A concrete patio is a slab poured at grade beside or behind the house, meant to hold furniture, a grill and steady foot traffic while shedding water away from the foundation. We build them across Lawrenceville, on flat lots and sloped ones. The median home here was built in 1987, and where an older slab is already in place, we break it out and haul it off before the new one goes in. Finishes run from a plain broom surface to stamped and decorative work, and a patio can tie into an existing driveway or walk. Size and shape follow how you use the yard.
Most patio problems start under the concrete, not in it. Gwinnett County is hilly, with about 181 feet of local relief within a few miles, and the ground changes from one block to the next. Pacolet soil, which drains well, is the most common type in the county, but we test every site on its own before a form goes up. With about 55 inches of rain a year, slope is not optional: water has to run away from the house. We grade for that, place the reinforcement each slab needs, and pour on a compacted base that stays put. Call for a free estimate.
Three things set the price of a slab: how much ground has to move, how thick the pour is, and what finish goes on top. A flat backyard with open access is the simple case. Gwinnett County has 181 feet of local relief within a few miles, so plenty of lots need cutting, fill or a short retaining edge before forms go in. Mesh or rebar, a broom or stamped surface, and pump access all change the figure. Call for a free estimate.
A driveway carries loads a patio never sees, so we pour it thicker and set rebar on chairs instead of leaving mesh lying in the dirt. The base matters as much as the concrete: compacted crushed stone over subgrade we have tested, because Pacolet soil drains well but still varies across the county. Control joints go in at spacing that matches the slab width. Most cracked driveways we look at failed at the base or the joints, not the mix.
Garage floors, basements, workshops and small commercial spaces all start the same way. We lay a level, compacted base, put a vapor barrier under the pour, and finish the slab to suit how it gets used. Interior floors usually take a hard steel-trowel finish so they sweep clean and accept a sealer or epoxy coating later. Joints get cut early, before shrinkage cracks pick their own path. Skip the vapor barrier and moisture comes up through the floor for years.
With the median home here built in 1987, plenty of original patios, walks and garage slabs have been down for decades. Hairline shrinkage cracks are cosmetic; we rout and seal them. A slab that has sunk, tilted toward the house or broken into pieces is a different problem. The base washed out or was never compacted, and with about 55 inches of rain a year, water finds that weakness fast. Then we cut out the bad section, rebuild the base and pour new.
We walk the yard with you and watch where water goes, because drainage decides more about a patio than the finish does. Gwinnett County is hilly, and the ground changes from one block to the next, so we shoot grades on your lot and test the soil where the slab will sit. We also check the house side: door thresholds, downspouts, and any old footing or buried line that has to be worked around.
Sod, roots and topsoil come out until we reach firm subgrade. Pacolet soil, the dominant type in the county, drains well, but we still compact it in lifts with a plate compactor before any stone goes down. Then we spread and compact a crushed stone base and set the pitch so the surface falls away from the house. On sloped lots this is where most of the work happens: cutting, filling, and sometimes a short retaining edge.
Forms go in next: straight lumber for crisp edges, flexible board where you want curves. We stake them tight and check the pitch again with a string line, since the forms decide where water runs for the life of the slab. Reinforcement is rebar tied in a grid or welded wire mesh, set on chairs so it sits in the middle of the slab instead of lying on the stone. Mesh that gets stepped on and left at the bottom does nothing.
Concrete arrives ready-mixed, and the mix matters. We order air-entrained concrete with a strength and slump suited to an outdoor slab, not whatever is cheapest on the truck. Where the truck can't reach the backyard, we pump it or run wheelbarrows over boards to protect the lawn. The crew places it quickly, rakes it to the forms, and screeds it flat. Adding water on site makes it easier to spread and weakens the surface, so we don't.
Once the bleed water leaves the surface, we bull float, edge, and cut control joints so the slab has a planned place to crack where it won't show. Timing decides the finish. Troweling too early traps water and leads to flaking later. A broom finish gets pulled across the slope for grip when wet. Stamped patios get color hardener or integral color, release agent, and the stamp mats laid in sequence while the concrete still takes a clean impression.
Fresh concrete gains strength slowly, and it needs moisture to do it. We apply a curing compound or cover the slab so the top doesn't dry faster than the bottom, which is what causes surface cracking and dusting. Average daily highs here run around 72°F and lows around 53°F, but we watch the forecast for the actual pour day and adjust timing and cover to match. Keep foot traffic off until we clear it, and hold off longer on furniture and grills.
We seal after the slab has cured, not before. A penetrating silane or siloxane sealer suits broom-finished patios because it keeps water out without making the surface slick. Stamped and colored concrete usually gets an acrylic sealer that deepens the color and protects the pattern. With about 55" of rain a year, a sealed surface sheds water and resists staining from leaves, grease and pollen. Resealing every few years keeps it working, and we show you how to tell when it's due.
A patio system comes down to three choices: the finish on top, the reinforcement inside, and how the slab meets the ground around it. A broom finish is the plainest option, and it gives good footing when the surface is wet. Stamped concrete takes its pattern and color while the mix is still workable, so it can read as stone or brick without the loose joints of real pavers. Exposed aggregate sits somewhere between the two. Inside the slab, we match reinforcement to the load. Wire mesh or fiber suits a patio that only sees chairs and foot traffic. Rebar goes where a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen or a heavy smoker will sit.
Your yard decides more of this than most people expect. Gwinnett County is hilly, with 181 feet of local relief within a few miles, so plenty of lots here need a step-down, a short retaining edge or extra base work before any concrete goes in. The area also gets about 55 inches of rain a year. That makes pitch and drainage part of the design from the start. Pacolet soil drains well, but it changes across the county, so we test every site on its own. With the median home here built in 1987, we also look closely at the existing slab and steps so the new surface meets them cleanly. Call for a free estimate.
Yes. We handle the permit as part of the job, so you are not the one filling out forms or standing at a counter. Before any digging starts, we work out what the project needs, file for it, and book each inspection at the stage it belongs to, usually before a pour while the forms and reinforcement are still in plain view. You get copies of everything for your records.
We plan the work around your hours, not ours. Before any materials arrive, we walk the property with you and mark where customers park, walk and enter. Then we fence off the work area and keep a clear, signed route around it. Saw cutting and the concrete truck go into the quieter parts of the day when that is possible. Where the layout allows, we pour in sections, so part of the surface stays open while the rest cures.
Yes, in most cases. A foundation carries a structure, so it is treated differently from a walkway or a small patio slab, and inspections typically happen at stages like footings and reinforcement, before any concrete goes in. Requirements depend on the project, so we check yours before we quote it. We handle the permit and the inspections, and nothing gets poured until the work has passed.
Ask for proof, from us and from anyone else bidding on your job. A contractor who carries those should be able to hand you the documents in writing, and you can confirm them yourself with the issuing agency or the insurer before you sign anything. Do the same with every bid on the table. It takes a few phone calls. It is also the simplest way to protect your property and your money.
The number that matters most is rain: about 55 inches a year in Lawrenceville, against roughly 2 inches of snow. We slope every patio away from the house so water runs off instead of sitting, and we cut control joints so any cracking follows a straight line we chose. Gwinnett County's soil is mostly well-drained Pacolet, though it varies, so we test each site and compact the base before we pour. A proper cure and a sealed surface finish the job.
Our work covers Lawrenceville and the metro Atlanta towns around it, on the same terms everywhere: same crew, same process, same free estimate. The full list of towns we serve appears elsewhere on this page. If you live in Snellville or close by and are not sure whether your property falls inside our area, call and ask. A short conversation settles it, and you can book your free estimate on the same call.