Concrete Patios in Joliet, IL

Concrete patios give Joliet families a place to cook, eat and sit outside through a summer that Wikipedia's climate table puts at an average July high of about 84 degrees. Concrete is a practical choice for it. HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 a square foot installed, upkeep is mostly sweeping and occasional sealing, and the same slab can be broom finished, colored, exposed or stamped.

Plan the size around the furniture

The most common regret is a patio that is too small. A table for six, with chairs pulled out, takes up roughly a 12 by 12 foot area by itself. Add a grill with room to stand, a path to walk around the table and a pair of lounge chairs, and you are closer to 16 by 16 feet. At the estimate we mark the outline on the lawn so you can stand in it and decide. Curves, a step down to the yard and a path to the driveway or gate can all be poured in the same job.

Permits and the plat

The City of Joliet lists patios among the projects that need a plat of survey for the permit, including replacements of the same size. Zoning reviews where the new slab is marked on the plat, and the inspector works from the approved copy. We mark the patio on your plat with its measurements, along with the thickness and base details, so the review goes smoothly. Outside city limits we check the village or county rules for your address.

Drainage comes first

A patio is a large hard surface right against the house, so slope matters more than finish. We usually set about a quarter inch of fall per foot away from the foundation. Many subdivision lots also carry runoff through a swale toward the back or side of the lot, and a new patio must not block that path. Before forming, we check where water goes now and where downspouts and sump lines empty, and plan any extensions under or around the slab.

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Finishes

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

How we build it

We strip the sod and topsoil, set the subgrade to the planned slope and compact a crushed-stone base so the slab is evenly supported and drains. HomeGuide notes that a standard residential patio is 4 inches thick, and that patios holding a hot tub or outdoor kitchen should be 6 inches with extra reinforcement. The concrete is air-entrained, then finished, edged and jointed, with an isolation joint where it meets the house.

When an old patio should come out

• It now tilts toward the house
• Cracks have shifted into trip edges
• The surface has flaked away to loose sand and stone
• The step down from the patio door keeps getting taller as the slab sinks

A patio that is in one piece but has settled may only need leveling, and we will price that if it fits.