About Concrete Patios

Unlike wooden decks, concrete patios can be constructed directly at ground level, or even slightly below if you prefer a sunken patio. Concrete has the ability to draw and release moisture from the surrounding ground, so it is not susceptible to the same rotting issues inherent in wood. When constructed correctly, a concrete patio will provide a homeowner with years of outdoor living on a weather-resistant surface.

Significance

With the availability of commercially delivered concrete in great quantities, even a large patio can be poured in only a couple of hours, as long as there is sufficient skilled labor to work the wet concrete. In addition, a concrete patio is less expensive than a wood deck of a similar size.

Types

Concrete is available in two main forms. The first is ready-mixed dry concrete, packaged in large reinforced paper bags, available from hardware stores and lumberyards. The second, commercially delivered concrete, must be ordered by the cubic yard from a local concrete company. This concrete will arrive in a large truck with a rotating bed. Arrange for the concrete truck to back within 20 feet of your proposed patio.

Identification

Choose a location for your patio after you do a little research. Once you locate one or two favorable spots, call all the local utility companies to perform a search for their buried lines, wires or pipes. They will send a field expert out to determine the location and the depth of the lines. You must not excavate if there is a chance that you will hit a utility line.

Considerations

Design a drainage plan before pouring your patio. All concrete slabs must be poured on a grade to allow water to run off. The standard ratio for determining the slope is to allow for a 1/4-inch drop every linear foot. For a 10-foot-wide patio, this means that one side will be 2 1/2 inches lower than the other side. A patio need only drain in one direction.

Prevention/Solution

To prevent future cracks in your new patio, make sure there is a substantial base of at least 4 inches of sand beneath the proposed pour area. Sand resists settling and supports the concrete slab better than soil alone. In addition, cut the patio with a concrete saw a day or two after pouring to produce control joints that will be the first places to crack, safeguarding the rest of the patio from breakage.