The patio is a spanish word which means the courtyard,yard,the garden or outdoor environment. Patios are mostly beautifully paved with durable materials like granite, pebbles, cobblestones, precaste concrete, gravel from crushed stones etc. They may be roofed or roofless.

Patios have been used for recreational purposes since time immemorial. From ancient Great Britain, through Rome-Italy the Americas.Architectural designers have for a long time realise the importance of patios and have hitherto included patios in their design works, making sure that the locations of important patio amenities are indicated in the designs.

The patio of today may include several amenities which are necessay and desirable in the household.We can now discuss some few but very important amenities of the patio.

Garden furniture,also called patio furniture is a set that is designed to be durable for external weather conditions. A little research as to the material used for the patio is very important prior to purchasing. Some used matrerials for patio sets are teak, plastic, aluminium, rough iron etc. The teak tree produces wood which have natural silica imbedded in the wood tissues.Silica is a material which can withstand rottening, swelling and to some extent burning. Silica is resistant against fungal infections and many chemicals cannot break it down. The wood of the teak is treated with chemicals which enhances its performance by making it more durable. Patio sets made from the treated teak wood are very durable and resistant to adverse outside environmental conditions.

Aluminium is another material used in building patio sets. The aluminium is coated so that it can resist corrosion. Coated aluminium is durable and long lasting. It also has less density and so weigh less than other materials.

Plastic is waterproof. This is a good characteristic necessary for a patio material. It is non-corrosive and cannot rot.

The wicker furniture is common in several parts of the world.It is usually made from cane.The cane is a processed part of the stem of any of the many species of Palms grown in the tropical parts of the world. The cane are then woven into wicker sets by trained workers or for large scale production by machines. Wicker sets from the cane are not as durable as Patio sets made from other materials.The material which is now commonly used for making wicker sets is resin. Resin is recycled plastic and it's amazingly very tough and highly resistant to the weather.

The patio can be very cold during certain periods in the year.This brings to mind the patio heaters. Patio heaters produce heat for the patio and may be any of the types which use electricity,propane gas, bottled butane, natural gas etc.Usually fire pits and fire bowls are used as patio heaters.

The Umbrella is a valuable patio amenity which creates a lot of shade in the heat of summer.The British use the term parasol for the patio umbrellas.Many Umbrellas are movable around patio sets , but some are fixed to the ground through a hole in the patio table.

Some beautiful patios have bird feeders, statues, fountains, swimming pools, barbecue grills etc.

The benefits from the patio are numerous.We can list just a few here.

1) Very good and important for recreational purposes.

2) Used to entertain visitors and family members.

3) Very important for business discursions.

4) Several important meetings can be held in the patio.

5) Used for dinning and picknicking.