5 Benefits of Building a Patio in Your Backyard

Why build a patio instead of keeping the lawn?

Because grass by the back door wears through, and the ground there stays wet from fall to spring. Every trip outside ends with shoes on the mat. A patio puts a firm, level surface where the foot traffic already is. It is pitched away from the house, so rain runs off instead of pooling against the wall.

The Seattle yard in the photo above is a job we finished in the fall of 2021. The back yard was overgrown, the grass was patchy and the side yards were weed strips. We cleared and graded it, laid a patio of large square gray slabs and put artificial turf around it. The first photos are dated September 21, 2021 and the finished yard November 5, 2021. The whole job, new cedar fences on every side included, cost about $35,000.

For every kind of patio we build, from pavers to covered patios, see Patio Contractors Across the Greater Seattle Area.

How does a patio give you more room to live outside?

A patio gives you floor space outside the back door for a table, a grill or a pair of sofas. That ground becomes a place to eat dinner, read on a dry afternoon or have friends over. A dining or seating patio off the back door is usually up to 300 sq ft. A large patio for a crowd, with a dining area and a fire area, runs from 300 to 700+ sq ft. A patio sits on the ground beside the house. A porch is a roofed platform built onto the house at a door.

A fence around the patio blocks the view from next door. In a narrow Seattle side yard, we closed in a small paved patio under a wood pergola with new cedar privacy fencing in October 2021. The fence steps up with the stone terraces, and the seating area now looks at cedar and stone instead of the neighbors' houses.

Is a patio easier to own than a deck?

Usually, yes. A patio sits on the ground on a compacted gravel base, so it has no framing, railings or stairs to look after. Concrete and pavers need cleaning now and then. A wood deck needs its boards cleaned and restained, and its framing checked for rot.

One of our own jobs shows the deck side. The Bellevue deck below kept its boards and its lattice railing, but in 2021 it still needed a full clean and a new red-brown stain, a refinish priced at about $15,000 on its project page. A deck still makes sense where the ground falls away from the house or the floor sits well above the yard, because a patio has to sit on grade.

Sources: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections Do You Need a Permit? page, read October 2026; 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features.

Does a patio add value to your home?

Probably. A new patio ranked fifth of 11 outdoor projects for cost recovered in the 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Realtors estimated that a new patio recovers 95 percent of its cost when the home sells, against 89 percent for a new wood deck.

Homeowners who built a new patio gave it a Joy Score of 9.9 out of 10 in the same 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features by the National Association of Realtors, and 85 percent of them said they want to be home more since. Those are national figures for an 18 by 16 foot concrete paver patio. Seattle costs and resale values differ, and we do not promise a resale figure for any patio we build.

Can you add a cover, fire pit or outdoor kitchen later?

Yes, and planning for it now saves digging later. Our Luxury patio tier includes a seat wall and a fire pit, and the Luxury tier for large patios adds an outdoor kitchen rough in. A gas line for a fire feature is not in the starting prices, so it is priced in writing when you want one.

A roof is the change that most needs planning, because its posts need footings under or beside the slab. A covered patio keeps the space usable in the rain from fall to spring. For how a cover ties into the house and when it needs a permit, read How to Build a Covered Patio Attached to Your House.

How much does a patio cost in the Greater Seattle area?

Patios we build across the Greater Seattle area start at $15,000+ for up to 300 sq ft, $30,000+ for a large patio or outdoor room and $45,000+ for a covered patio. The price follows the size, the ground and drainage, and the surface and features you choose.

Source: the price section of our Patio Contractors Across the Greater Seattle Area page, October 2026. Starting prices, not a quote. Drainage beyond the patio, retaining walls, tree removal, gas lines and permit fees are priced separately.

Pavers, concrete or stone: which patio surface fits?

All three work in our climate when the base and the drainage are right.

• Broom finish concrete or standard pavers (Basic): concrete costs less and suits simple shapes and hot tub pads.
• Stamped concrete or premium pavers (Mid-Range): pavers flex with the ground, offer more patterns, and a damaged one can be lifted out and replaced.
• Natural stone or porcelain (Luxury): the most finished look, often with a seat wall and layered lighting.

Every patio sits on a compacted gravel base. Pavers get an edge restraint, and their joints are filled tight with polymeric sand to hold them and keep weeds out.

How do we plan a patio with you?

We walk the yard together, mark the footprint and look at the slope, the soggy spots and the doors the patio connects to. Settle the size before the digging starts, because moving an edge after the base is compacted means digging again. You choose the surface and any cover, and get a written price that lists excavation, base, drainage, surface and structure.

Our main office is in Bellevue, and we build patios in Seattle, on the Eastside and across King and Snohomish counties. See Home Remodeling Contractors in Seattle, WA and Home Remodeling Contractors in Bellevue, WA.