Concrete Patios in Brentwood, TN

Concrete patios get a lot of use in Brentwood. The outdoor season here runs from early spring well into fall, and warm evenings make the back yard an extra room for much of the year. Concrete is a practical surface for that room. HomeGuide's patio cost guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 per square foot installed, it can be broom finished, colored, exposed or stamped, and upkeep is mostly rinsing and occasional sealing.

Plan the size around how you live

Most people who regret a patio regret making it too small. A table for six with chairs pulled out needs roughly a 12-foot square on its own. Add a grill with room to work, a walkway past the table and a couple of lounge chairs, and 16 by 16 feet or larger starts to make sense. At the estimate we mark the outline on the lawn so you can stand in it and judge. Steps to the yard, a path to the driveway or a pad for a future hot tub can be poured at the same time. HomeGuide notes that patios carrying hot tubs or outdoor kitchens should be about 6 inches thick with added reinforcement.

Rain and clay decide the layout

A patio is a large, flat surface right against your foundation, and Brentwood averages more than 54 inches of rain a year. We set the slab to fall away from the house, typically about a quarter inch per foot, and check where downspouts and sump lines empty so they discharge past the edge rather than under it. On a sloped back yard, the uphill side may need a small swale or a drain so runoff goes around the patio rather than across it.

Below the slab, clay holds water and moves as it wets and dries. We remove sod and topsoil, compact a crushed-stone base, and place an isolation joint where the patio meets the house so the slab can move without pushing on the foundation.

Finish options

• Broom finish: fine texture with good footing and the lowest cost.
• Integral color: pigment mixed in at the plant, so color runs through the slab.
• Exposed aggregate: surface paste washed off to show the stone; hides dirt and grips well.
• Saw-cut patterns: a grid or diamond layout cut into plain concrete that doubles as control joints.
• Stamped: stone, slate and brick looks, covered on the stamped concrete page.

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Heat and curing

On a July day in Brentwood, where Wikipedia's climate table lists an average high of 89.5 degrees, fresh concrete can lose water faster than it should. We pour patios early in the day, keep the surface damp or apply curing compound, and do not let the slab bake in full sun while it is still green. Light-colored finishes also stay cooler underfoot in summer than dark ones.

When an old patio should go

• It now tips toward the house and water collects at the door
• Cracks have shifted into trip edges
• The surface is crumbling or flaking across large areas
• The step down from the door has grown as the slab sank

If the slab is in one piece and just settled, leveling may be enough, and we will price that too.