Concrete Patios in Bloomington, IN

Concrete Patios turn a soggy corner of the yard into a place to eat, grill and sit outside from spring into late fall. In Bloomington the lot itself usually shapes the job more than anything else. Many yards slope toward or away from the house, sit under big oaks and maples, or have rock close to the surface. A good patio is planned around that: where water goes, what roots are in the way, and how the slab meets the back door.

Getting the size right

Work backward from the furniture. A two-seat table fits on roughly 10 by 10 feet. A full dining set with chairs pushed back wants something closer to 12 by 14. Once a grill, lounge seating or a fire ring joins the plan, 16 by 16 or even 20 by 20 feet fills up quickly. On the visit we stake the outline with you and check where the sun and shade fall at the hours you will be outside.

Plan the water before the concrete

The slab should fall away from the house at about 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot so rain drains off instead of collecting against the foundation. Bloomington averages close to 50 inches of precipitation a year, so that pitch earns its keep. On hillside lots we might step the patio, add a low retaining edge, or shape the grade so runoff passes around the slab rather than across it. Water left standing on concrete in winter freezes in the surface, and that is the start of scaling.

What the job involves

We strip sod and topsoil, cut roots that would push up the slab, and dig out soft soil. A compacted stone base goes down, then forms set to the finished height and slope. Reinforcement goes in. The concrete is placed, leveled, floated and finished, and control joints are cut so the patio cracks along straight lines instead of across the middle. Then it cures. A patio is usually poured in one day, with forms stripped the day after.

Finish options

• Broom finish: the standard, with good grip when wet
• Smooth or light broom: easier to sweep, better under furniture
• Exposed aggregate: shows the stone, hides dirt and has good traction
• Colored concrete: color mixed into the slab, or a stain on the surface
• Stamped: patterns like stone or slate, covered on its own service page

Get a Free Estimate

Signs an old patio should be replaced

• Low sections that hold puddles after a storm
• A slab tipping back toward the house
• Flaking or exposed stone over a wide area
• Roots heaving the edges or cracking the middle
• Not enough room for the way the yard gets used now

Extensions and add-ons

Many houses come with a small stoop-sized slab at the back door. That slab can be extended, but fresh concrete never fully bonds to old. We either drill and dowel the new section to the existing one or separate them with an isolation joint, and match the surface texture as closely as possible. Sometimes it is cleaner to remove the small slab and pour one continuous patio, and we price both ways. Fire pit pads, grill pads, hot tub pads and connecting walks are all part of the same work.

Patio upkeep

Sweep it, and hose it off a few times each season. Colored and decorative patios should be resealed every few years to protect the color and keep water out. Skip salt; sand near the door works for traction. Aim downspouts away from the slab and backfill any gaps that open along the edges so runoff cannot undercut the base.