We used Indian Slates to give a variagated pattern in soft oranges and yellows. Finish with a waterproof grout in keeping with the colours you have chosen. It took two of us four full days and we were exhausted at the end of day one. I’ve got to say, though, I am delighted with the result.

The second part is the easy part. Order your patio doors or french windows from Essex Trade Windows. They have fantastic choice of styles and colours made from Profile 22 state of the art PVCU or GRP composite. Safe, secure, energy efficient and stunningly gorgeous. And the skilled craftsmen from Essex Trade Windows will have you new doors expertly fitted while you are still picking out the pot plants and your new patio furniture.