I come out and price it myself
I walk the yard with you, look at how the ground falls, what's there now and where the water goes, then talk through slab and finish choices. You get the estimate from the person who'll be running the job.
Concrete patio construction in Little Rock AR - a patio built on solid ground
Cracked old patio or bare dirt out back? We dig out, pack the base and pour a slab that sheds water away from your house.
What does it take to build a concrete patio in Little Rock?
Concrete patio construction in Little Rock means digging out the spot, building a firm, packed base and pouring a slab over it, plain or stamped, with rebar or mesh inside, and at Caliber Little Rock Concrete Company the base is where I spend the most time. Most of the work happens before the pour, and then the slab needs a few days before you use it.
Most folks who call about a patio have a cracked, sunken slab out back, water pooling by the house, or bare dirt where they want a table and chairs. The price turns on the size, what has to come out first, how your yard sits and what you want on the surface. The schedule turns on the weather on pour day and on curing, the few days the concrete sits and hardens before it can take weight. I'll give you your own number once I've seen the yard.
The next thing people ask is whether the new slab will crack like the old one. Concrete shrinks as it dries, so we plan where it cracks and put our work into what's under it. I check with the city or county office for your address about what your patio needs, and we handle the permit paperwork when one is required, which on a lot in the floodplain starts with the Floodplain Manager at the City of Little Rock approving a development application before any grading or building permit.
What happens after you call about a patio in Little Rock?
You deal with me from the first look to the last walk-around. Call (501) 274-1092 or use the form below, and here's who does what from there.
Our own crew, fully licensed and insured
Our own crew does the dig, the forms and the pour, with me running the job on site. We're fully licensed and insured.
I check the base before the truck comes
I check the dig, the base and the steel myself before any concrete shows up, and when the patio's done I walk it with you. We've been in business since 2020, and it's your satisfaction, guaranteed.
How we build a concrete patio that starts from the ground up
We stake out the patio and dig past the topsoil and soft dirt down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, then pack the base in layers, because a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt under it. We set the forms so the slab falls away from your house, not toward it. Then the rebar or mesh goes in, and I'll show you where it sits in the slab before the pour, because steel that ends up in the dirt does no good. On hot, windy days we plan the pour around the sun and wind so the surface isn't rushed. After that comes a broom finish, a light texture that gives your feet some grip, and control joints, grooves cut into the slab so it cracks along a line we picked instead of wherever it wants. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than skimp on the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and it's the part carrying the whole patio.
If you want a pattern pressed into the surface, our stamped concrete services can go right on a new patio. And if you need a path from the driveway or the back door out to it, we handle that through our concrete sidewalk building work so it all ties together.
- Tear-out and haul-off of an old patio when one's in the way
- Dig-out to firm ground and a base packed in layers
- Forms set so water runs away from your house
- Rebar or mesh you can see in place before the pour
- Broom finish and control joints cut where we plan the cracks
From stakes in the yard to a patio you can use
Here's the order of the job once you say go. Most of it happens before any concrete arrives.
Mark the layout with you
We stake the shape and height on the ground before we dig, so you can stand on the spot and see how big it really is. It's easy to move a stake and hard to move a slab.
Dig, pack and form
Our crew digs to firm ground, packs the base and builds the forms with the steel set inside. This part takes the longest, and you won't see any of it when we're done.
Pour and finish
The truck comes at a time we picked for the weather, and we place, level and broom the slab. The joints get cut soon after, while the concrete is still young.
Stay off while it cures
Keep off it for the first few days and hold off on heavy furniture and the grill a while longer, because the slab is still gaining strength. We'll tell you when it's ready for each.
Get your patio priced right in your own backyard
Send the form or call (501) 274-1092, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the yard and give you a free estimate on site, with no obligation. If you can, tell me the rough size in square feet, whether there's an old patio to tear out, how much the yard slopes and whether your lot's in a floodplain.
(501) 274-1092Questions Little Rock homeowners ask about patios
How much does a concrete patio cost in Little Rock?
Pouring a concrete patio in Little Rock usually costs about $6 to $12 per square foot. Where yours lands depends on rebar or mesh, slab thickness, an old patio to tear out, a sloped or rocky yard, trees in the way, dirt hauled in or out, how hard the spot is to reach, and finishes like stamping, a stain or coating, or lightweight concrete. That's the going rate around town, not our quote, and I'll give you yours after I've seen the yard.
Does a thicker concrete patio still need rebar or mesh?
Yes, according to a reinforcement trade group, because most cracks in home slabs come from drying shrinkage and temperature changes, and extra thickness doesn't change that shrinkage. The same group puts welded wire mesh in the middle third of a 4 to 6 inch slab. So I'd plan on steel set right before I'd spend more on thickness alone.
Why does the ground under a patio matter so much in Little Rock?
Because a slab on poor ground is far more likely to perform poorly and fail, whatever steel is in it, a reinforcement trade group says. Rebar or mesh won't make up for a weak base, so ask any contractor how they'll prepare the ground before you hire them. Around here the clay makes that question bigger, which I get into below.
Can you pour a concrete patio in Little Rock in the summer?
Yes, but sun and wind change how the day has to go. Concrete guidance says heat and dry air hit fresh concrete harder as the wind picks up, and a sunny, windy day calls for stricter care than a calm, humid one at the same temperature. That's why we time the pour the way I described above.
Does a concrete patio contractor need a license in Arkansas?
Yes, once the job costs more than $2,000, because Arkansas law sets licensing for home improvement work on an existing single-family home or its property. Splitting one project into separate contracts under $2,000 doesn't get around it. A Limited license covers residential projects under $50,000, labor and material included, and an Unlimited license covers projects of any size.
What Little Rock clay means for your patio
A lot of the ground around here moves. About 25% of the mapped soil in Pulaski County rates high for shrink-swell, meaning it swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, and another 11% rates very high. It's worth asking whether your lot sits on that kind of soil, and I'll look at it with you when I come out.
Arkansas clays grow and shrink with their moisture, and many of the problems they cause can be handled with engineering before anything gets built. For a patio, that means the soil question belongs at the estimate, not after the slab cracks. We run into this clay in Little Rock and across the cities around it, from North Little Rock and Sherwood to Bryant, Benton and Conway, and if you don't see your city on the site, call and ask.
Call now to get your patio planned
If your lot might be in the floodplain, the city has to sign off before any grading starts, so an early call leaves room for that review before we dig.
Tell me what you've got in mind for the backyard, and I'll tell you straight what it needs.
Tell us about your project