Concrete Patios in Tigard, OR

Concrete patios around Tigard get two very different seasons. Plantmaps shows July and August averaging well under half an inch of rain, with August highs near 82 degrees, so summer is made for eating outside. Then the rain returns in October and stays into May. A good patio has to work for both: plenty of room for a table and grill in summer, and a surface that drains, does not ice up under a downspout and does not turn green under the trees in winter.

Sizing it right

Most people underestimate how much space furniture needs. A table for six with chairs pulled out takes up an area roughly 12 feet square. Add a grill with room to work, a walkway past it and a pair of lounge chairs and you are near 16 by 16 feet or more. At the estimate we lay out the shape with stakes and string on the lawn so you can stand in it with your furniture in mind. Steps down to the yard, a path to the side gate and a pad for a fire pit or hot tub can all be part of the same pour.

Drainage against the house

A patio is a large flat surface sitting next to your foundation, so its fall matters more than its finish. We usually set about a quarter inch of drop per foot away from the house. Many Tigard lots slope, and some carry water from uphill neighbors through the back yard, so we look at where water runs in a storm before deciding the patio's shape and height. Downspouts that now empty where the patio will go get extended past the slab or tied into a drain line.

Covered patios

With a long rainy season, a lot of homeowners here want a patio cover so the space gets used past September. If a roof or pergola is coming, we plan the slab for it: thickened areas or footings where posts will land, and a fall that still works when the roof's gutters drain onto or beside the patio. Tell us at the estimate if a cover is planned, even if it is a year or two away.

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Finish options

• Broom finish: simple, affordable and grippy when wet.
• Exposed aggregate: washed to show the stone; good traction and it hides dirt and needles.
• Integral color: pigment mixed through the concrete, so chips do not show gray.
• Stamped patterns: stone, slate or brick looks, covered on our decorative concrete page.
• Saw-cut designs: a grid or diamond pattern cut into a plain slab that also controls cracking.

How we build it

We strip sod and topsoil, set the subgrade to the planned slope, and compact a crushed-rock base so the slab is evenly supported and water can move out from under it. Forms set the shape and the height at the door. HomeGuide notes that a standard residential patio is at least 4 inches thick, and that slabs carrying a hot tub or outdoor kitchen should be 6 inches with added reinforcement. An isolation joint against the house lets the slab move without pushing on the foundation.

Caring for a patio in this climate

Sweep off needles and leaves so they do not hold moisture or stain. Keep planters on feet. Clean moss and algae before they take hold, and reseal on the schedule we leave you, usually every few years. Point downspouts past the edge of the slab, and keep sprinklers from soaking the same corner every day all summer.