Stone that belongs
Harrogate grew in the nineteenth century as a spa town built of local gritstone and sandstone. Many of its villas originally had stone-flagged terraces outside the garden doors, often with steps down to a lawn. When we design a patio for one of these houses, we look for stone with the same warm buff and grey tones. Yorkstone and sandstone are the obvious choices.
For a newer house or a contemporary extension, porcelain gives a crisp, modern finish. Smaller courtyards, circles and paths often suit block paving and setts.
Gardens on the slope
Not every Harrogate garden is flat. Around Harlow Hill, Oatlands and parts of Knaresborough, gardens fall away from the house or rise behind it. Rather than one large paved area, we often create level terraces linked by generous steps, with low walls holding the ground. Our guide to garden terraces and steps explains our approach.
Cold winters
Harrogate is higher and colder than much of Yorkshire. Frost finds weaknesses: hollow mortar beds, poor drainage, porous stone in permanent shade. We lay every slab on a full bed over a compacted base, fall the patio away from the house and choose materials that cope with the climate.
Around the house
A patio should sit at least 150 millimetres below the damp-proof course and must not cover airbricks. On older stone houses, we also keep moisture away from soft stonework and lime mortar where possible.