Concrete patio construction in Bluffton SC - a slab built on solid, packed ground

There's no fair number until I've measured, because ground prep and access move a patio price more than most people expect. A yard the truck can't reach means pumping or wheelbarrowing, tearing out an old slab adds work, and low spots that hold water need more fill and packing. A plain broom finish keeps it down, and a stamped surface costs more for the extra work.

It can still crack, because concrete shrinks as it hardens, but the aim is for cracks to fall at planned spots instead of across the middle. Control joints, often sawn into the slab, give that shrinkage a line to follow, and rebar, the steel set inside a slab, can't prevent cracking but placed in the right spot can keep cracks narrower. Our promise on the work is satisfaction guaranteed.

Type your address into the Town's Bluffton Explorer map and select your property, and it shows whether the parcel is inside Town limits or in unincorporated Beaufort County. Inside Town limits, the Town's stormwater review applies, unless exempted, to redevelopment or infill adding 2,000 square feet or more of hard surface and to any ground work in a wetland or wetland buffer. We work in Bluffton and the cities around it in South Carolina and Georgia, so we run this check on every address.

Hot-weather guidance is to place and finish concrete outside the hottest part of the day when possible, because heat dries the top before it can be finished well. Good practice also finishes the slab without sprinkling water on it to make the work easier, since that's what leaves a weak, dusty surface later. Your pour time may shift with the forecast, so keep the path for the truck clear that morning.

Beaufort County Building Inspections issues building permits, and its list names new construction, substantial improvements and additions, not concrete patios. That list doesn't settle whether your patio needs one, so it's worth asking the office that covers your address. Before we plan a job, we find out which office that is and what it asks for, and if a permit is part of the job, we'll walk you through the application and work with the office on our end.

The first few days matter most, since curing, the care that keeps new concrete from drying out as it hardens, should start as soon as possible with a sprayed curing compound or damp burlap kept moist for at least 3 days. Ask any crew you're comparing which method they'll use. I'll tell you when your patio is ready for foot traffic and furniture, because that depends on the weather after the pour.