Levels and Fall
Set out so water leaves the surface and goes away from the house, not toward it.
Patios
Patios
in New Orleans
Outdoor space you can use most of the year. The two things that decide whether you actually use it are shade and drainage.
What We Do
Built to Drain and Sit In
A patio that ponds after rain is unusable for two days every time it storms. Fall and drainage are the first thing we set out, before anything about materials.
Shade is the other half. An unshaded slab facing west is a heat trap from May to September and you will not sit on it.
And a patio must not send water back toward the house. On a lot that already drains slowly, a new hard surface changes where the water goes.
Outdoor remodeling gets treated as an afterthought. Done properly it adds a room you use for most of the year.
- Concrete patios and slabs
- Paver and flagstone patios
- Covered patios and shade structures
- Existing patio repair and resurfacing
- Drainage and fall correction
- Steps and level changes
What You Get
What a Patio Job Covers
Base Preparation
Compacted base sized for soft ground. This is why patios crack and settle here.
Drainage
Channel or surface drainage where the fall alone will not clear it.
Surface
Concrete, pavers or flagstone, laid to a joint pattern that suits the space.
Shade
Covered structures and pergolas where the aspect needs it.
Edges and Steps
Level changes and edging finished so the whole thing reads as one space.
How It Works
Four Steps From Call to Finished
The same process on every job in the New Orleans metro, whether it is one room or the whole house.
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Free On-Site Walkthrough
We come to the property and look at the actual house. On older New Orleans homes that means checking settling, moisture and what sits behind the plaster before anyone quotes a number.
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Written Scope and Price
You get patios written down: what is included, what is not, and what could change it. No charge and no obligation.
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One Crew, One Contact
Materials, trades and scheduling handled in house. You hear about problems the day we find them, not in a bill at the end.
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Walk It and Sign Off
We walk the finished work with you, write down anything you are not happy with, and fix it before the job is called complete.
Gallery
Concrete, Pavers, Brick, or Flagstone: Trade-offs for a New Orleans Yard
Poured concrete is the least expensive way to cover a large area and it’s a solid choice when the ground underneath is prepared well, but it’s a single rigid slab, so if the soil beneath it shifts unevenly, cracking follows and the whole slab shows it. Pavers are individual units set on a compacted base, so they can move slightly with the ground without cracking, and a damaged paver can be pulled and replaced without redoing the whole patio.
Brick brings the traditional look a lot of New Orleans homeowners want, but it needs a properly compacted, well-draining base or it heaves and settles unevenly over time, especially with how our soil behaves. Flagstone is naturally irregular and forgiving to look at, which can hide minor settling better than a uniform material, but it needs the joints filled and maintained or weeds and moisture work their way in.
There isn’t a single right answer. The choice comes down to how much movement you’re willing to tolerate, how the patio will be used, and how it needs to look next to the house.
Why Patios Crack and Heave Here (and How the Base Prevents It)
Almost every patio problem traces back to the base, not the surface material. New Orleans soil holds water and shifts more than firmer ground, and a patio built directly on native soil without a proper compacted gravel base underneath it is going to crack or heave as that soil moves with the seasons.
The base needs enough depth and the right compaction to give the surface material something stable to sit on, no matter how well the ground underneath it moves. Skipping this step, or shortcutting the compaction to save time, is the single most common reason a patio that looks great when it’s installed starts cracking or shifting within a couple of years.
Drainage plays into this too. A patio that slopes water toward the house instead of away from it keeps the base saturated longer than it should be, which speeds up movement in the soil underneath and shortens the life of whatever’s built on top of it.
What to Check Before You Commit to a Patio Design
Before signing off on a material or a layout, walk your yard after a hard rain and see where water actually goes. A patio placed in a low spot without addressing drainage first is going to fight standing water for as long as it’s there.
Ask what base depth and compaction method the contractor is planning, and ask how the patio’s slope will direct water away from the house. Also confirm how the new patio ties into existing grading, gutters, or any drainage work already on the property, since a patio installed without that context can create a new water problem instead of solving one.
Local Knowledge
Heat, Rain and Soft Ground
Three things work against outdoor space here: summer heat that makes unshaded surfaces unusable, rain that arrives faster than a flat surface can shed it, and soil that settles under anything heavy.
A patio that handles all three is a room you use. One that handles none is a slab you walk across.
- Summer heatShade and aspect considered before material
- Heavy rainFall and drainage set out first, not added afterwards
- Soft groundBase preparation sized for soil that gives
- Water toward the houseNew hard surfaces checked against existing drainage
Ready For a Straight Number?
Tell us what you want done. We will come look at the house and put it in writing.
They transformed my old kitchen into a modern space quickly and kept everything clean.
Lucas Rivera
They renovated our entire condo and the quality is top-tier. New flooring, fresh paint, and updated lighting throughout.
Sophie Ruby
A full main floor renovation. Honest pricing, high-quality materials, and a very hardworking crew.
Zachary Bailey
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
My patio floods after rain. Can that be fixed?
Usually. It is either fall, drainage, or the ground beyond the patio having nowhere to take the water. We look at all three rather than just resurfacing.
Can you cover an existing patio?
Often yes, if the slab is sound and the footing can take posts. We check both before quoting a cover.
Can you do the drainage at the same time?
Yes, and it is the right time to. See drainage.
Is there a difference between renovation and remodeling?
In practice, no. People use both words for the same work, and we answer to either. If you want the longer version we wrote about it: renovating vs remodeling.
Why did my old concrete patio crack?
Cracking almost always comes from the ground underneath moving, not from a defect in the concrete itself. New Orleans soil holds water and shifts, and a slab poured without a properly compacted base underneath it will crack as that soil settles unevenly over time.
Do pavers hold up better than poured concrete in New Orleans?
Pavers generally handle soil movement better because they’re individual units that can shift slightly without cracking, and a single damaged paver can be replaced without redoing the whole patio. Poured concrete is a rigid single slab, so it shows soil movement as cracks.
How does drainage affect where my patio should go?
A patio built in a low spot or sloped toward the house will sit on saturated ground longer after every rain, which speeds up base movement and shortens its life. Checking where water actually flows in your yard before finalizing the layout prevents this.
Cities We Serve
Patios Across the New Orleans Metro
Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and Tangipahoa parishes, and out to Baton Rouge.
- New Orleans
- Metairie
- Kenner
- Gretna
- Slidell
- Covington
- Mandeville
- Madisonville
- LaPlace
- Hammond
- St Rose
- Baton Rouge
Not listed? Call 504-470-0455. We cover most of the metro and the Northshore.
Explore Our Services
What Else We Do
One contractor, inside and out, across the New Orleans metro and the Northshore.
Where We Are
Based on Magazine Street
We work out of 3436 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, which puts most of the metro within a short run and the Northshore inside an easy morning.
- Address3436 Magazine Street #120-D
New Orleans, LA 70115 - Phone504-470-0455
- HoursMonday to Saturday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
Next Step
Let’s Talk About Patios
Tell us what you want done in New Orleans and we will come and look at the house. Free written estimate, no obligation, and a number that holds.
Free Estimate
Let's Look At Your House
Send this over and we will call you back to set up a walkthrough.
- Call504-470-0455
- Visit3436 Magazine Street #120-D
New Orleans, LA 70115 - HoursMonday to Saturday, 8:00am to 5:00pm