Juli Doty - Real Estate, Real Advice

My Favorite Home Enlargement Project

A new patio, front or back, is a wonderful enhancement to the livability of your home. My own patios are designed to extend and accentuate the house.

My real estate practice has proven to me the value that buyers place on comfortable outdoor living space. In fact, a backyard retreat was among the top 10 features ranked "very important" by home buyers in the 2007 Profile of Buyers' Home Feature Preferences, published by the National Association of Realtors. More than half (54%) of those surveyed were willing to pay a premium for a patio. With concrete, however, you don't need to pay a premium price to get a premium product.

10 Reasons Why Concrete is the Perfect Patio Material

1. Staining and sealing a wood deck every year is expensive in time and money.
2. Concrete is beautiful, clean, and easy to care for. You can stamp, engrave, stencil or texture it to resemble much more expensive materials like stone or brick pavers - at a fraction of the cost.
3. With the use of stain and other colorants, you can create many moods.
4. Concrete is easily formed into any shape to accommodate backyard space restrictions. Even old wall paneling cut into strips can be bent into fabulous shapes, allowing curves and other works of art.
5. Unlike paving stones, you won't have sand-filled joints between units where grass and weeds grow.
6. Concrete stands up to a broad range of weather conditions.
7. When you think creatively you have the ability to have a custom design that is only yours.
8. The beauty and durability of decorative concrete can significantly boost the resale value of your home while being very affordable.
9. Your concrete patio won't be vulnerable to termite infestation, wood rot, or splintering.
10. Concrete is environmentally friendly.