5d ago

What should I do with this patio?

The center slab is pretty thrashed and has some failing previous repairs. A couple of other slabs have more minor damage. At the very least, I'm interested in removing and repouring the center slab, but a contractor recommended against doing anything less than a full demo/replacement of the whole patio based on foundation/structural reasons.

Beyond aesthetic reasons, is this advice legit or just an upsell? If I need to do the whole thing and not just one or two slabs, I might consider pavers instead of concrete, but any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

9 comments

You could always get a second or third opinion, but there's a decent chance you'd want to do it all at once.
If you want a short term solution while you wait to redo the whole thing. Then you could always get something like these outdoor tiles.
They would provide a decent look and still cover your patio until you're ready to replace the whole thing.
- I'm sure it depends on where you live, but in my area, those outdoor tiles last about a year, maybe two. Mine are growing mushrooms and maple seedlings as we speak. Time for a replacement. To be fair, it is very damp here.

If you remove and repour just the center slab, you're going to change the pressure against the ground which is likely to cause some shifting among all the surrounding tiles. You're definitely going to find someone willing to replace just the center tile, but if you do that you'll almost certainly be in a position in a couple years where you're looking to replace the whole thing.
I'd save up to remove it all, and think creatively about what an entirely new patio could look like. You don't have to replace it on its current footprint, but I can't see enough of your space in this picture to give you any layout recommendations.
- Thanks! This is the input I was hoping to hear. Good to know that the “piecemeal” replacement concerns are valid. I’ll aim to do the whole patio in time.
  Here’s another angle if you’re curious:

I'd cover it with something more attractive. If drainage isn't an issue, I'd consider a floating deck with planters on the sides. Otherwise, I might remove the concrete and plant culinary or exotic plants for effect. It would be interesting to know how you plan to use this area. If it's for kids, the approach would differ from adult outdoor dining and recreation. Personally, I'd go for a floating deck with planters or potted plants on the edges or paving to maintain the theme. I'd love to see a BBQ area, plants, a deck, and landscaping lights.

I'd remove the center and put in river stones and a fire pit.

I would take the whole thing out short of the side up against the house and put a decent wood picnic style table, a fire pit (if that's allowed where you're at) like one of the steel ones raised up off the ground and use the extra space for growing veggies and stuff.
Depends on what you want though.
Are you wanting to repair/replace it and have that whole patio area or are you willing to do a bit more with the earth underneath it?
You could always do like you said and use pavers or gravel some of the area too and still reclaim some of the ground underneath to use for other stuff.

If money is limited, I'd just take out the two large center sections and inspect/repair the substrate. This is probably bad preperation underneath and there's slumping and/or frost heaving. Once you have that part removed, you might decide the other areas aren't much better underneath. Then you can decide to repour concrete or move on to a different style of patio, like pavers or a wooden deck.

Gazebo?

9 comments