Concrete patio construction in Hilo HI - a level slab that drains away from your house

A concrete patio in Hawaii usually costs about $8.50 to $18 per square foot, installed. That's the going rate around the state, not our price, and where your patio lands depends on its size, the base work and the finish. We build patios in Hilo, Hawaiian Paradise Park and other cities nearby, and our written estimate shows what's included and what isn't.

It might, because nobody can keep concrete from cracking entirely, but well-placed joints control where cracks happen and keep them small. Control joints are grooves cut into the slab so it cracks along a line we chose, and we mark those lines out with you before the pour. Wire mesh won't stop cracks either, though it tends to keep them from opening up.

Slope the patio down and away from the house, which building guidance calls for on any patio within 10 feet of the foundation. We set that slope so the water heads away from your house, and you'll see a gentle tilt in the finished slab. On a tight lot where walls or lot lines limit the fall, the same guidance calls for a drain or a swale, a shallow channel that carries the water off.

Pour on a dry day, because rain on fresh concrete can weaken it and leave a dusty or flaking top later. When the forecast turns wet, we'd rather move the pour date than pour into it, so it helps to keep your plans loose. One concrete publisher also advises keeping a tarp or plastic sheeting ready to cover fresh work, even when no rain is called for.

Usually not, because even a well-sloped patio can hold a few shallow puddles, sometimes called birdbaths, after a rain. They come from small dips left in finishing and normal changes in the surface over time. What matters is that the water moves away from your house, which is what the slope is for.

You need a county grading permit when digging or fill goes over 100 cubic yards or 5 feet high, or when the work changes drainage toward a neighbor's property. Applications go to the county's Hilo office, and any permit for grading, or for grubbing out roots and brush, also goes through a state historic preservation review. If your lot may sit in a high-risk flood area, check your zone on the State's flood hazard tool, since the county's floodplain rules may apply. We look into permits while we plan, and when one's needed we handle the county paperwork and tell you what it involves. We're licensed and insured.