What does a concrete patio cost in Tennessee?

Square footage drives most of the cost, because it sets how much concrete, steel and finishing labor the job needs. The rest depends on the spot behind your house: how level it is, whether it drains, and whether an old slab, deck footings or a hill has to be dealt with first.

A patio that sits on flat, well drained ground needs forms, a compacted stone base and reinforcement. A patio on a slope needs excavation or fill, and a patio built up off the ground, like a raised patio around a fire pit, needs taller forms and more concrete at the edges.

• Square footage of the finished patio
• Finish: broom, smooth, exposed aggregate, stamped or colored
• Excavation, fill and compacted base
• Steps, raised edges or a seat wall
• Tear-out of an old slab or deck
• How close the concrete truck can get

Most back patios run from about 150 to 400 square feet. A 12x12 patio is 144 square feet, a 16x20 is 320 and a 20x20 is 400, which seats a table and a grill with room to move. Larger patios, wraparound designs and patios combined with a walkway or pool deck take more planning around the house and the yard.

Size the patio for how you will use it. A table for six needs roughly 12 by 12 feet on its own, and a grill, a fire pit or a path around the furniture adds to that. Joe can stake out the shape on the site walk so you can see it before anything is poured.

Broom finish is the standard and the least expensive. Exposed aggregate and integral color cost more. Stamped concrete costs the most, because it adds color, a release agent, stamping mats, a larger crew during the stamping window and a sealer after curing. The written estimate shows the decorative work as its own line against a broom finish so you can compare.

Plan the patio so it slopes slightly away from the house and lands at a comfortable step down from the door. If you might add a roof, a grill station or a hot tub later, tell Joe now so the slab can be thickened where the posts or the tub will sit.

Sealing protects the finish, especially on stamped or colored concrete, and is renewed every few years. Use sand or a concrete safe deicer in winter instead of rock salt.

Send the rough size, a photo of the spot and any finish you like through the request form at /request-estimate, or call the office. Joe measures, checks the grade and drainage, and puts the price in writing.