Concrete Patios in Gilbert, AZ

Concrete Patios turn bare dirt or gravel into space you can furnish. In Gilbert, the typical starting point is a small slab under the back roof line, poured when the house was built, with gravel, turf or nothing beyond it. With more than 80% of local homes single-family detached, according to a Point2Homes summary of Census data, most owners have a backyard to work with. The question is how to use it in a place where summer highs average over 100 degrees from June through August.

Plan the patio around shade

In Gilbert, a patio that sits in full afternoon sun gets very little use from May to September. Before we draw any forms, we look at:

• Where the shade falls in the morning and the late afternoon
• Where a pergola, shade sail or roof extension could go, and whether it needs footings in the slab
• The path from the back door to the pool, grill, gate and side yard
• How water runs off the roof and the yard during a storm

The result is often a patio extension that wraps from the covered area out toward a shaded seating spot, rather than one big rectangle in the sun.

Extending a builder slab

Most patio work here is adding on to something that already exists. Done well, an extension looks planned, not patched. We match the elevation of the existing slab, separate or dowel the new concrete depending on the old slab's condition, and line up joints so the two pieces read as one surface. If the old slab is cracked or sunk, we may suggest replacing it at the same time so you are not attaching new concrete to a failing piece.

Getting the slope right

Gilbert averages only about 9 inches of rain a year, but monsoon storms can drop a lot of it in an hour. A patio should fall away from the house, typically about a quarter inch per foot, toward the yard or a drain. Patios that pitch the wrong way send water to the foundation and leave puddles that stain. We set the slope in the forms and check it before the concrete truck arrives.

Get a Free Estimate

Finish options

• Broom finish: the most affordable and gives good grip
• Smooth or light trowel: cleaner look for covered areas, but slicker when wet
• Exposed aggregate: stones on the surface, good traction, hides dirt
• Color or stain: softer tones than plain gray, and lighter colors stay cooler than dark ones
• Stamped: pattern and texture, covered on our Stamped Concrete page

In full sun, we usually steer people toward lighter colors and textured finishes, since dark, smooth concrete gets uncomfortably hot and shows wear faster.

Walkways and side yards

Patio jobs often include the paths that lead to them: a walk from the patio to the side gate, a pad for trash bins, or a strip along the side yard to keep dust down. Pouring them with the patio saves a separate mobilization and keeps the finish consistent.

Patio care

• Seal decorative or colored patios every few years
• Keep sprinkler spray off the surface to avoid mineral stains
• Use furniture pads to avoid scratches on smooth finishes
• Watch the edges near planters; if soil washes out, the edge can crack