Help me with a patio

[quinquereme]

Ok determined to at least get the garden sorted for the summer.

At present we have (what I am sure are quite expensive) granite cobbles for our patio area. I hate them : nothing sits flat in them, you can't walk barefoot and the weeds grow up in between them.

We have a modern brick house with quite a 'wild' looking garden, so I think anything too sleek won't look right.

I think that old stone/ slate/ brick would look good (though the brick may be a no-no if it clashes with our more modern brick). Any thoughts / pictures / suppliers you would recommend ?

I quite like the look of planting in between (eg camomile) has anyone done this and it not be taken over by weeds?

Photo? We have bog standard Indian sandstone for our bog standard red brick 1990s terraced house. It was laid in a very wet year and the contractor didn't come back and stain it so even with jet washing it can look a bit dirty. But it’s neutral and ‘invisible’ so it’s fine by me.

We have limestone edged in brick. You need robust bricks for paving. Ours are Bucks multis made locally!! Other brick makers will have suitable products. Limestone (York stone) will last multiple lifetimes! You could match brick colours to your house bricks. Slate is dark. Can get slippery. Don’t use cheap sandstone. Laying bricks is labour intensive.,

porcelain slabs are less prone to discoloation and moss.

while you're doing the patio slabs it's a great opportunity to bring water, electricity outside as the pipes go under the patio.

Porcelain will stay exactly as you lay it in terms of looks. Just needs washing down every so often. Same with limestone. Limestone can laminate slightly but it adds character. Sandstone seems to attract algae and black spots appear. It is really difficult to clean up. I have both sandstone and limestone and brick. Sandstone is far and away the worst. But is it way cheaper!!

We are now having Milboard for our pool surround. Bloody expensive but........ our old decking has rotted.

who is getting buried?