Building a raised concrete patio is relatively simple if you follow these steps: clear the area, dig the footings, build the frame, lay low-profile tile and put in a liner, pour concrete and complete your project.
A raised concrete patio can add beauty and comfort to a yard. A simple, secure patio is a great addition to any home or apartment complex. There are plenty of options for constructing your raised concrete patio, so you can create the exact look that you want for your property.
There are a lot of ways to build a patio. The most important thing is that you choose the best type of patio for your backyard. There are benefits to both pre-cast concrete and wood and stone pavers, but differences in the look, cost and ease of maintenance between them are worth considering.
Concrete is one of the most durable and low-maintenance materials you can use to build an outdoor patio. You need a flat surface and have to mix together concrete, but once it’s poured, it’s easy to maintain for years. If you’re ready for some heavy lifting, follow these steps:
Pour your concrete.
- While you’re waiting for the concrete to dry, take a few moments to prepare your tools. If you don’t already have one, purchase a trowel and float from your local hardware store.
- When the concrete is dry enough to walk on (usually about 48 hours), use your trowel and float to smooth out any rough spots or high spots in the surface of the patio slab.
- Next, sweep up any excess sand and pebbles with a broom so they don’t end up in your grass or flower beds.
Form your sides.
- Remove excess water from your forms and allow them to dry completely. This may take a few days, depending on whether or not you have access to a small heater in your garage or shed (if it’s cold) or if you live somewhere with warm climates.
- Use a level or spirit level to check that the sides of your forms are straight before pouring in concrete. The easiest way to do this is by placing it flat on the ground and aligning its edge with one end of your form, then repeating with each end until all four sides are aligned properly. If there are any gaps between the two pieces, fill them using sandbags or scrap lumber until they’re flush again—this will make sure that when you remove them later there won’t be any awkward bumps left behind.
- For added precision: Use string lines along each side where they meet at corners so that when poured into place no matter how well-aligned beforehand still may be slightly off kilter due to human error during construction.
Dig up any grass and fill the hole with gravel, then tamp it down until you get a flat surface.
- Dig up any grass and topsoil.
- Remove any rocks in the area, if they are present.
- If you are using a rototiller, do so before you dig. Rototillers can turn soil faster than digging by hand, but they also tend to break up the soil more than necessary for good drainage and root growth. If you will be using a rototiller, try to use it only on areas that need it most—don’t just run over your entire patio space at once!
- If you are not using a rototiller, then a pickaxe may be necessary in order to break up the ground for better drainage and root growth.
Lay your form pieces in place.
Lay your form pieces in place, using a level to make sure they’re straight and square.
Once the forms are in place, use a string line to mark where the concrete will be poured. Make sure each piece of wood lining up with every other piece: if one is too low or too high, it will throw off your measurements. Use stakes to secure them together at corners, but don’t pound them too hard; you want them able to move as you level off the ground underneath them with gravel or sandbags when setting up for pouring concrete later on.
Use stakes and string to mark out where you want your patio to be.
Once you’ve determined where your patio will be, it’s time to mark out the shape of the area. To do this, use a string and stakes to make sure that everything is level and even. A tape measure can help you make sure that each side is the same length. If you’re planning on having a concrete patio that’s at least 1 foot away from your house, remove any grass or weeds with a spade and long stick before laying down 1 inch of gravel over the entire area. Then tamp down all of the gravel so that there are no bumps in it.
Make sure to place some landscape fabric underneath the form before beginning construction (this will prevent weeds from growing up through).
Lay down landscape fabric over the gravel.
Now that the gravel is in place, it’s time to start laying out and installing the landscape fabric. Landscape fabric is a non-woven fabric made of polypropylene that inhibits weed growth through the gravel. It also prevents water from washing away the gravel, keeping your patio looking pristine for years to come.
The first step in installing landscape fabric is cutting it into strips to match the shape of your patio and garden area (you can do this with scissors). If you want to keep your plants from being disturbed by pulling or pushing them aside while installing landscape fabric, simply lay down a sheet of cardboard or plastic over top of them before moving on with installation.
Once all of your pieces are cut out and ready for action, fold each strip in half lengthwise and then bring both sides together so they overlap by about 4 inches (10 cm) on each side; this will create a seam that will hold together when you’re finished securing everything in place with stakes or pins later on.
Keep an eye on the forecast, so you can mix your concrete when there’s no rain in the forecast for at least three days.
You should mix your concrete when it’s dry to avoid cracking, shrinking, water contamination and contamination by dust. When rain is in the forecast, you can plan to mix a batch at night so that it has time to properly set before you pour it into your formwork. This will ensure that the mixture doesn’t absorb additional moisture from the air during mixing or transport.
If you are going to be pouring concrete over a large area such as a patio or driveway slab, preparing this slab well ahead of time is essential for success. You should plan on having enough space for all of your equipment (trucks and machinery) during this process and make sure any water lines are accessible before construction begins so they don’t get damaged by heavy machinery driving over them.
Mix bags of concrete, one at a time, in a wheelbarrow or bucket. Pour it into the form.
Mix bags of concrete, one at a time, in a wheelbarrow or bucket. Pour it into the form.
Use a cement finishing tool to level and smooth the surface. Clean off excess with a wet mop or brush. Floating is the process of removing excess to achieve a smooth finished product; it is required for this type of patio creation to give you that nice flat finish we were looking for when we started out.
Smooth the top by using a cement finishing tool to level it out and remove any ridges or bumps on the surface of your material.
Smooth the top by using a cement finishing tool to level it out and remove any ridges or bumps on the surface of your material. Use a broom or brush to clean off excess material. Make sure you have enough water in the mix so that your finished slab is firm but not too wet — if you can push your thumb into it easily, it’s too soft; if there are no indentations after pressing down with your hand, the concrete will be too hard.
Once your new patio surface is smooth and level, float it using a steel trowel to remove any air pockets in between each layer of stone.
Clean off the surface of excess material before it dries with a broom or brush. This is called floating..
You can use a broom or brush to remove excess material. This is called floating, and it’s an essential part of making your concrete look smooth and professional. It also makes it easier to work with as you move on to the next step.
Concrete can be challenging to work with but is worth it.
Concrete is a great material to use when constructing a patio. It’s durable, lasts a long time and can be easy to work with. Concrete is also easy to clean, which is helpful if you have kids and/or pets running around on it all the time.
Final words
All in all, your raised patio can be a complicated project but is definitely worth the effort. Even if you’ve never done a concrete job before, if you take it one step at a time and follow these instructions carefully then you should end up with something just as beautiful as any professional landscaper would have created.
