Concrete patio construction in Fremont NE - a slab that holds up through freeze and thaw
Patio cracked, sinking or holding water by the back door? We dig out, rebuild the base and pour a slab that stays level.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a new concrete patio in Fremont?
Concrete patio construction in Fremont, NE means digging out the yard, packing a firm base and pouring an outdoor slab, finished by broom or hand float, that gives you a durable place to sit, grill and walk for years.
Most people who call us have an old patio that has cracked, sunk toward the house or started holding water, or a back door that opens onto grass and mud. The price mostly turns on the size of the slab, how much digging and base work the yard needs, the finish you choose and how easy it is to get concrete to the spot. The schedule turns on the weather, because we need a good stretch for the pour and the week of care that follows. If you'd like a pattern pressed into the surface, that's our stamped concrete work, and your written estimate gives you the figure for the patio you actually want. We're based in Fremont and work in the cities around it, from Blair and Schuyler to Ralston, La Vista, Gretna and Chalco, and other cities nearby as well.
How can you tell your patio needs replacing?
Cracks running across it
Wide cracks, or one piece sitting higher than the next, usually mean the base underneath has settled or the slab was never given joints to crack along. Every winter, water gets into those cracks, freezes and pushes them wider, so they only grow.
Slab tipping toward the house
If rain runs back toward your foundation instead of out into the yard, the patio has usually settled or was poured without enough fall away from the house. Waiting means every storm sends water at your basement wall.
Water sitting after rain
Puddles that stay for hours point to low spots where the slab has dropped. In winter those spots turn to ice by the back door, and the standing water wears the surface faster.
Flaking or dusty surface
A top that chips, peels or leaves grit on your shoes usually came from a hot-day pour or a rushed cure that left the surface weak. It spreads a little more each winter, and it can't be fixed by sweeping it.
How we build a concrete patio
I start by helping you choose a finish you'll be happy to walk on, and we aim to pour early enough in the season for the slab to gain strength before frost. Our crew then digs out the old patio or the sod and packs a firm base, because the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, decides whether the patio settles later. We check where the water runs and set the forms so the patio falls away from the house, lay in rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it ever cracks, and pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry out weak and dusty. Once it's finished, we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack, and then we keep the slab covered and damp while it cures, the slow hardening that sets its strength. If the budget gets tight, I'll suggest a plainer finish before I'll ever suggest a thinner base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it's what decides how the patio looks years from now.
A new patio usually connects to something, so we often pour a concrete sidewalk from the driveway or side gate at the same time, which saves setting up twice. If you'd like the look of stone or brick, stamped concrete presses a pattern and color into the same kind of slab.
Broom finish
We draw a broom across the wet concrete to leave fine ridges that give your feet grip when the patio is wet or frosty. It's the most common texture, and it suits patios by the back door and around steps.
Smooth hand-floated finish
We smooth the surface by hand with a float, which feels nicer under bare feet and outdoor furniture. It's a little slicker when wet, so it suits covered patios and spots away from the door.
Stamped pattern and color
This suits homeowners who want the look of stone or brick without laying pavers. It costs more than a plain finish and takes a little more upkeep over the years.
Replacing a worn-out patio
If your old slab has sunk or broken up, we break it out, haul it away and rebuild the base before we pour. It costs more than pouring on open ground, but laying new concrete over a failing slab usually just repeats the old problem.
Get a free estimate for your new patio
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the yard and listen to what you want, then you get a written estimate that's free, with no pressure to book.
(402) 512-8158- Based in
- Fremont, NE 68025
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a patio in Fremont?
Here's how a patio job runs from your first call to the walk-through at the end, so you know who you'll be talking with at each step.
Call and set a visit
I answer my own phone, so you'll talk with me about the patio you have in mind. We pick a time for me to come out and see the yard.
Walk the yard together
I look at where the patio will go, where the water runs and what has to come out, and I listen to what you'd like. You then get a written estimate, so you see the price before you decide anything.
Permits, pour date, then work
Once you're ready, we take care of any permits, pick a pour date with the weather in mind and do the work with our own crew. I'm on site to check the base, the pour and the finish.
Walk the finished patio
When we're done, I walk the job with you and go over how to look after it. That covers the first weeks and its first winter.
