Backyard patios, extensions and grill pads
Concrete Patios in Gastonia, NC
An outdoor room for three seasons, built to drain and stay level.
- Estimates are free and done on site, with slope and drainage checked
- Every price comes in writing, line by line
- Street-side driveway work checked against City of Gastonia apron rules
A Backyard Room on Solid Ground
A concrete patio gives you an outdoor room you can use for much of the year. Gastonia's NOAA normals show average highs in the mid 70s in both April and October and mostly in the 50s through winter, so a good patio gets plenty of use. We build new patios, enlarge small builder pads, add pads for grills and fire pits, and replace patios that have cracked or settled.
Size it for real use
Most patios are built too small. Picture a table for six with the chairs pushed back: that alone takes about a 12 by 12 foot area. Add a grill, room to walk around the table, or a couch and chairs, and the footprint grows quickly. At the estimate we ask what will go on the patio, where the afternoon sun lands, and how the slab should meet the back door and the lawn. Then we mark the outline on the ground so you can walk it before any digging starts.
Water comes first
Close to 44 inches of rain falls on Gastonia in a typical year, and a summer storm can drop a lot of it in an hour. A patio is a wide, hard surface right against the house, so it has to push that water away from the foundation. We give the slab a gentle fall away from the walls, check where each downspout empties, and look at the lawn grade past the edge. On sloping back yards, which are common in the Piedmont, the low side may need a step down, a short retaining edge or added fill compacted in layers.
A firm base on clay
Red clay under a patio swells and shrinks with the weather. We strip sod and roots, pack the subgrade, and lay a crushed stone base before the forms go up. Most patios are 4 inches thick, with wire mesh, fibers or rebar chosen by size and soil. An isolation joint where the slab meets the house keeps it from pressing on the foundation.
Surface choices
- Broom texture: the least expensive finish, with good grip when wet
- Exposed aggregate: the top paste washed away to reveal the stone, rough and grippy
- Stamped: pressed patterns that resemble slate, flagstone, brick or wood
- Integral color or stain: a tint that cuts the glare of plain gray
- Contrasting border: a stamped or colored band framing a broomed center
Lighter colors stay cooler underfoot when July highs average around 91 degrees.
Time to replace an old patio?
- It slopes toward the house or holds puddles
- Weeds grow out of wide cracks
- It has dropped away from the back door step
- The surface is pitted, flaking or breaking up
- It no longer fits the way you use the yard
Keeping it looking good
Sweep away leaves and pine needles before they stain. Wash off mildew with a mild cleaner during humid months. Reseal colored and stamped finishes every few years, and fill hairline cracks before water can get under the slab.
Patio Work We Do
From the back door out to the lawn.
New patios
Square, rectangular or curved slabs laid out to suit the yard and how you use it.
Enlarging a builder pad
A small existing pad made bigger and joined with dowels or an isolation joint.
Grill and fire pit areas
Stand-alone pads or built-in spots for a grill, smoker or fire pit.
Spa pads
Thicker slabs with steel, sized to carry a filled hot tub.
Replacing a failed patio
A cracked or sunken patio removed and rebuilt on compacted stone.
Typical Concrete Patio Costs
| Patio | Published range |
|---|---|
| Plain concrete, per sq ft installed | $4 to $12 |
| Broom finish, per sq ft | $6 to $13 |
| Exposed aggregate, per sq ft | $7 to $18 |
| 12 x 12 ft plain (144 sq ft) | $600 to $1,700 |
| 20 x 20 ft plain (400 sq ft) | $1,600 to $4,800 |
| 20 x 20 ft stained or stamped | $3,200 to $12,000 |
| Reinforcement (rebar or mesh), per sq ft | $1 to $3 |
National ranges from HomeGuide's concrete patio cost guide. Gastonia prices can differ, and size, slope, access for the truck and finish all change the total. Your written estimate is the price.
Start to Finish
1. Plan and mark
We talk through how the space will be used and paint the outline on the lawn.
2. Excavate and base
Sod and roots are removed, the soil is packed, and crushed stone goes down.
3. Form, reinforce, pour
Forms are pitched away from the house, steel is placed, and the patio is poured and finished.
4. Cure, then use
The slab cures under cover, and we tell you when furniture and the grill can go on.
Concrete Patios Questions
What does a 20x20 concrete patio cost?
HomeGuide's patio cost guide puts a plain 20 by 20 foot concrete patio at $1,600 to $4,800 nationally, and $3,200 to $12,000 for the same size stamped or stained. Slope, excavation and access all move the price, so we put a figure in writing after visiting the yard.
Poured concrete or pavers?
A poured slab has no seams for weeds and ants and usually costs less than pavers for the same area. Pavers have the advantage that single pieces can be pulled up and reset. If you like the paver look, stamped concrete gives you a similar pattern in one piece.
What thickness is right for a patio?
Four inches handles foot traffic and patio furniture. A hot tub, outdoor kitchen or heavy fire feature needs a thicker section with steel under it.
Could a new patio send water into my crawlspace?
Not if it is built properly. We pitch the slab away from the house, keep it below the siding and foundation vents, and check where downspouts drain before the pour.
Concrete Patios Service Areas
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Get a Concrete Patios Estimate
Free patio estimates at your home in Gastonia and the surrounding towns.