Concrete patio construction in Norfolk VA - a slab that drains away from your house
Mud by the back door, or an old slab tipping rain toward your house? We pour a patio that sheds water away from it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Norfolk?
Concrete patio construction in Norfolk means clearing out the soft ground, packing a firm base and pouring a slab sloped so rain runs off it and away from your house. The work itself is the short part. Planning it and letting it cure take longer.
Most people call me about a bare patch of grass that turns to mud after rain, or an old slab that has sunk and cracked and now sends water toward the wall. The price moves with the size, how much digging and base work the ground needs, whether old concrete has to come out, how close a truck can get and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the weather, any city paperwork and the days the slab needs to cure, and if yours needs a permit, we pull it. Your written estimate puts all of that on paper for your yard, so you're not working from a guess.
How we build a concrete patio
Before anything else, I settle the size and the spot with you, because the forms, the slope and the paperwork all hang on that. Then we look at where the water runs on your lot and set the patio so rain heads away from your house, not toward it. Our crew digs out the topsoil and soft spots instead of raking the dirt level, packs the subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, and sets the forms with that fall built in. We pour early, out of the midday heat that leaves a weak, dusty top, finish the surface and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along, while the timing is still right. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you trim the finish than the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's what keeps a patio from settling with the dirt under it.
A patio usually connects to something. If you want a pattern or a stone look on top, our stamped concrete services go on the same slab, and a concrete sidewalk from the driveway or side gate often makes sense to pour at the same time so the two meet cleanly.
Against the back of the house
This suits most homes, because you step straight out the door onto it. It's also the one where the slope matters most, so we set it to fall away from your foundation.
Out in the yard
A freestanding patio suits a spot with shade, a view or room for a fire pit away from the house. You get more freedom on size and shape, and we still plan where its runoff goes.
Call before you plant beds or buy furniture around the spot, because the size and the slope away from the house are easier to settle on bare ground.
What happens after you call about a patio in Norfolk?
It's a short process, and I'm the one you deal with from the first visit to the final walk. Here's how a patio job usually runs with us.
I come out and look
After you call or send the form, I come out, measure the spot and ask a lot of questions about how you'll use the patio. That's what decides the size, where it sits and which way it drains.
You get a written estimate
It spells out the prep, the pour and anything you'll need to plan around, so you can see where the money goes before you decide. If the job needs a permit or inspection, we handle that part.
We pour and walk it
Our own crew does the work, and I'm on site for the pour. When it's finished, I walk the patio with you before we call the job closed, and we guarantee your satisfaction on every job.
Get a free on-site estimate for your patio
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, measure and write up what we'd do and why, with no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
(757) 731-7228What Norfolk checks before a concrete patio goes in
In Norfolk, the size of your patio and whether it touches the house decide the paperwork, so it's worth settling both before you settle anything else. The City of Norfolk gives a zoning certificate for a patio of 256 square feet or less, about 16 feet by 16 feet, and says those certificates are free and easy to apply for. A bigger patio, or one attached to the house, needs a building permit, and city staff will send you to the building permit team. If your lot sits in a flood zone or an environmental area, the city may ask for extra structure specifications and will tell you so. When a permit is needed, we pull it, list ourselves as the responsible party and set up the inspections, and if it isn't clear whether yours needs one, we ask the city before we start, not after.
Most patios I'm asked about here go against the back of the house, often where an old slab has sunk and tipped water toward the wall, so where the water goes now is the first thing I check. We see the same thing on jobs in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, and we work in other cities around Norfolk on both sides of the state line.
Concrete patio questions from Norfolk homeowners
How much does a concrete patio cost in Norfolk?
An installed concrete patio in nearby Virginia Beach usually costs about $7 to $15 per square foot, which is what the market charges there, not our price. Where your patio lands depends on its size, how much digging and base work the ground needs, whether an old slab comes out and the finish you choose. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own yard.
Will my new concrete patio crack?
It may, because all concrete tends to crack and a completely crack-free slab isn't possible. National guidance treats some cracking as a normal trait of a slab, not a sign it failed. That's why we pack the base and cut the joints we talked about above, so the cracks that come land in lines we picked.
How long does a new concrete patio need to cure before I can walk on it?
Plan on at least 3 days, because national guidance says curing, which keeps new concrete moist so it hardens well, should start as soon as possible and last at least that long. Keep people and pets off it during those days. It's fair to ask any crew whether they'll spray on a liquid curing compound or cover the slab with damp burlap.
Can I build a concrete patio near the water in Norfolk?
You can, but if your lot is in the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, the city counts a patio as hard surface water can't soak through, and that limits where it goes. In the part the city calls the Intensely Developed Area, a new patio stays outside the 50-foot buffer on the water side unless it replaces hard surface that's already there. You can check your lot on the city's AIR map by turning on the CBPA layer under zoning.
What is the best finish for an outdoor concrete patio?
For most patios, a broom finish works best, because that lightly brushed texture gives better traction on outdoor concrete when it's wet. If you want a pattern or color, stamped concrete is the other common choice, and I'll talk through the trade-offs for your spot at the estimate.
How do I check that a concrete contractor in Virginia is licensed?
Ask for their state license, because Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses businesses that build or improve things on property owned by others. Each license has a class, which caps the contract value it allows, and a specialty, which sets the type of work, so it's fair to ask which ones a contractor holds. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to answer that at the estimate.
Concrete work that goes with a new patio
If a plain gray slab feels too bare for your yard, a stamped pattern can give the patio the look of stone or brick without loose pavers.
A solid walk out to the patio keeps guests off the wet grass and gives you a clean path from the driveway, gate or side door.
Call about your Norfolk patio today
Have a rough size in square feet and how far it sits from the house ready when you call (757) 731-7228 or send the form, and we can talk through your patio from the first conversation.