Concrete Patios in Sheboygan, WI

Concrete patios get a lot of use in Sheboygan once the weather turns, because the outdoor season is short and everyone wants to make the most of it. Wikipedia's climate table lists July highs averaging about 82 degrees. A concrete slab suits that kind of use: HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 a square foot installed, upkeep is mainly sweeping and sealing, and it can be finished plain, colored, textured or stamped.

Size it for how you live

The most common regret is building too small. A table for six with the chairs pushed back takes up roughly a 12-foot square by itself. Add a grill with space to stand and work, a path to walk around the table, and a couple of lounge chairs, and you are near 16 by 16 feet or more. At the estimate we mark the outline on the lawn with stakes and string so you can stand inside it and decide. Curves, a step down to the yard and a path to the gate or driveway can all be poured at the same time.

Drainage comes first

A patio is a large flat surface next to your foundation, and on many older Sheboygan lots the basement is not far below it. We usually set a fall of about a quarter inch per foot away from the house. Before forming, we look at where water goes now, where the downspouts and sump line drain, and whether the yard carries water toward a neighbor or the street. A downspout that empties onto the new slab will cause trouble in a freeze, so we extend or reroute it as part of the plan.

Finish options

• Broom: fine 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 away to show the stone, which hides dirt and grips well.
• Stamped: stone, brick and wood patterns, covered on our stamped concrete page.
• Saw-cut patterns: a grid or diamond cut into a plain slab that doubles as the control joints.

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How the patio is built

Sod and topsoil come out first. We set the grade to the planned slope and compact a crushed-stone base so the slab is evenly supported and water can escape underneath. Forms define the shape. HomeGuide notes that 4 inches is the standard thickness for a residential patio, and that patios carrying a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen need about 6 inches with extra reinforcement. The concrete is air-entrained, then finished, edged and jointed. An isolation joint goes against the house so the slab can move without pushing on the foundation.

In the City of Sheboygan, the Building Inspection FAQ says all concrete work needs a permit, so a patio gets one too. We take care of that before the dig.

When an old patio should go

• It now tips back toward the house
• Cracks have shifted into trip edges
• The surface has scaled down to loose sand and stone
• The step from the patio door has grown as the slab sank

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

Care through the year

Sweep and rinse it. Set planters on feet so water drains from under them. Reseal broom and exposed-aggregate patios every few years, and colored or stamped ones on the schedule we leave you. Do not salt the patio; if you shovel a winter path across it, use sand.