Concrete Patio Construction Details

If you are building a 4 inch concrete patio slab 2 x 6 lumber should be used for form construction.

Concrete patio construction details.

Anything other than a plain smooth concrete patio would look busy and compete with the other interesting elements of this yard like the amoeba swiss cheese wall and brightly colored outdoor furniture. Buying concrete in dry premixed bags makes sense for relatively small patio slabs. Wet concrete is enormously heavy. Before beginning your project be sure and read through these pages for additional information particularly on the subjects of finishing and curing.

Whether rectangular or curvy in design next to the home or freestanding in the yard a concrete patio establishes new living space outdoors and adds a striking feature to the landscape. Design and construction of a patio can range from a simple square in the backyard to an elaborate layout of paving amidst complex outdoor living spaces. The landscape for this oregon residence was designed by anita van asperdt of landcurrent and mixes modern details with the surrounding hillside. For a dry laid patio such as one made of pavers bricks or flagstones builders generally follow the same marking excavation tamping and leveling methods as they would for a concrete patio.

Building a concrete patio or any concrete slab is similar in many ways to the walkway project. To get an idea of how many bags you would need a 50 square foot slab at 4 inches thick needs about 28 80 pound bags or 38 60 pound bags. Forms should be 2 inch thick lumber. You can buy bagged concrete a local home center or lumberyard and you can rent a.

Tips for building a concrete patio. It can be composed of a range of materials but all of them are installed in the same basic way with variations due to regional issues of climate soil conditions and grading. They build up the sub base using layers of gravel a finer crushed gravel and clean washed sand free of any rocks or debris. A common mistake made by many a diy home handyman when making a concrete patio or slab as part of a home improvement is to skimp on the strength of the wood forms.