Looking for Concrete Patio Advice?

We've been looking at adding a sunroom/3 seasons room and finally had a contractor out to talk.  The net of that discussion was that the Off the top of his head SWAG was around $60K, assuming I handle some of the finish work, electrical, etc..  Don't think we'll be staying here long enough to get a payback from using that investment, and I'm sure we won't get much of the $60K back in a future sales price.  So we're scaling back our plans and basing them on what we want - a nice outdoor entertaining space with (future) hot tub, maybe a fireplace/pizza oven, heaters, lighting, music, etc..  Maybe a nice concrete patio with a pergola is the way to go, and it should be a lot more affordable.

This is what's there now.  The surface is really rough and the left slab has dropped about an inch and a half and there are several cracks..  Is this concrete salvageable with an overlay?  Or should we rip it up and start over?

The contractor SWAGGed a new stamped concrete patio at about $15K (I haven't had a chance to sanity check that yet but for now I'm using that number).  The pergola could be a DIY project.

I've seen several patio/backyard projects here that have provided some inspiration so I figured I'd ask the GRM braintrust.  What think ye? 

I wish my patio looked that good. 
 

What does "really rough" mean?  Do you mean it's not as slick as glass, or do you mean you need to be a billy goat to climb it?  Compared to a typical sidewalk or curb, is it comparable?

Exterior concrete surfaces don't want to be slick as glass.  When wet, that's a concussion waiting to happen.  And 1" of pitch is well within reasonable tolerances for drainage.

Honestly, I'd pressure wash it, caulk the cracks, and call it a day. Spend my money on stuff that adds more value than the floor. Maybe my tolerance level is higher than yours...

Could you do a nice concrete coatings paint, add a an exterior sisal rug, and have something worthwhile?

Post a couple more pics of the overall area. 

A company near us, patio enclosures, did ours 30 years ago. Cement pad with a roof, we wanted an enclosed unheated space.  Pad wasn't cracked but had no footer and was not level either.  And there wasn't a right angle corner to be found.  They do aluminum walls with windows or sliding doors, compensate for the issues so you won't be able to tell. Other contractors wanted to rip off the roof, take out the pad and start over.  But this company installed it in a day.  Room is still in use, actually my favorite space other than the garage.  Floor is half vinyl  and half berber carpet.  So there are options.  If you want to see the end result, I can post pics.

Roughly 20' x 28'.  Neither glass like or super rough, like an aged sidewalk might be a good description.  The sound and feel of moving a chair across it is grating.  Maybe jacking the one slab, pressure washing, and adding some kind of concrete coating might be enough.  I'm not super picky - just want to have a decent patio to have friends over for a bbq and drinks, etc..

One of the slabs next to the house needs to be tilted away from the house to avoid future water problems.

You can mud jack the sagging concrete back up to grade. You could also lay pavers of some sort over it to spruce up the looks. 

They make a diamond V groove grinding wheel to widen that crack and then use a urethane concrete caulking to fill the crack. 

4-1/2 in. Crack Chaser Diamond SPX Cutting Disc for Concrete Repair 7/8 in. Arbor

@porschenut - if it's these guys there's a local office a few miles away.

edit:  forgot the link - https://www.patioenclosures.com/

Will the water pooling still be an issue with a partial roof for your pergola?

I've done mudjacking for MUCH MUCH worse. 
 

Quick shop of our finished but messy space.  Big brown thing in the corner is a propane unvented fireplace.

Jack up the corner or squirt some mud under it to prevent it from sagging further.  The rest looks perfectly serviceable to me.  Edit to clarify:  I don't mean just squirt some mud, I mean dig an 18" deep hole under the corner and make a concrete pier to support the corner.

I agree that you can widen that crack and fill it with crack patch.  Pressure wash it and coat it with whatever you want.  Epoxy would be the go-to but it isn't cheap.  There are deckover products that you can use, but don't expect them to be a satisfactory solution.  They are more or less high-solids latex paint with texture and they are intended as a last-ditch effort to squeeze a couple more years out of a hopeless deck.

I'm currently helping a friend design a pergola for her back patio.  It will be a traditional japanese style open pergola, but sloped and attached to the house.  Kind of like a patio roof without the roof, and 2x8 rafters with a fancy-cut end sitting on a beam and 6x6 posts.  The last bit of the puzzle is a roll-up awning that goes above the rafters for rain.  We have the fabric which is basically the poly blend Sunbrella fabric, and I have an awning roll from an RV, we just need to figure out a decent way of extending and retracting it.

Another possibility...

Glue down some of these:

No suggestion yet to ask our resident patio expert Marjorie? I'm disappointed.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I built a pergola over my 12x24 open concrete parking area years ago and transformed it into an awesome seating area immediately. Here's how it looked a few days before I tore it down a decade later to build a 2-story addition on the concrete pad.

I don't do woodworking but it was all bolted together.

In reply to slefain :

Love that aesthetic.  Nice.

I built this one at my house:

I enjoy adding visual interest to decks by using multiple levels.  But both of my parents were handicapped and the whole thing needed to be wheelchair accessible, so different levels were out.  The last thing I wanted was a gigantic flat boring deck that a wheelchair could roll around, but no one would enjoy.

I used the pergola to break the plane.  2 swivel rockers make a nice conversation area, and can turn toward the yard, or back toward the seating.  A generous wheelchair ramp brings it down to grade.  5 1/2' wide.  So 2 people can walk side by side (me assisting my parents with canes and walkers).  The final product gave 4 separate conversation grouping areas.  We couldn't be happier.

This is the before picture:

In reply to SV reX :

I would absolutely sit under that little pergola every single time. Nice job.

In reply to slefain :

It's my favorite place. 

There were lots of roofline issues to deal with, so an actual roof wasn't an option. 
 

The 2 main sections of the deck are 16x18, and 12x20. The little pergola is only 8x8, but it was just enough to give some very nice visual interest. 
 

It's also a nice place to hang potted plants, hummingbird feeders and wind chimes. 

slefain said:

No suggestion yet to ask our resident patio expert Marjorie? I'm disappointed.

"Quickest way to concrete patio is to talk politics and be a dick about it." 

slefain said:

No suggestion yet to ask our resident patio expert Marjorie? I'm disappointed.

I came in here to do just that!

bobzilla said:

slefain said:

No suggestion yet to ask our resident patio expert Marjorie? I'm disappointed.

I came in here to do just that!

When I saw the thread title, I was kinda morbidly hoping Marjorie had started the thread! 

Thanks guys.  Our current thinking has morphed (again) - to:

• Get some quotes on mudjacking the dropped slab.  (wonder if it's it an issue that it's been jacked before?)
• Powerwash and research concrete finishes
• Plan and build a pergola.  Run electrical line.  Lighting, heaters, speakers.
• Add decent outdoor rug and patio furniture.  (can't believe how expensive good patio furniture is...)
• Enjoy summer, assuming it bothers to show up this year.
• Check budget later this summer for hot tub compatibility.

And maybe look at a built-in fireplace and/or pizza oven as an add-on when I get time and energy.  All of this competes for time and money with getting the Mazda3 track-ready, Miata updates, Jaguar fixes and maintenance, garage organization, etc..

In reply to SV reX :

Hey man, nice deck. The black (charcoal?) and white looks great.