A concrete patio is the cheapest square footage you will ever add to a house. It costs a fraction of what a deck does per square foot, it never needs staining, and on a flat Austin lot it usually outlasts everything built on top of it.
We pour standard, stamped and stained concrete across greater Austin, and we also do the pavers, flagstone, retaining walls and fire features that finish a backyard. Here is what it costs, how the finishes differ, and the two things about Central Texas soil that decide whether a slab is still flat in ten years.
Hardscape we install in Austin
- Concrete patios: standard pour, stamped, stained, broom-finished, or salt-finished.
- Paver patios & walkways: brick, concrete pavers, and natural stone in any pattern.
- Flagstone patios: for that natural Hill Country look.
- Fire pits & outdoor fireplaces: wood-burning or gas, stone or stucco, freestanding or pavilion-integrated.
- Retaining walls: block, stone, or poured concrete to turn slopes into usable backyard.
- Outdoor kitchens & bar tops: concrete countertops, tile, or stone, plumbing and gas roughed in.
- Cover-ready slabs: if you're planning a future patio cover or pergola, we pour with the footings sized right from day one.
What hardscape costs in Austin
Concrete is priced per square foot and the finish drives most of the spread. These are the ranges we are quoting right now, installed.
| Patio type | Per square foot, installed | Typical 400 sq ft patio |
|---|---|---|
| Standard broom-finish concrete | $8 to $15 | $3,200 to $6,000 |
| Exposed aggregate | $12 to $20 | $4,800 to $8,000 |
| Stained concrete (acid or water-based) | $13 to $20 | $5,200 to $8,000 |
| Stamped concrete (any pattern) | $15 to $25 | $6,000 to $10,000 |
| Stamped + stained / decorative | $18 to $30 | $7,200 to $12,000 |
Pavers and flagstone are labour-heavy and generally land above stamped concrete. See the full 2026 patio cost guide
Stamped concrete in Austin
Stamped concrete is poured concrete that gets pressed with a textured mat while it is still green, so it takes on the look of stone, brick, slate or wood plank. It is the most requested finish we do, and the reason is simple: it reads as flagstone or pavers from six feet away at roughly half the installed cost.
It runs $15 to $25 per square foot installed, or $18 to $30 if you add an integral or acid stain on top of the stamp. A 400 square foot stamped patio typically lands between $6,000 and $10,000.
Three things worth knowing before you choose it.
Pattern scale matters more than pattern choice. A large ashlar slate pattern on a small patio looks wrong. On a 300 square foot space we will usually steer you to a tighter pattern so the repeat is not obvious.
It needs resealing. Every two to four years in Austin sun, depending on exposure. That is a few hundred dollars and half a day, not a big deal, but people are surprised when nobody mentions it up front.
It gets hot. Any concrete does, and a dark stain makes it worse. If the patio is west-facing with no shade, either lighten the color or plan a cover over it, which is the more common answer.
Retaining walls in Austin
On a sloped lot, a retaining wall is often what makes the yard usable at all. It turns one unusable hill into two flat areas, and it is usually the prerequisite for the patio rather than an add-on to it.
We build block, natural stone and poured concrete walls. Which one comes down to height, what is behind it, and the look you want. The part that matters and that you never see is drainage: a wall without proper gravel backfill and weep holes is holding back saturated clay after a Texas downpour, and that is how walls fail. We build the drainage first and the wall second.
Anything over about four feet generally needs engineering, and we will tell you when you are in that territory rather than building it and hoping.
Choosing a concrete contractor in Austin
Concrete is unforgiving. You cannot sand it, re-cut it, or take it back apart. What is poured is what you live with, so the questions worth asking are about what happens before the truck shows up.
- What thickness, and what reinforcement? Four inches with rebar or fiber is standard for a patio. Somebody quoting noticeably cheap is usually going thinner, skipping reinforcement, or both.
- How is the base prepped? Compacted base is where slabs live or die in our soil. It is also invisible once the pour is done, which is exactly why it gets skipped.
- Where are the control joints going? Concrete cracks. Control joints decide where. A contractor who cannot tell you the joint layout before pouring has not planned it.
- Is drainage designed, or assumed? A patio that drains toward the house is a foundation problem you paid for.
- Who is pouring it? With us it is John and our crew, not a sub you have never met.
Concrete, pavers, or flagstone?
Poured concrete
The most patio per dollar, and with a stamp or stain it does not have to look like a driveway. One continuous surface means no weeds through joints and nothing to re-level. The tradeoff is honest: concrete in Austin will develop hairline cracks. Control joints decide where they go, not whether they happen.
Pavers
Individually set units over a compacted base. They cost more because it is far more labour, and they buy you two real advantages: our clay can move without cracking anything, because the joints absorb it, and a damaged section can be lifted and reset instead of patched. Expect to re-sand joints occasionally and to pull the odd weed.
Flagstone
The Hill Country look, and nothing else quite matches it next to limestone and cedar. Irregular thickness makes it the slowest to lay and the most expensive per square foot. Set properly on a mortar bed or a deep compacted base it lasts decades; set on sand over clay it will rock underfoot within a couple of seasons.
What decides whether a patio lasts in Austin
- The base, not the surface. Nearly every failed patio we replace failed underneath. Clay compacted properly and to the right depth is the whole job; everything above it is finish.
- Thickness and reinforcement. Four inches is standard for a patio. Fibre mesh helps with surface cracking, rebar on a grid is what holds a slab together across our clay when it moves.
