Concrete Patios in Tuscaloosa, AL

Concrete patios get a lot of use in Tuscaloosa. Wikipedia's climate figures show January highs averaging about 56 degrees, so the outdoor season runs most of the year, from spring cookouts to fall game-day gatherings. A concrete patio gives you a flat, solid surface for a table, a grill and chairs, and HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 per square foot installed. Upkeep is mostly sweeping, rinsing and resealing now and then.

Size it for real use

The most common regret is a patio that is too small. A table for six with chairs pulled out needs roughly a 12 by 12 foot space on its own. Add a grill with room to work, a path past the table and a couple of lounge chairs, and you are looking at 16 by 16 feet or more. At the estimate we mark the outline on the ground so you can walk it and decide. Curves, a step down to the lawn and a path to the driveway or gate can be poured at the same time.

Built for shade structures

Many Tuscaloosa patios end up under a roof, a pergola or a shade sail, because the summer sun is strong. July highs average 91.6 degrees in Wikipedia's climate table. If a cover is in your plans, tell us early. Posts need footings or a thickened slab where they will sit, and it is far easier to build those in now than to cut into a finished patio later. HomeGuide's patio guide also notes that heavy loads like hot tubs and outdoor kitchens call for 6 inches of concrete and added reinforcement.

Water goes away from the house

A patio is a large flat surface right against your foundation. We give it a gentle slope away from the house, and before forming we check where the gutters, downspouts and yard runoff go today. On many lots, storm water already travels across the backyard along a low path, and a new patio must not block it. If a downspout empties where the patio will be, we extend it under or around the slab.

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Finish options

• Broom: light texture for grip, the lowest-cost finish and easy to hose off.
• Integral color: pigment mixed in at the plant so the color runs through the slab.
• Exposed aggregate: the surface paste washed off to show the stone, with good traction.
• Stamped: slate, stone, brick or wood patterns, covered on our stamped concrete page.
• Saw-cut patterns: decorative cuts in a plain slab that also act as control joints.

How the patio is built

Grass and topsoil come out. We cut the subgrade to slope, remove soft spots and compact a crushed-stone base so the slab is evenly supported on the clay below. Forms define the shape. Most patios are 4 inches thick with wire mesh or rebar, and we place an isolation joint along the house so the slab can move without pushing on the foundation. In summer we pour early and keep the new surface damp while it cures.

Looking after a patio

Sweep and rinse it. Set planters on feet so water can drain from under them. Reseal every few years, and wipe up grease from the grill before it soaks in. Keep downspouts discharging past the edge, and fill hairline cracks before rain can wash soil out from under the slab.