We're planning a new backyard patio. What's it likely to cost?

A plain broom-finished patio usually runs $7–$12 per square foot installed. Stamped and colored patios run $12–$18 per square foot, more for multi-color patterns and borders, and exposed aggregate adds about $2–$4 per square foot over plain. A 14 by 18 foot patio is typically $1,800–$3,000 with a broom finish.

How long does a stamped concrete patio last?

Decades, if it is built on a compacted base and kept sealed. The desert sun wears the sealer first, so plan to reseal every two to three years to keep the color rich and the surface protected.

Bare feet can't handle our patio by mid-afternoon. Which finish is easiest on them?

Lighter colors and textured finishes. Dark stamped colors look rich but get hot in full sun. If the patio faces south or west, a lighter integral color, a broom or exposed-aggregate finish, or a textured cool-deck style coating is easier on bare feet.

Will a new patio send water toward my house?

Not if it is built right. A patio should slope away from the house, about a quarter inch per foot, with the joint at the foundation sealed, so monsoon rain runs out to the yard and away from the foundation. A patio that tips toward the house does the opposite, which is a common reason old ones get replaced.

Can a patio hold a hot tub, pergola or shade structure?

Yes, if it is planned for them. A hot tub needs a thicker, reinforced section under it, and pergola or shade-structure posts need their own footings, set before the pour. Tell us at the estimate and we build them in.

Can you add on to my existing patio?

Yes. The addition is built on its own compacted base and tied in or separated with a proper joint so the two slabs don’t crack each other. New concrete won’t match old at first, so many owners choose a contrasting border, or a coating such as an acrylic or knockdown finish over both.

Our old patio sits lower than the back door step. Can the new one come up to meet it?

Yes. The base is built up and compacted so the new slab sits at the right height below the door, with the step planned to code and the surface still sloping away from the house. We measure the door, the grade and the drainage at the estimate before we set the height.

I want an outdoor kitchen on the patio. What has to happen before you pour?

The gas, water and electrical lines or the sleeves for them go in before the pour, so nothing has to be cut out later. The slab under the island is planned for its weight, and we work out the timing with your other trades at the estimate.

Our backyard only has a side gate. Can you still get concrete back there?

Usually, yes. Concrete can be pumped through a hose or wheeled in, and the gate width and the distance from the street decide which. Access does change the price, so we measure it at the estimate and put it on the quote.

Concrete Patio Contractor in North Phoenix, AZ

Concrete Patios

An outdoor room you’ll actually use.

We plan a patio around how you’ll use it: where the shade falls in the afternoon, where the grill and the pergola go, where the water runs in a monsoon storm. Then we pour it on a compacted base, slope it away from the house, and finish and seal it for the sun, so the color lasts and the surface stays comfortable.

Typical price$7–$12 / sq ft · stamped $12–$18installed · free written estimate

(602) 773-1313

How we build a patio

Real work

Patios by Sam The Concrete Man

Photos from Sam The Concrete Man jobs. Each caption says whose job it was, and the ones marked North Phoenix are ours.

Collage of a backyard step-pad and pergola pad job: forms and fresh concrete, the old yard before work, and the finished concrete squares with gravel joints beside a pool and block wall — North Phoenix job · Arrowhead Ranch, GlendaleA pergola pad and step padsAbout 900 sq ft · About 14 daysA pergola pad and step pads in a backyard with tight access, so the old surface came out by hand. The footers were set for the pergola, the forms matched the yard’s grade, and the new concrete was planned to go with the existing acrylic lace coating.Read about this job →

Patio of concrete squares with artificial turf joints and outdoor furniture — Sam The Concrete Man, another location

Stamped patio under a covered porch with a gravel border — Sam The Concrete Man, another location

Flagstone stamped patio with a fire pit and a river-rock edge — Sam The Concrete Man

Tan stamped patio and step at the back of a blue house — Sam The Concrete Man

Stained flagstone-pattern stamped patio under a covered porch — Sam The Concrete Man, another location

Rounded backyard patio with gravel and mulch beds — Sam The Concrete Man, another location

Stamped patio at night under a lit umbrella with a dining set — Sam The Concrete Man, another location

See more in the gallery →

What we build

Concrete Patios, start to finish

New patios and patio extensions
Stamped, colored and exposed-aggregate finishes
Pergola and shade-structure pads, with footers
Fire-pit, grill and outdoor-kitchen slabs
Step pads and paths to the patio
Patio replacement and resurfacing

Key considerations

What goes into it

01Slope away from the house
02Compacted base for caliche or clay
03Joint layout that fits the design
04Color that holds up in the sun
05A UV-resistant sealer, renewed every few years

Good concrete starts long before the truck arrives. Our experienced team knows what to look for, what questions to ask, and which details can make the difference years down the road.

Built for the Valley

What Phoenix asks of a patio

Color in the desert sun

Some coloring products fade outdoors. For patio color we use pigment mixed into the concrete or an acid stain, and a non-yellowing, UV-resistant sealer that is renewed every few years.

Monsoon water and the house

A patio against the house has to carry storm water away from the foundation. It slopes away from the wall, with an isolation joint where it meets the house slab so the two can move separately.

