Wilshire Patios in Dunedin

The Wilshire area is one of Dunedin's inland neighborhoods, grouped with the higher ridge rather than the Sound-front streets. Patios here are usually a rectangle off the family room, sometimes with a seat wall and a small grill pad, under oaks that drop leaves into every joint.

Base, pitch, and the house wall

We keep the patio below the weep screed and off the stucco. A buried edge against the wall traps water and stains the base coat. The field pitches away from the sliders, and a channel drain goes in only when the lawn cannot take the sheet flow. On these lots the usual fix is a simple one-way pitch to a side swale, not a trench full of pipe.

• Compact crushed-concrete base in lifts on a geotextile where the sand is loose.

• Set the grill or fire feature on its own pad with a heat setback from the screen or the fence.

• Leave a sleeve for future lighting before the field is closed.

• Choose a soldier border dark enough to hide irrigation staining.

Wilshire lots are not immune to Dunedin's afternoon downpours. A patio that looks flat on a dry Tuesday will hold a sheet of water in July if the pitch was guessed by eye. We check pitch with a level before the bedding sand is screeded.

PaverForge Hardscapes designs and installs Wilshire patios, seat walls, and outdoor living pads. Call 727-490-9798 or use paverforge.com/book-online.