Patios can come in many different shapes and sizes. Of course, each patio has to conform to the area around it. In the suburbs, where the backyards tend to be small, many patios are also reasonably small. However, in the mountains, with the huge, large open expanses, many property owners are only limited by what their imagination can give them.

One of my neighbors had a rather large house that was built on the hillside, so that when viewed from one side of the house, there were only two stories that could be seen above ground. From the other side, there were three stories above ground. The house was in the mountains as well, with expanses of open space around their house.

Naturally, they decided to build a wraparound patio. From the three story side, the "patio" was a balcony made from wood and as it wrapped around to the two story side, it rested right on the ground and blended into stone.

But what made this patio really interesting was that they built around all the natural features. Granted, this was no small patio. It was really quite large, and when building it, there was an outcrop of right smack dab in the middle. So, they built around it and now there is this oasis of rock in the very middle.

Also, there were numerous trees where the patio stands right now. As you might guess, they built the patio right around the trees too, so from afar, the trees seem to be growing out of the patio. The trees also aren't to the side of the patio, they are interspersed right in the middle. Even though they built such a great patio, the area around the house still has a very pristine and natural forest look to it.

You can use these concepts to make your patio blend in to your surroundings. Just remember, quality is better than quantity. You don't have to have the biggest patio in the neighborhood to have the most enjoyable and attractive patio. It just has to fit.