A concrete patio delivers outdoor living space at a fraction of deck money, with none of the staining, sealing and board replacement. Broom, aggregate or stamped.
A pressure-treated deck in Fishers runs $40–$60+ per square foot built, then asks for stain or seal every couple of years and board replacement inside fifteen. A concrete patio installs for $8–$16 per square foot depending on finish, and its maintenance schedule is a rinse and an occasional reseal for decorative finishes. If your yard is near grade — as most Fishers yards are — concrete wins the math by a distance. Where a walkout basement or steep grade demands elevation, a deck earns its cost; we'll say so.
Finish options: broom, exposed aggregate, stamped, integral color — mixed in the same pour.
What finish should I pick?
Broom finish — the workhorse. Clean, grippy, cheapest, and it ages honestly. $8–$11/sq ft typical.
Exposed aggregate — the top layer washed to reveal stone. Rich texture, hides wear, excellent by pools. $10–$13/sq ft.
Stamped & colored — slate, flagstone or wood-plank patterns with integral color. Paver looks without paver joints (and without the weeds in them). $12–$16/sq ft — see the stamped & decorative page.
What makes a patio pour different from a driveway?
Patios carry people, not trucks, so thickness relaxes to 4 inches — but drainage discipline gets stricter. A patio pitched wrong sheds water at your foundation or ponds where you put the furniture. We shoot grade so the slab falls away from the house at roughly a quarter inch per foot, plan joints around the shape (curves and cutouts included), and keep the surface a half step below door thresholds so spring rain stays outside.
Most run $8–$16 per square foot by finish. A 300 sq ft broom-finish patio lands around $2,600–$3,300; the same footprint stamped and colored runs $3,800–$4,800.
How soon can I put furniture on it?
Foot traffic at 24–48 hours, furniture at about a week. Decorative finishes get sealed first — we schedule that with you.
Do patios need footings or permits?
Slabs on grade need no footings. Most Fishers patios need no permit; structures on top of them (pergolas, roofs) can — we flag it when your plans involve one.
Can you extend or wrap my existing patio?
Yes. New pours tie to old with dowels and an isolation joint where appropriate. Color match to aged concrete is approximate; a full-perimeter border can make the transition deliberate instead of patchy.
Will a fire pit crack the concrete?
A wood fire directly on a slab will eventually spall it. Set fire pits on a heat barrier or a dedicated inset pad — we can pour a reinforced pad section for exactly that.
