I come out and look at the spot
I walk the area where the patio will go, check how the yard drains and ask how you plan to use it. Then I write up the estimate, so your price comes from your ground and not a guess over the phone.
Concrete patio construction in La Porte IN - a slab built on solid ground
Old patio cracked, sunken or holding water? We build a new slab on a base that's dug out, packed and ready for the pour.
What goes into building a concrete patio in La Porte?
Concrete patio construction in La Porte starts in the ground. We prepare a firm base that drains, then place the concrete slab on top of it, so you get an outdoor floor that sits level and carries water away from your house.
Most people call because the old patio cracked, sank on one side or holds a puddle after every rain. That usually traces back to the base, which is the work we're known for. It matters because once concrete sets, there's no do-over.
The price comes down to the patio's size, whether an old slab has to come out, how much digging and base work the spot needs, and extras like a pattern or a walk tied in. The schedule turns on the weather, how dry the ground is and whether a permit is needed. Before work starts, we check with the office that covers your address, and if your patio needs a permit, we take care of it. I'll write up your own figure after I've seen the spot. We're based in La Porte and work across the cities around it, so if yours isn't listed, give us a call and ask.
What happens after you call about a patio in La Porte?
I've run La Porte Concrete Company since 2023, and I still handle each patio from the first look to cleanup. Here's how each step goes.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. I learned under a boss who made us tear out anything that wasn't right, so I take a hard look at the work before the pour instead of making excuses after it.
I'm on site through the pour and cleanup
Once you say go, we sort out the paperwork and set the pour date. I run the crew on site and stay until the job is done and cleaned up.
How we build a concrete patio
Most patio problems start in the base, so I check it closely. We dig out the soft dirt instead of raking it level, pack the subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, and check where water will run so the patio falls away from your house. We'd rather move the pour day than place concrete on a soggy or frozen base, because a slab is only as steady as what's under it. If the budget gets tight, I'll tell you to keep the money in the base before a fancier surface, since you can change a surface later but not the ground under it without tearing the slab out.
If you'd like a pattern or texture on top, we also do stamped concrete for patios. When the patio needs a path to the driveway or the back door, our concrete sidewalk building can tie it in at the same time, so the walk and the patio meet at the same height and drain the same way.
- Tearing out and hauling away the old patio, if there is one
- Digging out and packing the base instead of raking it level
- Grading so water runs away from the house
- Forming, placing and finishing the new slab
- Cleaning up the site once the job is done
From layout to cure, step by step
This is what the job looks like from your back door.
Mark out the size and spot
We mark the patio's outline on the ground first, so you can see how it sits against the house and yard before anything is dug. Changes are easy at this point and hard later.
Build the base
This is the messy part, with equipment in the yard and dirt going out and base material coming in. It's also the part you'll never see again, which is why I'm there for it.
Pour and finish the slab
We time the pour around the weather, because concrete placed in hard midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top later. The crew places the concrete, levels it and finishes the surface while it's still workable.
Cut joints and let it cure
We cut control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and we cut them on time because late joints don't do their job. Then the concrete needs to cure, the wait while it gains strength, and I'll tell you when it's ready for chairs and a grill.
Get a patio estimate from the person who'll build it
Tell us the patio's rough size, where it'll go on your lot and when you'd like it done. We reply within one business day, then I come out, look at the spot and write up a free estimate on site. There's no obligation.
(219) 258-7141Questions about concrete patios in La Porte
How should the base under a concrete patio be prepared?
The base needs to be firm, even and able to drain, because poor base work can cause settling, uneven slab thickness and poor drainage, and those lead to cracks. It's the part nobody sees once the concrete is down, so ask every bidder how they'll handle it. I'll show you what we plan for your spot at the estimate.
Will my new concrete patio crack?
Some cracking is normal on every concrete job, and slab design guidance says contractors should tell every owner that up front. Fibers in the mix can help with shrinkage cracks while the concrete is still soft and in the first few hours of curing, but once it hardens, most fibers at typical amounts don't hold enough to stop cracking. Ask me what cracking to expect on your patio and I'll tell you straight.
Does the concrete mix matter for a patio that freezes and thaws?
Yes, industry guidance says concrete that gets wet and goes through freezing and thawing should be air-entrained, mixed with tiny air bubbles that give freezing water room to expand. An outdoor patio faces both, so ask whether the mix in each bid is air-entrained.
Can you pour a concrete patio in cold weather?
It can be done, but only with a plan to keep the new slab from freezing, because fresh concrete that freezes can lose more than half its potential strength and won't be durable. Guidance calls for protecting it from freezing until about two days after it's placed. I'll go over the forecast with you before we set the date.
Can I put salt on a new concrete patio?
Keep salt off a new patio for a while after it's poured. One concrete research center gives that advice and says to use magnesium chloride and calcium chloride salts only when you need them for safety.
Before work starts in La Porte
In the City of La Porte, building permit applications go in online through the city's Citizen Service Portal, which is also where the forms are. If your patio needs a permit, we take care of it, and the city bases its permit fees on the project cost. Questions about a permit go to City of La Porte Engineering at (219) 362-2327.
Indiana law says everyone who digs has to contact Indiana 811 at least two full working days before starting. That call gets made before anyone digs for your patio base.
Get your patio on the schedule
Call (219) 258-7141 or use the form, and you'll reach me directly, since I answer my own phone from early morning into the evening, seven days a week.
If you've got a spot picked out for a patio, call or send a message and tell us about it.
Tell us about your project