Concrete Patios

Your backyard should be a place where you want to spend time. A well-designed patio extends your living space outdoors, creating the perfect spot for family meals, entertaining friends, or just relaxing with a good book. When you choose concrete for your patio, you get a surface that handles everything our New England weather throws at it while requiring very little maintenance. Many Salem, NH homeowners come to us after dealing with wooden decks that need constant staining and repairs, and they are amazed at how much easier concrete is to live with.

Concrete patios offer practical advantages that make them ideal for busy families. The surface stays cooler than wood or composite decking in summer sun, which is more comfortable for bare feet. You will not deal with splinters, rotting boards, or insects boring into the material. Concrete resists staining from spilled food and drinks better than most alternatives. When you need to clean your patio, a simple hose-down usually does the job. This low-maintenance nature means you spend your time enjoying the patio instead of working on it.

Advantages Over Other Patio Options

• Significantly longer lifespan than wood decks or composite materials
• Lower total cost of ownership when you factor in maintenance
• Excellent durability against weather and heavy use
• Versatile design options including colors, textures, and patterns
• Easy cleaning and maintenance requirements
• Resistant to fading, rotting, and insect damage

A patio that looks great but fails after a few years is no bargain. We focus on proper installation techniques that ensure your patio will perform well for decades. The process begins with careful site preparation, which is where many contractors cut corners. We excavate to the correct depth and grade the area to promote proper drainage away from your home. Poor drainage causes more patio problems than almost anything else, so we take this step seriously.

The base material we install provides a stable foundation that prevents settling and cracking. We use crushed stone that drains well and compacts to create solid support. This base gets compacted in layers using professional equipment, not just dumped and spread. Once the base is ready, we build sturdy forms and install reinforcement that adds strength to the concrete. When we pour and finish the concrete, we work efficiently to achieve the texture and appearance you want while the material is still workable. Control joints are cut at proper intervals to manage any minor cracking that might occur as the concrete cures.

Connecting to Your Home

Most patios connect directly to your home, which requires careful attention to detail. We ensure the patio slopes gently away from your foundation to prevent water problems. The transition between your door threshold and the patio surface needs to be at the right height for comfortable access. If you have existing steps or walkways, we coordinate the patio design to create smooth transitions between all these elements. The goal is a finished product that looks like it was always meant to be there.