Concrete patio construction in Rio Rancho NM - a slab built on a solid base
Patio cracked, sunk or holding water? We dig it out, pack a solid base and pour a new slab with the joints planned first.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete patio in Rio Rancho?
Concrete patio construction in Rio Rancho covers the whole job: digging out, setting forms and reinforcement, then mixing, pouring and finishing the slab. Since the prep is part of the concrete work, one quote can take you from bare ground to a finished patio you can set a table on.
Most patio calls start one of two ways. Either there's bare dirt out back and you're tired of tracking it in, or there's an old slab that's cracked, sunk or tipped so water sits by the door. The price moves with the size, with whether that old slab has to be broken out and hauled off first, with whether you want reinforcement in it, and with how much the patio has to tie into, like concrete steps or a walk. The schedule turns on the same things, plus any permit work and the weather on pour day. When I come out, the estimate goes over what your patio needs and what it'll cost.
How do you know it's time for a new patio?
Cracks that keep opening
If a crack has widened or one side now sits higher than the other, usually the ground under that piece has moved or the slab never had joints to crack along. Waiting lets water run into the gap and wash out more dirt underneath, so the break grows into a trip edge.
Water sitting by the door
Puddles that stay against the house after a storm usually mean the patio has sunk or tipped back toward the wall. Every storm after that puts water where you least want it, next to your foundation and under the slab.
Corners that have dropped
A sunken corner or edge usually means the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled along with the dirt. It usually keeps going, and the longer you wait, the more of the slab has to come out.
How we handle concrete patio construction, start to finish
Cracks in a patio come down to where the joints go. So before anything else, I lay out the joints with you and show you where they'll be, including the breaks where the patio meets the house, the steps or the walk. Then our crew digs down to firm ground instead of raking the dirt level. We pack a base so the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, doesn't settle later, and we set the forms and check where the water will run off. We put in the reinforcement you picked, then pour and finish. Control joints are shallow cuts that give the slab a straight line to crack along. We cut them on time and right where I marked them, because a late cut leaves cracks in places nobody chose. Isolation joints are the soft breaks between the patio and anything fixed, and they let each piece move on its own. If the budget gets tight, the base is the last thing I'd cut. Nobody sees it on day one, but everybody sees it when the slab sinks.
A patio usually connects to something else. If you need a path from the driveway or the side gate, our concrete sidewalk building crew can pour it on the same plan, so the walk and the patio meet at a clean joint. If you'd like the patio stamped, that's its own service, stamped concrete services, and I'll price it next to the plain slab so you can compare the two.
New patio where there's dirt now
This suits a yard with nothing poured yet, because we start clean and can set the base and the joints exactly where they need to be. It's also the easiest time to plan steps or a walk into it.
Tear out and replace an old patio
This suits a cracked or sunken slab that's past patching. We break it out and haul it off, then I look at why it failed before we build the new base.
Reinforced or plain slab
Rebar is steel bar laid in a grid inside the slab, and it makes sense for bigger patios or ones that will carry something heavy like a hot tub. A small pad on good ground can do fine without it, and I'll tell you which yours needs.
Get a free on-site estimate for your patio
Send the form and we reply within 1 business day to set a time. I come out to measure and go over the patio with you, and the quote is free, with no pressure and no obligation.
(505) 271-3053- Based in
- Rio Rancho, NM 87124
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about a patio?
Here's how a patio job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through on the finished slab.
Call or send the form
Call (505) 271-3053 or send the form with a few details about your yard. We'll set up a time for me to come out.
I measure and price it
I walk the yard with you, measure, check the ground and where the water goes, and talk through what you want. You get the price and what's included before anything starts, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we take care of any permit work, then our crew preps the ground, sets the forms and pours. Pour day depends on the weather, so we'll keep you posted if it has to move.
Walk the finished patio together
Before we pack up, we walk the patio with you and go over the joints and the edges. After that it has to cure, which is the wait while the concrete gains strength, and I'll tell you when you can put furniture back on it.
Why Rio Rancho homeowners call Elite Rio Rancho Concrete Construction for patios
The owner prices and runs it
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate. Then our own crew does the work, and I'm usually on site running it. The person who promised you the base and the joints is the one making sure they go in that way.
In business since 2017
Concrete has been our full-time work since 2017. Flatwork like patios, driveways and walks is what we're best known for. Because it's the work we do most, the dig and the base get our full attention, not whatever time is left.
Licensed and insured, ask to see it
We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to see proof when I come out. Ask the same of anyone else who quotes you, since the city has rules on who can work inside its limits.
On a patio, what's under the concrete decides how it holds up, so that's where I spend the time. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Call (505) 271-3053 or send us the rough size of your patio to set up a visit.
Concrete patios and walks on Rio Rancho ground
The City of Rio Rancho requires a permit any time a building or structure is built or altered. Its permit list names retaining walls and fences but not patios, so the list alone doesn't settle whether yours needs one. The city suggests calling its permit office at 505-891-5005 before starting any home project to ask. Before we start, we check with the permit office that covers your address. If the patio needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections.
The ground is the bigger local factor. Rio Rancho is dry most of the year. The soils in Sandoval County mostly rate moderate for shrink-swell, which means they swell when they get wet and shrink back as they dry out. Most of New Mexico also has a low but real chance of collapsible soil, which is dirt that can settle when water soaks into it, and ground where you plan to build should be checked for it. So when we dig out a patio, I look at what's under there before the base goes in. We dig past soft spots, pack the base and plan where the water runs off so it doesn't soak in beside the slab. We see the same kinds of ground on jobs in Corrales and Bernalillo, and we prep it the same way.
Questions about concrete patios in Rio Rancho
(505) 271-3053Some cracking is normal, because no one can keep concrete from cracking entirely, but well-planned joints control where cracks form and keep them small. That's why I mark the joints with you before we pour. Asking each contractor for their joint plan is a fair way to compare quotes.
A concrete patio in the Albuquerque area usually costs about $6 to $14 per square foot. That's what the market charges for the patio, not our price. Things like tearing out an old slab or adding reinforcement push a job toward one end of that range or the other. Your own number comes from the estimate once I've measured.
No, wire mesh won't stop a patio from cracking, but it tends to keep cracks and joints from opening up wider. The joints do the main work of crack control, and the mesh helps hold things tight once a crack forms.
A calm, cooler day is the best time to pour. Heat, dry air and wind together make concrete harder to finish and can leave a weak, dusty top. Hot-weather problems can happen any time of year but mostly show up in summer, and wind makes them worse. In summer we usually start early so we're not finishing in the midday heat.
Inside Rio Rancho city limits, a contractor needs a license from the State of New Mexico and an active city business license. The state's GS-4 license class covers concrete and cement work, including walkways and driveways. Ask any contractor you're considering to show you both.
Start with the rough size in square feet and whether an old slab has to come out, since both shape the price. Mention any steps, walks or doors the patio has to meet. Then call (505) 271-3053 or use the form, and I'll come out to measure.
Other concrete work that goes with a patio
Stamped concrete services
If you'd rather have a patterned surface than plain concrete, start here, since it's easiest to plan a stamped patio before anything is poured.
Concrete sidewalk building
A patio usually needs a path to reach it from the driveway or gate, and planning both together keeps the joints and edges lining up.
Service areas for concrete patio work
Elite Rio Rancho Concrete Construction is based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and builds patios across the 5 service areas listed below, including North Valley and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. If you don't see your city here, ask us.
Rio Rancho, NM
Get your concrete patio priced on site
Seeing the yard in person is how I spot the drainage and ground problems a phone call can't show me.