Concrete Patios in Kettering, OH

Concrete patios are how many Kettering families get more living space without an addition. A lot of homes here are ranches and split-levels from the 1950s and 1960s, and the original back patio, if there is one, is often a small square slab outside the kitchen door. It may have sunk toward the house, cracked around a downspout or been outgrown years ago. A new patio can be sized for a table, a grill and chairs, with room to move around them.

Planning the size and shape

Start with what goes on it. A table for six needs more space than most people guess, and a grill needs room away from the house and any siding. Common sizes run from 12x12 to 20x20 feet. Curved edges, a step down from the door, or a separate landing pad near the grill can all be part of one pour. On many Kettering lots, mature trees shade the backyard. We plan around roots and keep the slab far enough from large trunks that it will not be lifted later.

Slope and drainage

The most common problem we see on older patios is negative slope: the slab has settled so water runs back toward the foundation. That can push water into a basement or crawlspace. A new patio is built on compacted gravel and pitched slightly away from the house so rain and snowmelt run off into the yard. If a downspout empties onto the patio, we talk about extending or redirecting it.

Surface options

• Broom texture: the everyday finish, with dependable grip in rain
• Troweled border, broom field: a sharper edge on the same practical surface
• Exposed aggregate: the top cream is rinsed away to reveal stone, leaving a coarse, non-slip face
• Stamped or colored: pattern and tint, covered on our stamped concrete page

For price context, HomeGuide lists plain patios around $4 to $12 a square foot, with exposed aggregate running $7 to $18.

Planning for heavy loads

A standard residential patio is a 4-inch slab in HomeGuide's patio guide. Under a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen, the same guide calls for 6 inches plus more reinforcement. If either one might come later, mention it before the pour; a thickened section costs little now and saves cutting out concrete down the road.

Replacing an old patio

If the old slab is cracked into pieces, sloped the wrong way or too small, we break it out, haul it away and rebuild the base. Sometimes an old slab is sound but sunk, and leveling or a resurface is enough. We tell you which is the case.

Permits and care

The City of Kettering's residential construction page does not list patios, so we check with the City before scheduling. After the pour, keep furniture off for a few days and avoid salt the first winter. A penetrating sealer after the first month helps keep water and freeze-thaw damage out of the surface.