Concrete patios and pool decks in Kathleen, GA

Three ways to deal with the builder's 10 by 10 pad

Almost every new house in Magnolia Hill, Royal Oaks, Harley Farms South and Planter's Ridge came with the same back patio: a 10 by 10 broom pad, around 3.5 inches thick, no mesh, no joints. Three ways to make it bigger:

New concrete will not match five-year-old concrete: the old pad has weathered darker, and the gap narrows but never closes. If the pad stays, we cut the seam straight, run a half-inch expansion joint along it, and make the new section a deliberate border in a stamped pattern or a second color. Breaking out a 10 by 10 is only 100 square feet at $2 to $4, which is why most Kathleen owners pick the single slab. Per-foot logic is in the cost guide; finishes are on the main patios and pool decks page.

Patio covers, pool decks and the county

An uncovered slab-on-grade patio needs no permit in Kathleen. Add a roof, pergola or screen room and it becomes a structure, and because Kathleen is unincorporated the permit comes from Houston County Building Inspection, 200 Carl Vinson Parkway, Warner Robins, GA 31088, (478) 542-2018. A 4-inch patio will not carry roof posts, so we turn down a 12 by 12 inch footing under each post as part of the same pour; tell us about the roof before we dig. Pool decks fall under the pool permit, and we pour them only after the shell is backfilled, compacted and holding water, with an expansion joint at the coping.

HOA review asks that the patio sit inside the setbacks on your plat and that any color be on the approved list. Our drawing carries the setback dimensions and a color chip for anything stamped or tinted. Allow two to four weeks.

Drainage on a cut-and-fill lot

Kathleen lots were graded with a cut on one side and fill on the other, so back yards slope, often toward the house, and builders set the pad at the door threshold. The build fixes that:

1. Slab 1 to 2 inches below the threshold, falling 1/4 inch per foot away from the house.
2. Downspouts piped under the slab to daylight past the far edge.
3. Where the yard falls toward the house, a swale along the back edge or a channel drain in the slab.
4. Soft spots on the fill side dug out and replaced with compacted crusher run.
5. Isolation joint at the house, 6x6 mesh on chairs, control joints at 8 to 10 feet.

Stamped finishes that suit a new build

A brick border in the color of the front elevation around a broom field is the most common Kathleen request and costs far less than stamping the whole slab: the border is a few feet at $13 to $22 and the rest is at $7 to $11. A full stamped field in ashlar slate or wood plank runs $2,500 to $4,300 for a 12 by 16. Patterns and sealer schedules are on the stamped and decorative concrete page.

Sandhill Concrete matches your project with a licensed Houston County concrete contractor, who measures on site, writes the quote and does the work. Robins Air Force Base is the county's largest employer. Many homeowners are on a three-year assignment, so we quote with resale in mind and write warranties that transfer to the next owner. A broom patio with a stamped border returns more at sale than a full stamped field the next owner has to reseal. Our other Kathleen work is on the Kathleen service area page.