Patio for resale or rent value

[James H.]

I wasn't sure what forum to post this question in, but I think this will do. I

So, I would love to move from my house to a larger place and in a nicer neighborhood. Unfortunately, it looks like my wife is going to be in school for yet another 2 to 3 years. So, it will be probably be about that long before we can afford to upgrade.

So...since I'm gonna be here for a few more years, I am contemplating building a patio in the back yard. Due to the hot sun here in north Texas, the back yard (or any yard for that matter) is just not habitable. I'd like to BBQ a little more and just have a little extra space to have for company.

My plan is to build a structural slab with grade beams and independent drilled piers. The slab has to be structural or it will break up on the expansive clay soils where I live. The independent piers are necessary to keep the slab leveld during seasonal shrinking and swelling of the clay soils. Some estimates indicate it will cost around 2500 for about 240 SF (10 ft by 24 ft).

Except for at the door, there will be a 2 ft gap between the slab and the house that I will fill with crushed limestone and pavers. I have to leave the gap so that the pressed piers previously used to remediate the existing house foundation are still accessible for warranty work. So the total space to be covered will be about 288 SF.

Since I want to keep costs down, and also need a roof with a very low pitch, I am planning to go with an aluminum awning. The awning kit will cost around 2000. I will also integrate a little 5 ft by 7 ft storage building under the cover as a place to store the grill and yard tools. The storage building will also be placed such that it blocks the afternoon sun. I will also add some ceiling fans and lights

So in all, I will have a structural slab capable of supporting future room additions if desired and a relatively inexpensive but tasteful cover and storage building with siding and trim to match the house. All together this will probably cost me about 5000-6000 with me doing some of the work - which I will enjoy doing (most of).

Does a patio like this add much to resale? I am assuming probably not, but just curious what the pros think. Also, I plan on renting this house in the future. Do yo think it would add much to the rent? For reference, I bought the house for 62K in November 08 and it would probably sell or about 55-65 today depending on how long it was on the MLS. It is a 2 BR 1 bath and average rents are about 700 for a 2 BR in the area.