1. Patios can be beautiful no matter what you use to build them. If you really like the look of stone, there are a couple of things you can do. It's fairly easy to learn how to build a patio that looks like stone, but much easier on the wallet.

Use broken pieces of paving stones. Place them together like a mosaic on your patio area. You can then spray paint them different colors that are neutral and natural like stone. This works really well.

2. To save even more money, check your local garden supply stores for paving stones after summer. Spring and Summer are usually the busiest garden supply buying times of the year. After Summer, everything gets marked down. So, this is your chance to sneak in and get paving stones and other garden supply items at a discounted price.

3. If you're going to have a patio poured, look for times when cement companies are not as busy as normal. Again, after Summer and Spring, business dies down so you can pick up better deals.

Winter may not be when you think of building your patio, but it's a great time to get discounts from cement companies. Or, learn how to build a patio yourself using bagged concrete.

4. Learn how to build a patio using low grade concrete. This is much cheaper than some of the higher grades, and can be every bit as beautiful. This will be even cheaper if you do it yourself.

There are other ways to build a patio and make it look great you can check them out at http://www.buildapatio.net for easy instructions and advice.