Concrete Patios in Macon, GA

A concrete patio in Macon gets a lot of use. The outdoor season runs most of the year, from cherry blossom time in late March well into fall, and a good patio turns a soggy patch of yard into a place to cook, eat and sit. We pour new patios, extend small existing slabs off the back door, and build pads for grills, fire pits, outdoor kitchens and hot tubs.

Things to decide before you pour

Size. Lay out the furniture you plan to use. A table for six with room to pull chairs back needs more space than most people expect, and a grill needs clearance from the house and the table.

Sun and shade. Macon averages about 83 days a year at 90 degrees or hotter. A patio in full afternoon sun gets hot. Lighter finishes and colors stay cooler than dark ones, and placing the patio where a tree or the house shades it in the afternoon makes a big difference.

Drainage. With about 46 inches of rain a year, a patio must shed water. We pitch every patio slightly away from the house, usually around a quarter inch per foot, and plan where that water ends up so it does not pond in the lawn or run toward a neighbor.

Heavy loads. A hot tub or outdoor kitchen needs a thicker slab with reinforcement. Four inches is standard for a patio; we go to about 6 inches with reinforcement under heavy equipment.

How a patio is built

We strip sod and topsoil, dig to depth, and compact a crushed-stone base. Forms are set to the planned shape and slope. Reinforcement goes in where it is needed. After the pour, the surface is finished, edges are tooled, and control joints are placed so the patio cracks along straight lines rather than across the middle. Where the patio meets the house, we use an isolation joint so the slab and foundation can move independently.

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In hot weather we pour early and cure the slab under damp conditions or a curing compound. Light foot traffic is fine after a day or two; wait about a week before setting heavy furniture or a grill on it.

Signs an old patio needs work

• It slopes toward the house and water collects at the back door
• Sections have sunk, leaving trip edges
• The surface is flaking or pitted
• It is simply too small for how you use the yard

A sunken patio can sometimes be lifted rather than replaced, and a small patio can often be extended. We look at what is there and tell you the options.