Concrete Patios in St. Amant, LA

The most common patio regret is building it too small. Before you settle on a size, set out the furniture you plan to use, add room to walk around the table and grill, and think about where the afternoon sun hits. Most patios connect to the back of the house, so door locations and the step down from the slab inside matter. If you're thinking about a cover, pergola, outdoor kitchen or fire pit down the road, tell us at the walkthrough. Planning for those now can save you from cutting into a new slab later. Your project manager will help you mark the layout on the ground so you can see the real size before anything is formed.

A patio doesn't carry vehicles, but it still sits on the same clay that swells and shrinks with South Louisiana weather. We excavate to firm ground, form the shape, and pour a commercial 3,500 PSI mix with fiber included, the same mix we use on every job. Fiber spreads through the whole slab and helps control the small shrinkage cracks that form as concrete cures. Expansion joints go in where they're required, including where the patio meets your foundation, so the two can move independently. We don't add wire mesh by default. If you'd like rebar in your patio, ask your project manager and we'll quote it. Excavation, forming, the pour and expansion joints are all part of the written scope.

Broom finish is simple, durable and gives good grip when the patio is wet, which matters in a place where it rains as often as it does here. Stained concrete adds color and can make a patio feel more finished without changing the texture much. Stamped and stained concrete gives the look of stone, slate or brick and is the most decorative option. A few things to weigh: darker colors absorb more heat in summer sun, so lighter tones are easier on bare feet. Stamped surfaces are smoother than broom finish, so keep slope and shade in mind where moss and mildew like to grow. We'll bring samples to the walkthrough so you can see the options in your own light.

A patio sits right against your foundation, so it has to send water away from the house every time it rains. That means a gentle, steady slope toward the yard or a drain, with the slab set low enough below your door thresholds that wind-driven rain doesn't run inside. Gutters and downspouts matter too: a downspout that empties onto a new patio can create a sheet of water or a slick spot, so we look at where they discharge. At the free walkthrough we shoot the grade and look at where water goes today before we plan the pour. Our pricing assumes a typical lot with limited grade changes. If your backyard has a big slope or a low spot that holds water, we'll point it out and price that work separately.