Homeowners in Ogden, Utah often walk out onto a backyard patio that is only two years old and find it already cracking straight down the middle. Sunrise Concrete sees this issue all the time across Ogden neighborhoods, from the heavy clay benches up near the East Bench down to the sandy loam closer to the Weber River. Most of the time, that disaster does not happen because bad concrete was delivered. It happens because of shortcuts taken during the planning and prep phases.
When homeowners are ready to upgrade their backyard living space, it is easy to get caught up in pictures of stamped patterns and fire pits. But if you skip the boring stuff, your new slab will not survive the brutal Northern Utah freeze-thaw cycles. Here is what you need to watch out for so your hard-earned cash actually lasts.
Skimping on the Sub-Grade Prep
Dirt matters. If a contractor tells you they can just pour a four-inch slab right over whatever soil is currently sitting in your backyard, you should find another contractor. Ogden soil shifts and expands like nobody's business, especially when we get those heavy spring rains followed by a hard freeze.
You need a proper crushed gravel base, and it needs to be compacted down solid. If you do not lay down that foundation, your patio will settle unevenly. Water will pool against your foundation instead of draining away from the house, and winter ice expansion will tear the slab apart.
Ignoring Proper Drainage Slopes
Water always wins. If your patio is dead level, you are going to have a standing puddle every time it rains or the snow melts off the Wasatch Mountains. A good patio needs a slight slope away from your home's foundation, usually about an eighth of an inch per foot. It is barely noticeable to the naked eye, but it makes all the difference between a dry backyard and a basement leak.
Going Too Thin on the Pour
Some fly-by-night operations try to save a buck on materials by pouring three inches of concrete instead of the standard four. You should not let them do it. If you plan on putting a heavy stone fire pit, a hot tub, or heavy patio furniture on that slab down the road, three inches will snap under the weight. At Sunrise Concrete, our team does not cut corners on thickness because we know what happens when winter hits this valley.
Falling for the Lowest Bidder Trap
Everyone loves a bargain, but cheap concrete work is the most expensive thing you can buy. If one quote comes in thousands lower than everyone else, you need to ask yourself what they are leaving out. Are they skipping wire mesh or fiber reinforcement? Are they uninsured? Do they plan to disappear when the slab starts scaling next winter?
Get three bids, look at local work they have done five years ago, not just last week, and make sure you get a clear contract outlining the depth, base prep, and control joints. For homeowners in Ogden, Utah, Sunrise Concrete provides Concrete Contractor services to make sure the job is done right the first time.