Concrete Patio Construction Houston, TX

Many Houston homes come with a small builder patio, often just big enough for a grill and two chairs. Homeowners usually call us when:

If the existing patio is cracked, settled, or sloping the wrong way, a patio tear-out and rebuild removes it and corrects the ground before the new slab goes in.

• The patio is too small for a table, seating, and a path into the yard
• Water collects on the patio or runs toward the back door during storms
• There is no patio at all, and the back door opens onto mud or grass
• You are adding a cover, pergolaPergolaAn open overhead structure of posts and beams that frames a space and supports shade or climbing plants. Smaller cousins include the arbor (an arch over a path or gate) and the trellis (a lattice panel for climbers)., or outdoor kitchen and need a proper slab

Behind a Houston house, the soil near the foundation is often backfill that was never compacted well, and the yard is commonly close to flat. That combination is why so many patios settle at the outer edge and tip toward the house. We remove soft material, compact the subgradeSubgradeThe native soil beneath a paving or structure after it has been excavated and prepared. In practice: Houston clay subgrades move with moisture changes, which is why base preparation and drainage underneath matter., and place a crushed-stone base in lifts so the new slab has uniform support.

Pitch is the second half. A patio typically needs around an eighth to a quarter inch of fall per foot away from the house. That is barely visible, but it is enough to move a heavy rain off the surface. Where the patio meets the foundation, we keep the top of the slab below the brick ledge and weep holesWeep holeA small opening near the base of a wall that lets trapped water escape. In practice: A retaining wall that cannot drain is a wall that will eventually move. TUE details always show how water leaves the back of the wall. and use an isolation jointExpansion jointA gap filled with compressible material that lets slabs or walls expand and contract without cracking or pushing against the house. so the patio and house can move independently.

Where the patio sheds water matters as much as the pitch. On flat lots, a wide slab can act like a dam that pushes water back toward the house. In those cases a channel drainChannel drainA long, narrow grated drain set into paving to catch sheet flow along an edge, such as at a garage door or patio edge. at the outer edge, or surface water drainage in the yard beyond it, carries the water to the street.

From sketch to cured slab, a typical patio follows this order.

1. 1Visit and plan: a Home Scout measures, checks the foundation height, and maps runoff from the roof and yard.
2. 2Layout: patio size, shape, and joint pattern are drawn, with notes for future covers or kitchens.
3. 3Locates and prep: 811 is called, sod is removed, and the subgrade is cut and compacted.
4. 4Base and forms: crushed stone goes down in lifts, forms are set to pitch, and isolation material is placed against the house.
5. 5Steel and footingsFootingThe widened base at the bottom of a wall, column or structure that spreads its load into the ground.: a rebar grid on chairs, plus thickened areas where posts or a kitchen will sit.
6. 6Pour and finish: concrete is placed and finished to the texture you picked.
7. 7Joints and cure: joints are cut on schedule and the slab is cured to protect the surface in the heat.
8. 8Walkthrough: we return 72 hours after completion.

Broom finish is the workhorse: grippy, economical, easy to hose off. Exposed aggregate reveals the stone in the mix and hides dirt and leaf stains from live oaks well. A salt finish leaves small pits across a smoother surface for a softer look. Integral color takes the edge off plain gray and can cut glare on a sunny afternoon.

For a stone or brick look, stamped concrete can cover the whole patio or frame it. Shapes do not have to be rectangles; curved edges and wraparound sections are formed on site. If you plan to add shade later, we can thicken the slab or pour footings now so a patio cover or pergola can anchor properly when the time comes.

Patio pricing reflects what your site needs, not just the area. The main factors:

See a working range with our ballpark price tool, and check financing if you are planning a larger outdoor room.

• Square footage and shape, since curves take more forming
• Removal of an existing patio or sod
• Base depth and any soft soil that has to be replaced
• Drainage at the patio edge
• Finish choice, color, and borders
• Footings for future covers, kitchens, or fire features
• Access, such as a narrow side yard that calls for a concrete pump

The most common issue we see is a patio that slopes toward the house. Water then sits against the foundation or flows under the back door. Close behind are patios poured over the weep holes in the brick, which traps moisture in the wall, and slabs with no isolation joint that crack right where they meet the foundation.

We also see patios built with no thought to the lawn beyond them. The slab sheds water fine, but it all lands in one spot that never dries out. A patio should be part of the drainage plan, not something drainage has to work around after the fact.

A patio is usually the start of an outdoor room. Common additions include an outdoor kitchen, a fire feature, low-voltage lighting, and planting beds along the edge. If you want help arranging all of it before anything is poured, our patio design service lays out the space, the furniture, and the traffic flow first.

We have built outdoor spaces across Houston since 2016, and the patio is where drainage, concrete, and design meet. As a concrete contractor in Houston with NDS Certified drainage specialists on the same team, we plan the slab and the water as one job.

A Home Scout visits before any proposal is written, the proposal is itemized, and the price you see is the price you pay. Hardscape carries our structural warranty. The discovery call is free, and the $150 on-site work scope fee is credited to your project if you go ahead.