Why homeowners in Fremont choose us for a new patio
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself to look at the yard and write the estimate. You hear the plan from the person who checks the work, and if a patio isn't what you need, I'll tell you so.
Our own crew does the work
Your patio is poured by our own crew, and I'm on site to check it while they work. That's how the parts you can't see afterward, like the base and the cure, get done properly.
Learned the trade in Fremont
I came to concrete after many years in another line of work and learned it on a Fremont finishing crew, then started this business in 2017. We're best known for patios, driveways and walks done with care and left clean.
Licensed and fully insured
Nebraska law has contractors register with the state Labor Department before doing construction work, so it's a fair question to ask any crew before you hire. We're licensed and fully insured, and you're welcome to ask me about both when I come out.
Thank you for reading this far. If you're planning a patio, send us a few details through our contact page or call (402) 512-8158, and I'll set a time to come out.
Building patios and walks in Fremont, NE
The Fremont building official issues permits to build or alter structures the city's codes regulate, and the city's lists name roofing and decks but not concrete patios, so they don't settle whether your patio needs one. Ask the official about your own project, and if I'm not sure what the office wants, I check with it before we start. When a permit is needed, we handle the application and book the inspections for our part of the job, and the work stays open to view until the official approves it. On those jobs, contractors working for hire inside city limits or the two-mile zoning area around them also register with the city, which takes a certificate of liability insurance and proof of state Labor Department registration.
Winters here bring hard freezes, quick thaws and plenty of ice melt tracked out the back door, and that's what wears out a patio that was poured in a rush. We see the same thing on jobs in Blair and Schuyler, so we plan each patio around getting through its first winter.
Questions about concrete patios in Fremont
Do I need a permit for a concrete patio in Fremont, NE?
The city's permit lists don't settle it, because they name roofing and decks but not concrete patios, so ask the Fremont building official about your own project. If a permit is needed, we handle it for our part of the job, as described above.
How much does a concrete patio cost in Nebraska?
A concrete patio in Nebraska usually costs about $7 to $15 per square foot, which is the going range across the state, not our own price. Where yours lands depends on its size, the digging and base work, the finish and how easy the yard is to reach. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your patio.
What is the best time of year to pour a concrete patio in Fremont?
Pour early enough that the slab gains strength before the first frost, which one Omaha concrete supplier puts at around October 10 on average. Concrete should also go on thawed ground rather than frozen soil, so a spring pour waits for the ground to thaw. That's why we pick pour dates with the weather in mind.
How long does a new concrete patio take to cure?
Fresh concrete has to stay warm and moist, typically for 7 days or until it reaches the strength it was designed for. That first week matters most, because a poorly cured surface may not be strong enough to stand up to freezing and thawing. At the walk-through, I'll go over when you can start using it.
How do I keep a concrete patio from flaking in winter?
Start with a mix that has entrained air, tiny bubbles mixed in that help concrete resist freeze and thaw damage and limit scaling, the surface flaking ice melt causes, so it's worth asking about. After the first week of curing, one Omaha supplier advises sealing no sooner than 28 days after the pour and in dry weather, which keeps moisture and deicing chemicals from soaking in.
Can I build my own concrete patio in Nebraska?
Yes, Nebraska's contractor law says a person working on his or her own property is not a contractor. You'd still want to ask the city about a permit, and if you'd rather not handle the digging, base and finishing yourself, call (402) 512-8158 and I'll come out to look.
Related work that often goes with a patio
Stamped concrete services
If you want a patio that looks like stone, brick or slate, stamping presses a pattern and color into fresh concrete for a dressier surface without laying pavers.
Concrete sidewalk building
A solid walk from the driveway or side gate keeps mud and grass off your new patio and gives you a level path when the ground is wet.
Patio work in Fremont and nearby cities
Fremont Concrete is based in Fremont, Nebraska, and the seven cities below each have their own page, from Gretna to Ralston. We also work in other cities nearby, so call if yours isn't listed.
Fremont, NE
Book your patio estimate before the frost
Have the patio's rough size in square feet and the finish you want in mind when you call, and we can talk through a pour date that leaves time to cure before the first frost.