Concrete patio construction in Hastings NE - a flat slab that drains away from the house
Cracked, sinking or puddling patio by your back door? We dig out the old slab, pack the base firm and pour one that drains right.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a concrete patio in Hastings?
Concrete patio construction in Hastings, NE means digging out the yard, packing the ground firm and pouring a flat slab right on it that slopes water away from your house. The pour goes quickly, and then the slab needs time to cure before it's ready for the grill and chairs.
Most folks call me when the old patio has cracked, dropped at one corner or started holding water by the back door, or when there's just a patch of grass where they'd like a place to sit. At Hastings Concrete, the price mostly comes down to the size, the finish you pick, how much old concrete or dirt has to come out and whether a car will ever park on it, and the schedule turns on the weather, the ground and the curing wait after the pour. If the patio meets your back door, we can build new concrete steps at the same time so the heights line up. After I walk the job, you get a written estimate that says what's included, so you're looking at your own number instead of a guess.
How do you know it's time for a new patio?
Cracks that keep growing
A crack that gets wider every year, or one side sitting higher than the other, usually means the ground underneath moved, not just the top. Water gets in and freezes each winter, so it keeps opening up until the slab breaks into pieces.
A corner sinking down
When one edge drops or a section rocks underfoot, the base was likely raked level instead of dug out and packed, and the dirt settled. Waiting usually leaves you with a trip hazard and a slab that tips water where you don't want it.
Water pooling by the house
Puddles that sit on the patio or run toward your back wall mean the slab was poured flat or falling the wrong way. That water ends up against your foundation every time it rains, and that's a bigger bill than a patio.
How we handle concrete patio construction
Before anything gets dug, I show you plain next to stamped, because most of the choice comes down to the finish and how much upkeep you want. Then we dig out the old slab or the sod and get down to the subgrade, the dirt the patio sits on, and pack it firm so the slab doesn't settle along with loose ground. We set the forms so the patio falls away from your house, pour early in the day when we can so the top doesn't dry too fast and turn weak and dusty, and lay out the control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, so any crack lands in a line we picked. Then it gets a broom finish, a light brushed texture for footing when it's wet, or it gets stamped, and we keep it covered while it cures, the wait while the concrete gains strength. The base is the part you'll never see and the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and it's the last place I'd cut, because a nice finish on a soft base is still a slab that moves.
Patios are flatwork, our word for the flat pours like walks and driveways, so they often get done together. If you want pattern or color, our stamped concrete services can cover the whole patio or just a border, and if you need a dry way to get there, we can pour a concrete sidewalk from the driveway or gate at the same time so the grades meet.
Plain broom finish
This suits most backyards, because it gives good footing when it's wet and needs little more than a sweep and a rinse. It looks simple, and that's the point if you'd rather use the patio than look after it.
Stamped and colored
This suits you if the patio is the showpiece and you don't mind upkeep, because it needs resealing every so often to keep its look, and a careless seal job can leave it slick. A patched spot down the road also tends to show, which is why I want you seeing it beside plain first.
Get a written estimate for your new patio
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a time. I'll come out, walk the job and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
(402) 512-8901- Based in
- Hastings, NE 68901
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about a patio?
Here's how a patio job runs from your first call to the day our crew cleans up and hands your backyard back to you.
Call and pick a time
When you call (402) 512-8901 or send the form, I'll ask a few questions about the space and how you'll use it. Then we set a time for me to come out and see it myself.
Walk the yard with me
I measure, look at where the water runs and write an estimate that spells out what's included. We talk through the mix, the finish and the drainage, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
Paperwork, then our crew pours
Once you're ready, we sort out the paperwork with the right office, and our foreman leads the crew through the dig-out, base, forms and pour. I stop by while it's going so nothing about the base or the slope gets missed.
Cure, check and clean up
I keep checking on it until the work is finished and the site is cleaned up. Before we leave, we tell you how to treat the new slab while it cures.
