Concrete patio construction in Kent WA - a slab that drains and holds up
If your backyard turns to mud after rain or the old slab has sunk, we build a patio on packed ground that sheds water.
What does it take to build a concrete patio in Kent?
Concrete patio construction in Kent starts below the surface. We dig out the topsoil and soft spots, pack the ground firm and pour a slab with enough slope that rain runs off it and away from your house. You end up with a patio that stays level and dry to stand on.
Most people call because the yard out back turns to mud after rain, or because an old slab has sunk, cracked or started pooling water by the house. The price moves with the patio's size and shape, how much soft ground has to come out before we can build a firm base, how easy it is to get concrete to the spot and whether an old slab has to be broken out first. The schedule mostly turns on the weather around pour day, the curing time afterward and a permit if your job needs one, which we take care of. Your written estimate lists each part of the job, so you see your own number before anything starts.
How we build a concrete patio, step by step
We start by marking out the patio and checking where the water runs, because the slab has to send it away from the house and not toward it. Then we dig out the topsoil and any soft spots and compact what's left, which is the subgrade the slab sits on, so the concrete isn't resting on loose dirt that settles later. We set the forms with enough fall to shed water. Where the patio meets the house, we put in a joint so the slab can move on its own instead of pulling against the wall. We plan the pour around the weather, because a slab poured in the midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top. After the pour we give it a broom finish, a light texture that keeps it from getting slick when it's wet. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and let it cure, which is the slow hardening that sets how strong the surface ends up. If you're trimming the budget, I'll tell you plainly that the base is the last place I'd cut, because nobody sees it on day one and it's the part that decides whether the patio stays flat.
A patio rarely stands alone. A lot of homeowners want a solid way to get to it, so we often pour a concrete sidewalk from the driveway or side gate while we're set up. If you'd rather have a pattern pressed into the surface than a broomed slab, that's our stamped concrete work.
Why Kent homeowners call D&L Kent Concrete Construction for a patio
I measure and walk your site
I come out for the estimate myself to measure, see how the yard drains and look for soft ground. Our crew does the work and I run the job, so the person who took the measurements is the one making sure it's built to them.
In business since 2013, prep first
I started this business in 2013, and what we're known for is careful layout and prep, meaning the forms, the measurements and the base. That's the work you won't see once the patio's poured, and it's what decides how the slab holds up.
Licensed, insured and easy to check
We're fully licensed and insured, and in Washington the thing to look up is a contractor's registration. The state's contractor Verify tool shows whether a business has an active one, a paid-up workers' comp account for its employees and any safety violations or lawsuits against its surety bond, so it's worth a few minutes before you hire anyone.
On a patio, the ground and the slope matter more than anything you see on top, so that's what I look at first. Call D&L Kent Concrete Construction at (253) 398-9060 or send us your project details with the patio's rough size and whether it will sit against the house, and I'll come out to walk it. We're based in Kent and work in Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma and many other cities nearby.
Get a written estimate for your new patio
We reply within one business day. I'll set a time to come out, measure and walk your yard, and you'll get a free estimate in writing with each part of the job listed. There's no pressure and no obligation.
A look at finished concrete patios
Common questions about a new concrete patio
How much does a concrete patio cost in the Seattle area?
Patio construction in the Seattle area usually costs about $3,500 to $13,500 per job. That's the going range in the market, not a quote from us, and where your patio lands in it comes down to what I measure on site. Whatever the size, it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Will my new concrete patio crack?
Most likely a little at some point, because all concrete tends to crack and a completely crack-free slab isn't possible. The control joints we cut give most of that cracking a planned place to go. Steel inside the slab, either rebar or wire mesh, can't stop cracks, but it can keep them narrower when it's placed in the right spot, so if a quote promises a flawless slab, ask more questions, including where the crew puts the reinforcement.
How long does a new concrete patio need to cure before I can walk on it?
When the slab is cured with a sprayed or rolled curing compound, people and anything with wheels stay off it for 7 days. Plan that week with the patio closed off, and hold the furniture and the grill until it's through.
Do I need a permit to build a concrete patio in Kent?
The city's Permit Center is the place to find out, since it handles building permits and permits for residential work in Kent, and you make an appointment with it to get one. We check which city or county office covers your address, take care of the permit when your job needs one and keep you posted on where it stands.
Can you pour a concrete patio in cold weather?
Yes, but cold changes the plan, because it slows setting and fresh concrete can be damaged if it freezes. One Michigan concrete guide counts it as cold weather when the air falls to 40°F, or is expected to drop below it, while the new slab still needs protecting, and nights in early fall and late spring can qualify. We watch the overnight forecast, clear any snow or ice and pour only on ground that hasn't frozen, and a slab that will see freezing weather calls for air-entrained concrete, a mix with tiny air bubbles in it, so it's fair to ask whether yours is.
How do I take care of a new concrete patio its first winter?
One Michigan concrete guide advises using no deicers the first winter and spreading sand for traction instead. After that, the same guide rules out magnesium or calcium chloride, fertilizer and water-softener salt on the slab. If ice on the patio is a worry for you, bring it up when I'm out for the estimate.
Work that often goes with a patio
- Stamped concrete services
If you'd like a pattern pressed into the surface instead of a plain broomed slab, this page covers how we approach stamped work for your yard.
- Concrete sidewalk building
A new patio gets more use with a solid path to it, so a walk from the driveway or side gate keeps people off wet grass and mud.