Small Extension for Concrete Patio in Lowry (Smaller Projects)

Denver Concrete Inc., was hired to excavate, form and install an extension on this already existing patio. The total extension to be added is 11' x 1.5'.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about approaching any concrete contractor in Denver is talking with them (concrete contractor) about smaller projects. Our team at Denver Concrete Inc handles smaller projects a little differently, we know and understand that sometimes a small extension or small concrete section replacement is all that is needed. Unfortunately when it comes to smaller projects, many concrete contractors have pretty significant "project minimums" making smaller concrete project too high-priced to consider.

In the case of Denver Concrete Inc, we also have project minimums. Our project minimum is $1,500.00. So for most projects you would want to have a project around at least 100 sq ft to make sense of the project minimum.

Regardless, we do consider projects that are smaller and especially in the off-season. This year one of our regular General Contractor clients is finishing up some of the smaller projects he had taken on earlier in the season. He requested some help on a "smaller project", we felt this was a perfect example of a simple smaller project that we will definitely be glad to complete.

Above, the area for the patio-extension and this is before
the forms have been installed for the extension.

In this particular case, the customer wanted to add an extension on to their current concrete patio. This was mainly due to the fact that the customer experienced a lot of "cramping" when entertaining and the patio did not fit their outdoor furniture the way that they wanted. Ultimately they wanted to add an additional 10 sq ft, (11' x 18") across the backside of the patio. After the addition of the extension they are going to treat the entire surface and install slate tile throughout.

In this case all forms were set with 2x4 forms and a couple of hand crafted spikes. The level of the new extensions is set to be 1/6" lower than the current level of the patio (this is because of the slate tile that will be installed on top of the concrete patio) using a 4,000 PSI. Since this is a patio and not being used to hold any substantial weight (such as a driveway) no rebar will be installed. Additionally since the addition is so small there will not be a need to install a new base. This will be just a simple addition there is really no need to over calculate or over complicate the project here.

Above, the forms have been set for the new concrete patio addition. Here you can see that the forms are quite primitive and again, there is no reason to over complicate the more simple projects like this one. Unfortuntely the access to this project was very limited and so in order to save the customer money and avoid the minimum project charge, we needed to save everywhere possible. This project was a one man project which kept expenses down and we used limited materials in forming and prepping the installation. While saving money is the name of the game with smaller projects, we still want to focus on a quality installation. So by no means are we trying to cut any corners, we are just managing the project very closely as we are on a "shoe string budget".

We completed this project for the customer for a total of $900.00, this was for a total 16.5 sq ft so the price per sq ft on this small project comes to $55.00 per square foot. This includes materials, excavation and grading, forming and finishing the extension.

Below you can see the finished extension before removing the forms, this is how the project was left. We will be amending this blog post with finished pictures of the project, meaning that the forms have been cleaned up and the patio completely installed with the slate tile.

As this project progresses, we will be coming back and updating this post to show the progress and final product for this concrete patio.