Why Hastings homeowners call Hastings Concrete for patios
I write every estimate myself
The person who walks your yard and measures is the same one who puts the number on paper, and I keep stopping by once our foreman's crew is on site. That way the questions you raised at the estimate don't get lost before the pour.
In business since 2013
Before I started this business in 2013, I spent years running crews for another contractor, and that's where I learned the base and the water matter as much as the finish. You get someone who's seen what a soft base does to a slab a few winters later.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured, and Nebraska requires contractors working in the state to register with the Nebraska Department of Labor. The department says plainly that registration doesn't vouch for the work, so ask any crew how they'll pack the base and slope the slab.
When you're ready to talk about your yard, use our contact page or call (402) 512-8901.
Planning a concrete patio and walk in Hastings
Start with the paperwork, because the Planning and Zoning office in Hastings sees visitors by appointment at 402-461-7174, and its forms include a zoning and building permit, a certificate of zoning compliance and an application for a variance, which is an approved exception to the zoning rules. Whether a patio at your address needs any of those isn't something I'll guess at, so we find out whether the city or the county covers your address and help you through the permit and inspection steps your job calls for. City staff are also partway through rewriting the zoning and subdivision rules, the ones on how land and lots get used, which is one more reason we check what's current before we set a pour date.
Most of what we pour here is backyard patios off the back door, through winters that freeze and thaw over and over, which is hard on any slab that holds water. We're based in Hastings and do the same work in Grand Island and the cities around it, so whether you're in Hastings or Grand Island, we pick a pour day that leaves the slab time to cure before hard cold sets in.
Questions about concrete patios in Hastings
How much does a concrete patio cost in Hastings, NE?
A plain concrete patio in Hastings usually costs about $6 to $11 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here, not our quote. Stamped patios run more per square foot, and the size, the dig-out and how easy the yard is to reach move it too. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I walk the job.
Can you pour a concrete patio on frozen ground?
No, concrete shouldn't go on frozen ground. A concrete industry group in Illinois warns that concrete placed on frozen ground is likely to settle unevenly and crack once the ground thaws. If your ground is frozen when the job comes up, we wait for it to thaw, which can move your start date.
Does a concrete patio need wire mesh?
A home patio doesn't need wire mesh when the ground under it is compacted and the joints are spaced correctly, according to a concrete supplier's guide. Reinforced patios cost more per square foot in Hastings, so it's fair to ask any crew how they'll compact the ground and space the joints, the work I described above.
How long does a new concrete patio take to cure?
Fresh concrete should typically stay warm and continually moist for 7 days, under a curing compound, wet burlap or plastic, so the surface lasts, according to a concrete supplier's guide. It also needs protection from freezing for about two days after the pour, so a cold-weather pour takes a plan for warmth and moisture.
How do I take care of a new concrete patio in its first winter?
Keep deicing chemicals off it the first winter, then use them in moderate amounts after that, which is the advice from a national concrete group. The same group explains that air-entrained concrete holds tiny air bubbles that give expanding water and ice room, so stress doesn't build up in the slab, and we can talk about the mix at your estimate.
Can I park a car on my concrete patio?
A slab at least 4 inches thick is adequate for car traffic, according to a concrete supplier's guide, and a thicker slab is worth considering for heavier loads. Tell me at the estimate if a car, trailer or boat might ever sit on it, so the thickness gets planned before the pour.
Related services that often go with a patio
Stamped concrete services
If you want your patio to look like stone or brick, a stamped and colored surface gives it pattern, though it takes more upkeep than plain.
Concrete sidewalk building
A new patio often calls for a dry, level path from the driveway or gate, and pouring the walk alongside it keeps the grades and finish matched.
Service areas for patio work around Hastings
Hastings Concrete is based in Hastings, Nebraska, and builds patios in Hastings and Grand Island, the two cities with their own page here. We also work in the cities around them, so give us a call if you're nearby.
Hastings, NE
Get a patio estimate on your calendar
Call (402) 512-8901 or send the form with the patio's rough size in square feet, the finish you like and whether a car will park on it, so I can come out ready.