Concrete Patios & Walkways in Gainesville, FL

Concrete patios and walkways get more use in Gainesville than in most places. With January highs averaging about 67 degrees on Wikipedia's climate table, people grill and eat outside nearly all year. A concrete patio is a good fit for that. HomeGuide's patio guide lists plain concrete at $4 to $12 per square foot installed, and the upkeep is mostly sweeping, rinsing and sealing now and then. A walkway poured at the same time ties the patio to the driveway, the side gate or the front door.

Plan the size first

Most people wish they had built the patio bigger. A table for six with chairs pulled out needs about 12 by 12 feet on its own. Add a grill, room to walk around it and a couple of chairs, and you are near 16 by 16 feet. At the estimate we mark the outline on the lawn so you can stand in it and decide. If you have a screened lanai, we can extend the slab past the screen for a grill area that stays out of the enclosure.

Slope and drainage

A patio is a big hard surface right next to your house, and in a Gainesville summer it will see hard rain often. June alone averages more than 7 inches. We slope the patio away from the house so water runs off quickly, and we check where water goes once it leaves the slab. Many yards already carry runoff along a low path to the street or a neighbor's yard, and a new patio should not block it. Downspouts that empty onto the patio area get extended past the edge or piped under it.

Walkways

Front walks, side paths to the trash cans and garden paths all get the same treatment: soft soil removed, a compacted base, a slight side slope so rain does not sit on them, and joints at even spacing. Under big oaks we look at the roots before we plan the route. Pouring a new walk over the same roots that lifted the old one just repeats the problem. Sometimes the fix is a slightly different path, and sometimes it is a thicker slab with reinforcement.

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Finishes

• Broom: light texture for grip, the most affordable option.
• Exposed aggregate: the stone shows through; it grips well and hides dirt.
• Color: pigment mixed into the concrete. Lighter colors stay cooler in the sun.
• Stamped: stone, slate or brick patterns (see our stamped concrete page).
• Saw-cut patterns: a grid or diamond cut into a plain slab that also works as control joints.

How we build it

We strip the grass and topsoil, set the grade, and compact the base so the slab is supported evenly. Most patios are 4 inches thick. HomeGuide says patios that carry a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen should be 6 inches thick with extra reinforcement. We place an expansion joint where the slab meets the house, finish the surface and cut joints. In summer we pour early and cure the surface so it does not dry too fast in the heat.

When to replace an old patio

• It now tilts toward the house
• Cracks have opened into trip edges
• The top has worn rough or crumbled
• Water sits on it after every storm

If the patio is in one piece but has settled, leveling may be all it needs, and we will price that option too.