How To Extend A Concrete Patio: The Options

Do you have a small concrete patio with floor cracks that just isn’t doing it for you anymore and needs a new look and feel? It may be because the concrete area needs you to power wash it or clean it too often, or maybe you just want to extend a patio with some more standard deck space with a different layout. It may even be because you want to join up your patio area with another deck section or replace an entire patio. The good news is that you can use the concrete pad of your patio as a starting place to extend your patio area, either will a floating wood or composite deck above it, by extending the concrete slab itself, or by using tiles or concrete pavers to extend the concrete area. It is very doable if you follow some important principles – either by getting a contractor in or even by doing it yourself if you think you have the required skills.

Extend Existing Patio With Decking

Extending your concrete patio with a wood deck is a great way to transform the look of your outdoor space and add value to your property. If you’re looking for an affordable, beautiful way to make the most of your backyard, this article will give you all the information that you need on how to install a wood deck.

First, you’ll need to decide on the size of your new deck. Do you want it to be the same size as the existing concrete patio, or do you want to use that as a start and extend beyond that?

Although you can go bigger or smaller than the original concrete area, if you go smaller, you’ll have to find a way to visually manage the remaining concrete that sticks out from the new floating deck above it. It’s important that you know how much space is available and where any trees are located before starting construction so that there aren’t any surprises later.

If you’re looking at extending it, you’ll also want a large enough area for entertaining friends and family – this should be approximately 12’x20′.

Secondly, make sure you have adequate support in place resting on your existing concrete patio.

Lastly, make sure you have enough room for clearance around the deck perimeter when installing over a concrete patio to avoid any potential problems with moisture and foundation settlement.

Your new wood or composite deck will be situated on top of your existing slab so we recommend attaching them together seamlessly by pouring cement under the edge of the old slab before stacking it up against your new one (the backside) and connecting both sides using stainless steel fasteners or screws as needed.

Of course, you need to first sign off that it wouldn’t be better to just extend the concrete area. That will most likely prove cheaper than installing new decking on top. But sometimes just more of the concrete is not what you want.

You do need to make sure there is enough space between the old concrete slab and new decking boards to allow adequate air to circulate and drainage to clear when it rains. Otherwise, you may have all sorts of problems with mold, etc. This is sometimes trickier to solve than it may first seem, because it may be necessary to have a low clearance on top of the concrete for all the levels to match up where you need them.

Also, where the new floating deck extends past the original concrete, it is no longer floating, so you need to prepare pier blocks as needed to support the decking frame.

If you stick with the current size of the concrete pad, things are simpler. There are even examples of using inexpensive pallet wood as the deck surface along with concrete blocks to get everything level.

One very useful product when building a deck on existing concrete is to use adjustable deck feet that can be used to create a level area for the new decking if the underlying area has an uneven slope, even if the cement underneath is somewhat uneven. The feet can be adjusted by winding them out or in to create the level required.

Extend Your Concrete Patio With Pavers

If you don’t want to go through the process of laying a slab extension or placing a floating deck above the existing patio, you can use pavers to extend the existing concrete. These pavers are usually made of wood metal or plastic. There are two ways you can proceed with this:

They can be installed by making them flush with the edges of the existing concrete patio.

They can be installed by having them cover the existing concrete, plus additional area on the edges as needed.

Extend Existing Concrete Patio With More Concrete

If you want to make your existing outdoor patio space a more prominent space with a strong and stylish look, you can extend your existing concrete patio with new concrete. You could also consider going the stamped concrete route or even use a stain for great looks and durability.

Conclusion

• It may be that just replacing your outdoor furniture is not enough to fully refresh your patio living space or outdoor area. Extending your patio is a great way forward without having to pull everything out and starting again.
• It may be that you just want to add a cement section to an existing slab that requires you to hire a mixer and get to work for that little bit extra. You can then tile or pave the whole thing with ceramic tiles or deck or patio pavers.
• There are many options when you want to expand your existing deck. Some of the options might mean that you need some new features. For example, if your new solution involves going higher, you may need to install a railing on the new higher section.
• If you already have a small raised deck that you want to make larger, you can extend your joist infrastructure out from the existing ones by attaching new joists to them.