Concrete patio construction in Saint John IN - rain that runs away from your house
Water pooling on a cracked, sinking patio by your back door? We pour a new slab that's set to drain away and built for winter.
- Service
- Concrete patio construction
- Call
- (219) 351-9579
How can you tell your patio needs replacing?
Water pooling by the door
If rain sits on the patio or runs back toward your house, the slab has settled or was never pitched away from the walls. The longer that goes on, the more water soaks in along your foundation and the harder each winter is on the surface.
Cracks that keep growing
A hairline crack is normal, but cracks that widen every spring or split the slab into tilted pieces usually mean the ground underneath has moved. Waiting lets more water in, and every freeze opens them a little further.
Corners sinking or tipping
When one edge drops lower than the rest, the soil under it has settled or washed out, often because the base was only raked level. Once it tips, you've got a trip edge at the door and water heading the wrong way.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Saint John?
Concrete patio construction in Saint John, IN means building an outdoor slab from the ground up. We dig out, pack a solid base and pour concrete set to a final height and slope, so rain runs away from your house instead of pooling on the patio.
Most people call because the old patio holds water, has cracked into pieces or was never built in the first place. The price mostly comes down to the size, whether an old slab has to be torn out and hauled away, how much digging and base your ground needs, and whether you want a plain finish or a pattern. The schedule turns on the weather, the ground staying unfrozen and any permit or inspection the city needs before the pour. The written estimate I give you after measuring spells out exactly what's included.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough size and shape of the patio
- Old concrete or pavers to tear out
- Spots where water sits after rain
- How you plan to use the space
How we build a concrete patio
A patio should carry rain away from your house, so I start by setting its height and fall, the slight slope the water follows, with a string line, and I put both in writing before we pour. That matters around here because more than half of Lake County stays wet for long stretches and groundwater sits within two feet of the surface under 58% of it, so water you don't send somewhere tends to stay. Then we dig out to firm ground and pack the base, since the subgrade, what the slab sits on, has to be solid or the patio settles with the dirt. We set forms and pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry too fast and turn weak and dusty later. Then we give it a broom finish, a light texture that keeps a wet patio from getting slick. If a budget has to come down, I'll cut back on the finish before I'll cut the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's the part that decides whether the slab stays flat.
If you'd like a pattern or color instead of a broom finish, our stamped concrete services are done during the same pour. A patio usually needs a way to get to it too, and concrete sidewalk building from the driveway or side door lets us match the heights so there's no trip edge where the two meet.
Work that often goes with a patio
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives your patio the look of stone, brick or slate with a pressed pattern and color, while keeping the strength of a poured slab.
Concrete sidewalk building
A new walk lets you reach the patio from the driveway or yard without crossing wet grass, and we set it to drain like the patio.
What happens after you call about a patio
Call or send the form
Tell us the address, the rough size and when you'd like the patio, and we'll set a time for me to come see it. We're based in Saint John and work in the cities around it in northwest Indiana and just over the line in Illinois.
I measure and check grade
I walk the yard, measure and check where the ground falls, then write up an estimate that spells out what's included, like tearing out and hauling away an old slab. You'll know what the price covers before you decide anything.
We plan around the inspection
Once you say go, we sort out permit questions with your city and plan the pour around the weather. If your patio is in St. John, the Town of St. John requires an inspection before any concrete goes in, patios included, so we put that visit on the calendar ahead of pour day.
We pour, finish and clean
I check the forms and string lines before the truck shows up, then our crew and I pour, finish and cut the joints. We clean up and tell you when it's ready to walk on, because the slab needs time to cure, to harden and gain strength, before you use it.
What people ask about a new concrete patio
How much does a concrete patio cost near Saint John, IN?
A standard concrete patio in Chicago usually costs about $4,500 to $5,500 per job, and that's the going rate in that market, not our price. Your number comes from the written estimate after I measure, since size, tear-out and the base your yard needs all move it. We back the work with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Do I need a permit or inspection for a concrete patio in St. John, IN?
Plan on the inspection mentioned in our steps, and the permit is something I check with St. John's Building and Planning Department, which takes the building permits you need before putting up a new building or placing another structure on your property. We're fully licensed and insured, and we handle the permit when the job needs one. If you're filing on your own and get stuck, the department takes it by email at permit2@stjohnin.gov or as a hard copy at its office.
Will my new concrete patio crack like the old one?
A new slab can still crack, but you can control where it happens and keep it from sinking. Most old patios fail because the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or because the control joints, grooves cut across the slab to give it a straight place to crack, went in late or not at all. We pack the base and cut the joints on time, so a crack has somewhere to go.
Can you pour a concrete patio in cold weather in northwest Indiana?
Not on frozen ground, because concrete placed on frozen ground is likely to settle unevenly and crack once it thaws. If you're hoping for a fall patio, plan the pour for before the ground freezes, and call early enough to leave room for the inspection ahead of it.
How do I take care of a new concrete patio in winter?
Use sand for traction instead of deicing salt and keep snow and ice cleared off, which is what a concrete trade group's cold-weather guide calls for, because buildup keeps the concrete soaked through freezes and thaws. Separately, one ready-mix supplier's sheet says outdoor concrete should get a breathable, penetrating sealer before its first winter.
How do I choose a concrete contractor for a patio in Saint John?
Ask each bidder whether the patio mix is air-entrained, a mix with tiny air pockets built in, because that concrete holds up better through freeze-thaw winters like ours. Check whether each bid puts the height and slope in writing, as ours does, and look up the bidder's name on St. John's registered contractor list.
Get a written estimate for your new patio
Send the address, the rough size and when you'd like the patio, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out for a free on-site estimate, measure and check the grade, then give you a written price that spells out what's included. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Explore our services and areas
Services
- Concrete driveway building
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Get your patio laid out right
Call (219) 351-9579 or send the form, and I'll show you on site where the slab will sit and which way the water will run.