Concrete Patios in Austin, TX
Heritage Concrete Austin pours concrete patios in Austin, Texas: new backyard patios, extensions that widen an existing one, and slabs for outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and hot tubs. A patio outside the right-of-way needs no City building permit, but it still counts as impervious cover, and single-family lots zoned SF-2 or SF-3 are capped at 45%.
Pricing is free: phone or send the form, and we'll discuss the size, the thickness for what will sit on it, the slope away from the house and the finish.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7
No charge · answered 24/7
Get free estimates
New patios and patio extensions
Thickness for what goes on it
Four inches is the general minimum for a patio slab; plan on 5 to 6 if it will carry a hot tub or an outdoor fireplace. Ohio Concrete's industry recommendation notes that patios, walks and drives are often built at least 3½ inches thick, the depth of the 2x4 lumber used as forms, and it limits the mix to a water-cementitious ratio of 0.45.
Extending an existing patio
An extension costs about the same per square foot as a new patio, and it takes the same site prep: grading plus a base of sand or gravel (national figures, 2026). Where new concrete meets steps, a garage slab or another fixed point, NRMCA calls for isolation joints so the pieces can move independently.
Sizing and concrete volume
Concrete is ordered by the cubic yard: multiply the thickness, width and length in feet, then divide by 27. At 4 inches thick, a 12-by-12 needs roughly 1.78 cubic yards, and Austin price guides figure about 2 cubic yards for a 10-by-10. Where the patio sits below the back door, concrete steps make up the difference.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862
Slope, joints and the ground under a patio
Fall away from the house
A slope of at least 2% works out to a 2½-inch drop on a patio reaching 10 feet out from the wall. The Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center applies the same 2% grade to patios, walks and porch slabs near the foundation (within 10 feet), and in hot, dry climates 1% is often enough.
Joints
NRMCA sets the maximum control-joint spacing at 24 to 36 times the slab's thickness, which comes to about 10 feet for a 4-inch patio and never more than 15, and it avoids L-shaped panels. Grooves go a quarter of the slab's depth or more, and never under 1 inch.
Clay and limestone
Austin's ground is hard on flat slabs. About 42% of the soil area mapped in the city carries a USDA rating of "Very limited" for concrete driveways and sidewalks, slabs much like a patio; under that rating, poor performance and heavy upkeep are to be expected unless special design or major soil work overcomes the limits. On expansive clay the standard answers are thorough compaction and good drainage, or a post-tensioned or structural slab that the soil doesn't have to hold up. Heritage Concrete Austin goes over the base and drainage for your yard during the estimate.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862Patio finishes and pool surrounds
Pattern and color
For pattern, stamped concrete patios press brick, slate or wood-plank textures into the slab; for color alone, stained concrete works into the surface.
Around a pool
Heritage Concrete Austin also pours the slab around pools. New residential pools go through the City's Swimming Pool/Uncovered Deck plan review, which the City lists at 5 business days. Our page on concrete pool decks covers the surface around them.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862
Austin rules for a backyard patio
No building permit, still the codes
No City building permit is needed for flatwork on your side of the public right-of-way, but the work must still meet the building codes and other City ordinances. Approval from a property owners' association is a separate matter: deed restrictions are enforced by the parties named in them, not by the City.
Impervious cover limits
Austin counts concrete toward a lot's impervious cover. The zoning caps are 45% for SF-2 and SF-3 lots, 40% for SF-1 and 25% for RR. Over the Barton Springs watersheds, the Save Our Springs rules go lower: 15% in the recharge zone and 20% to 25% in the contributing zone. They exempt a single-family home on one platted lot that already existed on November 1, 1991.
Septic systems and trees
If the house is on septic, a patio that enlarges the developed footprint sends the project to Austin Water for an on-site sewage facility review. Near a protected tree, an existing patio can stand in for tree-protection fencing, but once it's torn out, the exposed soil falls under tree protection, and work inside the root zone of a tree measuring 19 inches or more calls for a Tree Ordinance Review Application.
Outside the city limits
Heritage Concrete Austin also pours concrete patio extensions in Hornsby Bend, where the median home was built in 2009 and Travis County counts concrete patios as new impervious surface when it reviews a home on one lot. In Hays County, Heritage Concrete Austin builds concrete patios in Belterra, where the community association's Modification Committee must approve patio covers, and every other exterior change, before work starts.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862Concrete patio cost in Austin
Typical Austin-area figures for 2026 put a concrete patio at $4 to $10 per square foot, with most projects between $1,781 and $4,334 and the typical homeowner spending $3,040. Another 2026 Austin guide prices a basic slab patio at $6 to $12 per square foot and decorative concrete at $9 to $18. Site work comes on top: regrading a hilly yard runs $1,000 to $3,300 and tearing out an old patio $550 to $1,700. Labor's share of the bill runs 40% to 60%.
After it's poured, spring power washing runs $130 to $220 and sealing about $1,500 per 1,000 square feet, and a new patio's estimated return in Austin is 80% to 90%. Those are published averages rather than Heritage Concrete Austin prices, and the estimate is free. For side-by-side figures, see what concrete costs in Austin.
- Broom finish
- $6–$12 / sq ft
- Smooth trowel
- $9–$13 / sq ft
- Exposed aggregate
- $7–$18 / sq ft
- Stained
- $8–$25 / sq ft
- Stamped
- $10–$30 / sq ft
2026 averages for Austin-area patios. Not a quote.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(512) 588-2862Concrete patio questions
How much does a 15x30 concrete patio cost?
A 15-by-30 patio is 450 square feet, and a 2026 Austin price table puts a patio that size at about $3,150 on average. A 2022 Austin guide priced reinforced patios at $7 to $12 per square foot, or $6 to $11 without reinforcement. A decorative finish raises the figure.
How long does a patio last?
National figures give 30 to 50 years with regular maintenance (2026). With proper care a patio can go 30 years or more without major repairs; sealing protects it, and refreshing it with stain or a stamped overlay once a decade or so keeps it looking new.
What if my patio slopes toward the house?
A slab poured with the wrong pitch usually has to be removed and replaced. If it sank because the base eroded, slabjacking can sometimes raise it back to slope, often a good fix for patios and sidewalks.
How soon can I use a new patio?
Give it at least 24 hours before anyone walks on it; full curing takes about 28 days. Ohio Concrete's industry recommendation keeps curing going for at least seven days and holds off on sealer until 30 days after the pour.
Does a new patio raise the drainage charge on an Austin utility bill?
It can. Austin's monthly drainage charge rises with how much of a property is impervious, by area and by share, and patios and driveways count: the bill is impervious square feet times a base rate times an adjustment factor. The base rate for fiscal year 2026 was $0.00593 per square foot per month, and the City's data picks up driveways and walkways that appraisal records leave out.
Get a free estimate on a concrete patio
Call or send the form with the patio's rough size and what will go on it. Heritage Concrete Austin prices new patios and extensions at no charge, and someone answers 24/7.