Caliche and clay

On caliche, water that can’t soak in softens the soil above it; on expansive clay, a storm after months of dry heat makes the ground swell. Either way the answer is a compacted aggregate base and water kept away from the slab.

When to build

Spring and fall are the easiest seasons to pour, but patios go in year-round. In summer the pour is scheduled for the cool of the morning and the concrete is kept moist while it cures.

HOA design review

Many Valley neighborhoods review patios and colors. Arizona law says approval of a project’s plans can’t be unreasonably withheld, and we put together what the review asks for.

What's under the surface

Built for Valley ground: a driveway in cross-section

Not to scale · slope exaggerated

1Water is what moves desert ground: it sits on caliche and softens the soil above, swells clay and settles loose fill.

2Soft soil and high caliche come out and compacted aggregate base goes in, so the slab sits on something that stays put.

3Rebar on chairs at mid-depth keeps any cracks that do form tight and level.

4Control joints, no more than 10 feet apart on a 4-inch slab, decide where it cracks as it shrinks and moves with the heat.

5The slab slopes away from the house, with an isolation joint where it meets the foundation.

How it runs

Estimate to final walkthrough

1On-site design walk: size, shape, shade and drainage
2Written quote with finish options priced
3Excavation, base and forms
4Pour, finish, cure, seal and final walkthrough

Finish options

Straightforward or decorative

Broom finish

Fine ridges for grip when it’s wet from a storm or the sprinklers. The standard for driveways and walks.

Exposed aggregate

The top layer washed back to show the stone. Grippy around pools and good at hiding dust and wear.

Stamped

Patterned to look like flagstone, slate, brick or wood plank, in one solid slab.

Integral color

Color mixed through the concrete, so chips don’t show grey and the sun doesn’t fade it.

Sealed

A UV-resistant sealer against water, stains and sun fade, renewed every few years.

Every finish, with photos →

Where you live changes the job

A patio on caliche is a different job than one on wash sand

The Valley has four kinds of ground, and each one changes how we prepare the base, reinforce the slab and handle water. Your community page has the specifics.

Caliche desert floor

Dig to firm ground, break out caliche that sits high in the base and haul it off the site, bring in aggregate base compacted in lifts, and slope the slab and the grade so roof and sprinkler water run away from it and off the hardpan.

Phoenix Desert Ridge Deer Valley Moon Valley

River and wash alluvium

Compaction done in lifts at the right moisture, with loose or soft soil dug out and replaced, a thicker section anywhere a truck, trailer or RV will park, and grading that keeps runoff off the slab and out from under it. Washes and drainage easements stay open.

Paradise Valley Village Glendale Arcadia Biltmore

Expansive clay pockets

Remove the soft and organic soil, bring in compacted aggregate base, set rebar on chairs, and keep the moisture under the slab steady: drainage away from it, and turf and drip lines held back from its edges.

Anthem Gilbert Val Vista Lakes Agritopia

Desert foothills and rock

Excavation into the rock or hardpan, a thicker compacted base where the support is uneven, drainage that catches runoff above the slab and carries it around, and engineered retaining walls where the grade is cut. Walls on hillside lots often need a permit, and each city and town has its own rules, so we check yours.

Paradise Valley Sunnyslope Cave Creek Carefree

Where we work

Concrete Patios in 77 communities

Each page covers the ground, the permits and the questions people ask us in that community.

Phoenix

Scottsdale

Glendale

Tempe

Mesa

Chandler

Gilbert

More cities and towns

Questions about patios

Concrete Patios: what people ask us

Sam The Concrete Man North Phoenix builds patios across North Phoenix with its own crews, from older yards in Moon Valley and Sunnyslope to newer lots in Desert Ridge and Norterra. Each patio is sloped away from the house on a compacted base, with footings for a pergola or shade structure set before the pour and lighter or cool-deck style finishes where the patio faces the afternoon sun. We bring finish samples to the free estimate and leave a printed, line-by-line quote.

Typical prices for every kind of project are in the Phoenix concrete cost guide, and general questions are on the FAQ page.

More ways to improve your property

Explore our concrete services

Concrete DrivewaysA better driveway starts from the ground up.Concrete WalkwaysSafer paths, cleaner lines.Decorative ConcreteStamped, colored, stained or exposed: concrete that looks custom.Pool DecksGrip when it’s wet, a light surface in the sun.Concrete SidewalksLevel sidewalks for homes and businesses.Pads & SlabsSmaller project, big peace of mind.Concrete FloorsGarage and shop floors that hold up.Athletic CourtsA court in the backyard, built to play on.Retaining WallsHold the grade. Give the water a way out.Concrete RepairsFix what can be fixed. Say so when it can’t.

We also do footers, home foundations, piers, demolition and removal, grinding and cutting, culverts, curbing, ramps, masonry, overlays, screen enclosures, commercial pads and slabs, commercial patios, commercial walkways and entryways, industrial flooring, loading docks, parking lots. See every service →

Get a clear price on your patio.

You'll know, without question, what your project involves, what it costs, and what to expect before work begins.