Concrete Patios in Germantown, TN

Concrete patios get used most of the year in Germantown. With January highs around 51 degrees on Wikipedia's climate table for nearby Memphis, there are mild days to sit outside even in winter, and from spring through fall the patio is where people grill, eat and watch the kids in the pool. A concrete patio takes that use well. HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 a square foot installed, the surface needs little more than sweeping and periodic sealing, and it can be broomed, colored, exposed or stamped.

Start with the size

The most common regret with a patio is making it too small. A table for six with the chairs pulled out covers an area about 12 feet square by itself. Add a grill with room to stand and cook, a lane to walk past, and a couple of lounge chairs, and the slab grows to 16 by 16 feet or more. At the estimate we mark the outline on the lawn so you can stand in it with your furniture in mind. Curves, a step down to the yard and a path to the driveway or pool gate can all be poured in the same job.

Rain and the foundation

A patio is a large surface sitting against the house, and Memphis-area storms put a lot of water on it. We usually set a fall of about a quarter inch per foot away from the foundation. Many Germantown lots slope toward a drainage swale or a back fence, and a new slab must not block water that already flows across the yard. Before forms go in, we look at where downspouts empty and where water runs during a storm, and decide whether a downspout should be piped under or past the slab.

Shade, heat and finish

A lot of Germantown back yards sit under big oaks, which means leaves, acorns and tannin stains on the patio. Exposed aggregate and broom finishes hide that better than smooth or light-colored surfaces. In full sun, lighter colors stay cooler underfoot than dark stains. Options:

• Broom: fine ridges for grip; the lowest-cost surface and easy to hose off.
• Integral color: pigment mixed in at the plant so the color runs through the slab.
• Exposed aggregate: the paste rinsed off to show the stone; good traction and it hides leaf stains.
• Stamped: slate, stone or brick textures, covered on its own page.
• Saw-cut patterns: a grid or diamond cut into a plain slab that doubles as control joints.

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How we build it

Turf and topsoil come out first. Silty soil is compacted or replaced, and a crushed-stone base goes down and is compacted to the planned slope. HomeGuide's patio guide calls 4 inches the standard thickness for a residential patio and recommends 6 inches with extra reinforcement under hot tubs or outdoor kitchens. We place wire mesh or rebar based on size and use, finish the surface, and cut joints. Where the patio meets the house, an isolation joint lets the slab move without pushing on the brick.

When to replace an old patio

• It now tips toward the house and water collects against the wall
• Cracks have opened into trip edges, often near a tree
• The surface is rough and crumbling
• The drop from the patio door has grown as the slab settled

If the patio is in one piece and has only settled, lifting it may be enough, and we will price that too.

Care

Sweep often under trees so leaves do not sit and stain. Rinse in spring, reseal every few years, and wipe up grease near the grill before it soaks in. Keep downspouts discharging beyond the edge of the slab.