Concrete Patios in Aurora, IL

Concrete patios give Aurora households a place to eat, cook and sit outside during a summer that feels short. Wikipedia's climate table for the city lists July highs averaging about 84 degrees, and most families want the patio ready as soon as the weather turns. Concrete suits the job. HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 a square foot installed, upkeep is mostly sweeping and periodic sealing, and the surface can be finished plain, colored, textured or patterned.

Get the size right first

Undersizing is the mistake people regret most. Picture a dining table for six: once the chairs push back, it fills an area about 12 feet square on its own. Add a grill with room to stand at it, a lane to walk past, and two lounge chairs, and the slab grows toward 16 by 16 feet or more. At the estimate we stake and string the outline on the lawn so you can stand inside it and judge. Curves, a step down to the grass and a path to the driveway or gate can all be poured with the patio.

Water goes away from the house

A patio is a big flat surface sitting against your foundation, so the pitch matters more than the finish. We typically set a fall of about a quarter inch per foot away from the house. Many subdivision lots also carry runoff along a swale toward a neighbor or the street, and a new slab must not dam that path. Before forming, we check where water runs today and where downspouts and sump lines empty, and decide whether a downspout needs to be extended under or past the slab.

Finish options

• Broom: fine ridges for grip; the lowest-cost surface and easy to hose off.
• Integral color: pigment added at the plant so the color goes through the whole slab.
• Exposed aggregate: surface paste rinsed away to reveal the stone; good traction and it hides dirt.
• Stamped: slate, stone or brick textures, covered on its own page.
• Decorative saw cuts: a grid or diamond pattern cut into a plain slab, doubling as control joints.

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Construction, step by step

Sod and topsoil come out first. We set the subgrade to the planned slope and compact a crushed-stone base so the patio is evenly supported and drains. Forms define the shape. A typical residential patio is 4 inches thick, with wire mesh or rebar chosen by size and soil. The concrete is air-entrained, then finished, edged and jointed. Against the house we place an isolation joint so the slab can expand and contract without pressing on the foundation.

When an old patio needs to go

• It now slopes toward the house
• Cracks have offset into trip edges
• The top has scaled away, leaving loose sand and stone
• The drop from the patio door has grown as the slab sank

A patio that is intact but has settled may only need leveling, and we will price that option if it applies.

Looking after it

Sweep and rinse. Put planters on feet so water drains out from under them. Reseal broom and exposed-aggregate patios every few years, and colored or stamped ones on the schedule we leave with you. Do not salt a patio; if a winter path crosses it, use sand. Keep downspouts discharging beyond the edge of the slab.