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will be needed in order to accomodate furniture, a grill at a safe distance from guests and fire hazardous materials (ie: wicker patio furniture), as well as standing room for guests who might wish to mingle. Perhaps you'll desire space to include an outdoor bar in which to serve chilled drinks without running back and forth from kitchen to patio. If so, electricity will be another consideration. For those who may be seeking a simple place of quietude, a small affair upon which to place a chaise lounge and end table for magazines or books may be ideal, perhaps an umbrella if there is not natural shade available. Then there's everything in between.

The tools, material expense and difficulty of building your patio vary from person to person and home to home. Aside from having an attractive addition to the existing and surrounding structures, be it the house itself or garden while still fitting the stylized preferences of the home owner, can make the artistic decisions difficult. For example, a rather plain brick home may not bear out a gothic-stone theme very well, yet stucco would. However, if the homeowner has a preference for such, attempting to mesh materials and colors could prove to be a chore from finding the right shades to the best cuts available to accomplish that without appearing out of place and gaudy. As these choices are so incredibly individualized, recommendations for specific styles, materials or schemes are being deferred.

However, once the first three considerations are taken into account (size - based on use, style - based on individual tastes and home structure, location - based on all of the above), then it's time to move on to the next step. Before purchasing any materials, physically starting the project or doing anything else, call your local utility companies to check for the location of all lines (power, water, gas). This could feasibly change all plans pertaining to size and location, but it is critically important to know the boundaries before digging begins. Once you have your lines marked, call your city or county to determine if any building permits will be required before beginning. The next-to-last thing one (after being blown up due to an accidental run in with a gasline or electrocuted by an underground powerline) wants to experience is the local authorities granting a citation for improper building licensing - or lack thereof. Every municipality will be different in these requirements. Some may have none, others may be solely

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