Concrete patio construction in Round Rock TX - a slab poured and cured for the heat

A residential concrete patio in the Austin area usually runs about $9 to $16 per square foot installed. That's the going rate in the area, not our quote. Where yours lands depends on the size, the digging and base work your yard needs, truck access and the surface you pick. I'll give you a number for your own patio when I come out to look.

You might, so check with the city before any concrete shows up. Round Rock issues building permits for work on any structure and lists a patio among the accessory structures homeowners add. The Development Technicians at the city's building inspection office can tell you at 512-218-5550 whether your project needs one. Before we set a date, we check which office covers your address, and when a permit is needed, we handle the application and keep it moving. Lots in a historic overlay need historic review before the permit. Lots over the Edwards Aquifer recharge or contributing zones fall under the state's aquifer rules, which count a concrete pad as cover that keeps rain from soaking in, so we look for both.

Yes, Round Rock lets you act as your own contractor on your primary residence, even without a license. The same codes, fees, permits and inspections still apply. Any contractor who applies for a permit has to register with the city, so ask whoever you hire about that. If you'd rather hand it off, we're licensed and fully insured, and our own crew does the work.

With a traditional sealer, you wait until the slab fully cures, which one maker's guide puts at about 28 days. A cure-and-seal product can go on fresh concrete much sooner, so the sealer you choose sets the sealing date. We'll go over which one fits your patio before the pour.

Hot-weather guidance says curing should start as soon as finishing ends and last at least 3 days. Curing is holding water in the surface so the concrete gets strong instead of drying out, with wet burlap and plastic, a curing compound or plain water. We keep the new slab wet and covered through those days, and we'll tell you when it's ready to use.

Early cracks usually come from the surface drying too fast. High heat, strong wind and low humidity pull water out of fresh concrete and can crack it before or soon after it sets. A hot day followed by a cool night can crack it too, so we watch the overnight low as closely as the high and pour outside the hottest part of the day. Underneath, a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed settles with the dirt, and that's why we start there.