Concrete Patios in Georgetown, TX
How to size a patio around Texas heat and how you will actually use it, plus the slab and drainage details that decide whether it lasts a decade or cracks in three years.
By the Georgetown Concrete Guide editorial team · Updated July 17, 2026
The moment for a patio is when you have decided how you want to be outside, not when you have settled on a square footage. In Central Texas that decision starts with heat. A well built slab in full west sun goes unused from June through September, so the first design question is where the shade falls, or how you plan to make some.
Size it around how you will use it
Map the furniture before the forms go in. A table for four wants roughly a ten by ten area so chairs pull out without dropping off the edge; a lounge grouping or an outdoor kitchen needs more room than people expect. It is cheaper to pour the right size once than to butt a second slab against the first later, where the two will crack apart at the seam. Published industry cost data puts a typical 250 to 450 square foot patio between $2,500 and $9,000 depending on the finish.
The slab under the finish
Whatever finish you choose, the slab underneath decides how long it lasts. Four inches is standard; step to five or six under an outdoor kitchen or a covered structure. The crew should compact the subgrade, add base rock, reinforce with mesh or rebar, and slope the finished surface slightly away from the house so water sheds toward the yard.
That slope is not optional here. Georgetown rain arrives in sudden downpours rather than gentle soaking, and a patio draining back toward the foundation delivers that burst of water exactly where you do not want it. An expansion joint where the patio meets the house lets the slab move on the soil without prying at the wall.
Finishes and what they cost to keep
| Finish | Rough cost per sq ft | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|
| Broom finish | $6 to $12 | Occasional cleaning, sealing optional |
| Exposed aggregate | $8 to $18 | Reseal every few years |
| Stamped and colored | $10 to $23 | Reseal on a schedule, the real commitment |
A broom finish is the workhorse and the value. Stamped concrete buys the look of stone or plank, but it signs you up for resealing across the whole life of the patio. If you like the idea of a surface that moves with the clay instead of cracking across it, pavers are worth pricing before you pour.
Shade is the cheapest upgrade on this entire list. A cover, a pergola, or a well placed tree changes how many months a year the patio actually gets used far more than any finish does, and planning it into the pour costs a fraction of adding it after the concrete has set. A cover also protects the finish itself, since constant UV is what fades color and ages sealer fastest. If the budget is tight, a plain broom slab in the right spot, sized correctly and drained away from the house, beats an expensive finish baking in the wrong one.
Questions homeowners ask
Four inches is standard for a patio that carries furniture and foot traffic. Step up to five or six inches under an outdoor kitchen, a heavy fire feature, or a cover with footings, where concentrated weight would crack a thin slab. Decide the layout before the pour, because adding weight to a four inch patio later is how the first cracks start.
Sometimes, but it is far easier to plan for it. A freestanding or attached cover needs footings that carry the posts below the slab, and retrofitting those into a finished patio means cutting and drilling through what you just poured. If a cover is even a maybe, tell your concrete contractor now so the slab and footings are sized to handle it.
That joint is exactly where a patio should be allowed to move. The house sits on its own foundation and the patio rides the soil, so the two move independently. A good crew puts an expansion joint at the house line rather than bonding the slab tight to the wall, which lets the patio flex without dragging on the structure or holding water against it.
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