Concrete patio construction in Riverside CA - a slab built on solid ground
Bare dirt out back, or an old slab that's cracked and sinking? We prep the ground right and pour you a level patio.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into a new concrete patio in Riverside?
Concrete patio construction in Riverside is flatwork, the trade's word for flat slabs like patios, walks and driveways. We dig out and pack the ground, then form, pour and finish a slab that gives you a level, solid place to sit, eat or set a grill, and sheds water away from your house. Professional Riverside Concrete builds patios in Riverside and many of the cities around it in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Most people who call have bare dirt out back, or an old patio that's cracked, uneven or holding puddles by the door. The price mostly comes down to the size, how much digging and grading the yard needs, whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled off, and how easily we can get a truck or wheelbarrows to the back. If the new patio has to meet an existing walk cleanly, concrete cutting may be part of the job too. The schedule turns on the permit question, the weather on pour day and the curing, the wait while the concrete hardens before you use it. When I come out, I leave a written estimate that says what's in it, so you see your own number. We're licensed and insured, and you can check any contractor's license with the California Contractors State Licensing Board.
How we build a concrete patio
Before anything else, I look at where your water runs, because a patio that slopes toward the house sends every rain straight at your wall. Then we dig down to the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and pack a firm base instead of just raking the dirt level, since a raked base settles and takes the slab down with it. We set forms with a slight fall away from the house and lay rebar, steel bars that keep the slab from pulling apart if it cracks. Then we order a mix that isn't soupy, because a wetter batch is easier to place but shrinks more as it dries. On hot days we pour early, since a slab rushed in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top, and we give it a broom finish, a light brushed texture that keeps it from getting slick. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, as soon as the concrete will take the saw, so cracks follow our lines instead of their own. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you trim the extras on top than the base, because you can dress up a solid slab later but you can't fix what's under it without tearing it out.
A patio rarely stands alone. If you want a stone or brick look, our stamped concrete services press a pattern into the slab while it's still soft. If you need a path from the driveway or side gate, we can pour it at the same time with our concrete sidewalk building work.
A new patio on open ground
This suits a yard with bare dirt or tired grass where you want a place to sit outside. Most of the work goes into digging out and building the base, which is where your money does the most good.
Tearing out and replacing an old patio
This suits a slab that's sunk, tipped toward the house or broken into pieces. We break it out and haul it off first, then look at what's underneath, because a poor base is usually why the old one failed.
If your old patio is tipping toward the house or water sits against the wall after rain, call instead of waiting another season, because the water only does more damage.
What happens when you call about a patio?
Here's how a patio job runs with us, from the first call to the day we walk the finished slab together. I do the estimate and run the crew, so you deal with one person the whole way.
Call or send the form
Call (951) 589-3080 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set up a visit. It helps to know the rough patio size, how we'd get to the backyard and whether there's an old slab to tear out.
I visit and write it up
I come out myself, look at the yard and where the water goes, and ask how you'll use the patio. You get a written estimate that says what's in it, from the digging and base to any tear-out, so you know what you're paying for.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we settle the permit question first, then dig out and pack the base, set the forms and pour. I run the crew on the job, so the person who wrote your estimate is the one watching the base go in.
Walk the finished patio together
We walk the finished job with you and go over the curing wait before you put furniture or a grill on it. I'll also tell you straight that concrete can still crack, and show you where the joints are meant to take it.
Get a free written estimate for your new patio
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at your yard and leave a free written estimate at your property, with no obligation to go ahead.
(951) 589-3080Concrete patio construction rules in Riverside
In Riverside, the city's building official issues permits for most construction, and the city's list of work that doesn't need a permit names sidewalks and driveways but not patios. So the list doesn't settle whether your patio needs one, and the place to ask is Riverside's building official. We check what the city wants before we start. A job that moves more than 50 cubic yards of soil falls under a grading permit from the Public Works Department, with some exemptions the city lists, and the grading plans then usually come from a licensed civil engineer. It's worth getting this right, because the city notes that insurers may not cover work done without permits and inspections, and work that misses the city's codes may lose value.
On patio jobs around Riverside, we often find old slabs poured on dirt that was only raked flat and have since sunk at the edges or tipped toward the back door, so we plan for a tear-out and a new base from the start. We see the same thing on jobs in Jurupa Valley and Moreno Valley, and we handle it the same way.
Patio questions we hear from Riverside homeowners
How much does a concrete patio cost in Riverside?
A concrete patio in Riverside usually costs about $6 to $13 per square foot, installed. That's the going rate around here, not a quote from us. Where your patio lands in that range depends on how much digging the yard needs, whether an old slab has to come out and how hard the backyard is to reach. I'll give you your own number in a written estimate, and every patio carries the same promise as the rest of our work, satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
How do I keep a new concrete patio from cracking?
Nobody can promise a slab won't crack, but you can make cracks less likely and steer the ones that come into the control joints. Keeping the mix from getting too wet is a big part of it, as I mentioned above. Fibers mixed into the concrete can help limit shrinkage cracks while it's fresh, but at the usual doses most do little once it's hardened. So I treat fibers as help for the first hours of curing, not the whole fix, and we talk through what to expect before we pour.
What is the best way to pour a concrete patio in hot weather?
On hot days, crews normally add a retarding water reducer, a mix additive that slows the set and cuts the water the batch needs. If your pour falls on a hot day, it's fair to ask any contractor whether they plan to use one, and I'll tell you how we're timing the pour.
Who can legally build a concrete patio in California?
A licensed concrete contractor can, and a licensed landscaping contractor may also take on concrete work when it's part of a project that improves the grounds around a house. In Riverside, a contractor who pulls a permit has to be properly licensed and show proof, and the city also requires those contractors to hold a current City of Riverside business license, so ask to see both. You can check the state license with the licensing board linked above.
Who pulls the permit for a patio in Riverside?
In Riverside, many permits can be issued to the owner, the owner's authorized agent or a properly licensed contractor. When your patio needs one, we pull it ourselves or help you apply, so you're not sorting it out on your own.
How much of a deposit can a contractor ask for in California?
By state law, the down payment on a home improvement contract can't be more than $1,000 or ten percent of the contract price, whichever is less. If anyone asks for more than that up front on a patio, that's a good reason to slow down.
Other concrete work that goes with a patio
If a plain gray slab isn't the look you want out back, a stamped surface presses a stone or brick pattern into the concrete while it's still workable.
A patio gets used a lot more when a solid walk leads to it from the driveway or side gate, instead of a worn path across the lawn.
Talk through your new patio with me
We pick up the phone until 11 PM every day, so call (951) 589-3080 after work or send the form whenever it suits you.