Planning a concrete patio
- Size for real use. Lay out your furniture where the patio will go and measure the space it actually takes, with room to walk around it.
- Shape. Rectangles are the most economical. Curves and angles look softer and cost a little more to form.
- Height at the door. The patio should sit below the door threshold, so water can't run inside.
- Slope and drainage. A slight fall away from the house moves water off the slab. Downspouts that empty onto the patio area may need to be redirected.
- What goes under it. Plan conduit for lights or a hot tub, and gas or water lines, before the pour. Afterward means cutting concrete.
- Heat. Huntsville's normal July high is 91.5°F (1991–2020 normals of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA). Lighter finishes stay cooler underfoot than dark-colored concrete.
Concrete patio finishes
- Broom finish: the plainest and least expensive, with good grip when wet.
- Colored concrete: color mixed in or applied on top, so the patio isn't plain gray.
- Exposed aggregate: the top layer is washed away to show the stones in the mix. Textured and hard-wearing.
- Stamped: slate, flagstone, brick or wood-plank patterns pressed into the surface. See stamped concrete.
How a concrete patio is built
- The area is laid out, and grass and topsoil are removed.
- The ground is graded for drainage and the base is compacted.
- Forms go in, along with any reinforcement and the joint plan.
- The concrete is poured, leveled, finished and jointed.
- It cures, kept moist for at least 3 to 7 days, as the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) advises.
Covered patio and pergola permits in Huntsville
If a roof, a pergola or a screen room will stand on the patio later, say so before the pour. Posts may need footings or thickened slab under them. A roof over a patio is a structure, and structures usually need a building permit, so ask the City of Huntsville's Inspection Department, (256) 427-5341, before you build. For residential permits other than new houses, Huntsville charges 0.0055 times the total contract price: $55 for $10,000 of work.
- In a historic district, new patios and terraces need a Certificate of Appropriateness or Expedited Staff Review approval from the Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission before a building permit can be issued.
- Next door in Madison, the City says grade-level patios need no building permit, but a porch cover over a slab does.
Concrete patio prices
| Patio | Per square foot | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plain concrete, national | $4–$12 | HomeGuide, July 2025 |
| Stained or stamped, national | $8–$30 | HomeGuide, July 2025 |
| Reinforced concrete, Huntsville estimate (2022) | $7–$12 | HomeBlue, April 2022 |
| Stamped, Huntsville estimate (2022) | $10–$17 | HomeBlue, April 2022 |
| Pavers, national | $10–$30 | HomeGuide, July 2025 |
These are published estimates, not quotes. More ranges and a calculator: concrete prices in Huntsville.
Sources
- HomeGuide, Concrete Patio Cost (July 10, 2025)
- HomeBlue, Concrete Patio Cost in Huntsville, AL (April 26, 2022)
- City of Huntsville, Permit Costs, FAQs for Residential Construction and Historic Preservation Application (checked October 27, 2026)
- City of Madison, Building Permit FAQs (checked October 27, 2026)
- NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 monthly normals, Huntsville International Airport (checked October 27, 2026)
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, CIP 11, Curing In-Place Concrete (checked October 27, 2026)