- Control joints. Concrete cracks. Joints cut at the right spacing and depth, early enough, decide that it cracks in a straight line you meant rather than diagonally across the middle.
- Slope. A patio needs fall away from the house, roughly a quarter inch per foot. Poured flat, it sends water at your foundation, which is a far more expensive problem than the patio.
- Curing. Concrete poured in an Austin August and left to dry in the sun loses strength. It wants to cure slowly and damp, and summer pours need to be managed for it.
Austin-specific things worth knowing
Impervious cover
Austin zoning limits how much of a lot can be covered with impermeable surface, and a big concrete patio counts against that limit. If your lot is already near its cap, the choice between poured concrete and a permeable paver system can be the difference between an approved plan and a redesign. Worth checking before you fall in love with a layout.
Our clay moves
Central and east Austin sit on expansive clay that swells and shrinks through the year. It is why slabs crack and why patios that were flat in March rock in September. It does not mean concrete is a bad choice here, it means the base and the reinforcement have to be done properly, and anyone quoting you a patio without asking about your soil has not thought about it.
Retaining walls and drainage
A retaining wall holds back soil, and wet soil is enormously heavier than dry soil. Walls fail when water builds up behind them with nowhere to go. Gravel backfill and drainage pipe are not optional extras on a wall of any real height, and past a certain height a wall needs engineering, not just stacking.
Heat
Dark stained concrete in full Austin sun gets genuinely hot underfoot in July. Lighter colours, a broom or salt finish, or planning a cover over part of the patio all help. It is worth thinking about before you pick a colour you will only see in a photo.
Where we do hardscape work around Austin
We do hardscape across Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Georgetown, Lakeway, Buda, Kyle, and Dripping Springs, and the rest of Travis, Hays, and Williamson counties.
Got a backyard project in mind? Use the Design Builder to pick a style and material. We'll come measure for free.
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Hardscape questions from Austin homeowners
Who pours concrete patios in Austin, TX?
JB Contracting ATX pours standard, stamped and stained concrete patios across greater Austin, and builds paver walkways, retaining walls and fire features. We work in Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Georgetown, Lakeway, Buda, Kyle and Dripping Springs. We are family owned, licensed and insured, and rated 5.0 on Google. Owner John Bernard walks every estimate himself.
How much does a concrete patio cost in Austin?
A standard broom-finish concrete patio in Austin runs $8 to $15 per square foot installed, which puts a typical 400-square-foot patio between $3,200 and $6,000. Stained runs $13 to $20, stamped $15 to $25, and stamped plus stained $18 to $30. Size, thickness, base prep and any poured-in footings for a future cover all move the number.
Pavers or concrete patio, which is better?
Concrete gives you the most patio per dollar and, stamped or stained, it does not have to look plain. Pavers cost more because they are far more labour, and they buy you movement tolerance on our clay and the ability to lift and reset a damaged section rather than patch it. If budget is the priority, concrete. If your soil moves a lot or you want a repairable surface, pavers.
Will my concrete patio crack?
Almost certainly it will develop hairline cracks, and that is normal for concrete on Central Texas clay. What good work controls is where. Control joints cut at the right spacing and depth, early enough, give the slab a planned place to crack so it goes in a straight line instead of diagonally across the middle. Proper base prep and rebar are what keep those cracks hairline rather than structural.
Do I need a permit for a patio in Austin?
A simple at-grade patio usually does not need a building permit, but it does count toward your lot's impervious cover limit, and that is the constraint that catches people out. Retaining walls above a certain height, and anything structural like an outdoor kitchen or fireplace, generally do require permits. We check what applies to your address and pull whatever the project needs.
Can you pour a slab now and add a cover later?
Yes, and if a cover is anywhere in your plans this is the right way to do it. We size and place the footings for the posts while the slab is going in. Retrofitting footings into finished concrete later means coring through your new patio, which costs more and never looks as clean.
How long does a patio take to install?
Most concrete patios are demo, prep, pour and finish within about a week, then the slab needs time to cure before heavy use, usually a week or so more depending on weather. Pavers and flagstone take longer because every unit is set by hand. We give you a firm timeline at the estimate and text progress photos as we go.
How much does stamped concrete cost in Austin?
Stamped concrete runs $15 to $25 per square foot installed in the Austin area, and $18 to $30 if you add stain on top of the stamp. It reads as flagstone or pavers from a few feet away at roughly half the installed cost, which is why it is the most requested finish we pour.
Does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
Yes, every two to four years in Austin sun depending on exposure. It costs a few hundred dollars and takes half a day. It is not a big deal, but it should be mentioned up front and often is not.
What should I ask a concrete contractor before they pour?
Ask the slab thickness and reinforcement, how the base is being prepped and compacted, where the control joints are going, and which way the patio drains. Concrete cannot be taken apart and redone, so everything that matters happens before the truck arrives.
Planning a cover over it? See pergolas and patio covers, or compare your options in deck vs patio vs pergola.
Pouring a patio and thinking about shade? Tell us before the pour. See patio covers in Austin for why footings set at pour time cost a fraction of retrofitting them.
Pouring now, building later? Outdoor living in Austin explains why footings set at pour time cost a fraction of retrofitting them.
Looking at a retaining wall specifically? Our 2026 retaining wall cost guide has pricing by material and height, when engineering is required, and why drainage is the thing that decides whether a wall lasts.