- Thornton, CO · Serving the Denver Metro
Skip to content Almost every failed patio in this metro failed for the same reason: the base. Not the material, not the pattern, not the contractor’s finishing — the four to eight inches of compacted aggregate nobody sees once the surface goes down.
Our patio installation in Thornton covers concrete, paver, stone, and brick, and we build every one from the ground up: excavation to depth, compacted base sized for the soil, drainage planned before anything is laid, then the surface.
If you’re comparing patio installation services, ask every contractor how deep the base goes and how they compact it. The answers will separate them faster than the price will.
Tell us about your yard and what you want out there, and we’ll measure and put together a written scope.
What Decides It
A patio is a surface sitting on a base sitting on soil. You never see two of those three after the install, and both decide how long the third lasts.
On the bentonite-bearing clay that runs through much of Adams County, that soil swells when wet and shrinks as it dries — it moves seasonally for the life of the patio. A base that’s deep enough and compacted properly absorbs that movement. A base cut short to win a bid passes that movement straight through to the surface, which is why patios crack, settle, and go uneven within a few years of being built.
Our patio installation work starts with excavation to depth and a base built for the soil we actually find, not for a standard spec. We plan drainage before laying anything, because water in the wrong place washes bases out. Then the surface goes down — and that’s the part you’ll look at for twenty years.
We handle concrete patio installation, pavers, stone, and brick, as well as combined deck and patio builds. Concrete patio installation is still the most common request we get, and it’s the one where base depth matters most. If you’re still deciding on layout and materials, our patio design service covers that first.
What We Install
Six surfaces, one set of standards. Every patio we install is excavated to depth and built on a compacted base sized for the soil.
The most cost-effective way to cover a large area, and still the most requested concrete patio installation we do. Proper concrete patio installation means a compacted base, correct slab thickness, reinforcement, control joints cut at the right spacing so the slab cracks where you want it to, and a broom or textured finish with real grip.
The look of stone, slate or tile in a single monolithic pour. We use integral color rather than surface-only stains so it survives altitude UV, and spec sealers rated for freeze-thaw. Same base and jointing discipline as any other concrete patio installation.
Individually laid units on a compacted and screeded base, with edge restraint and polymeric jointing. Pavers handle ground movement better than a monolithic slab because units can shift and be reset — which matters on clay. See our patio paver installation page for materials, patterns, and details.
Set stone gives an organic, high-end finish that stays noticeably cooler underfoot than concrete in July. Laid on a properly compacted, well-drained base, with joints detailed to suit the stone rather than forced into a uniform pattern.
Classic, durable, and a natural fit for traditional homes. Brick wants a well-drained base and careful edge detail — it’s less forgiving of movement than concrete pavers, so the groundwork matters even more.
A raised deck off the house stepping down to a patio at grade. Built together rather than as two projects, so the transition, levels, and drainage all work as one.
Not sure which surface suits your yard, your soil, and your budget? That’s what our patio installation services visit is for — we’ll walk the space and put real numbers against two or three options.
One Crew
Deck and patio installation is one of the most requested combinations we handle, and it’s the one most often split between two contractors.
Deck and patio installation together gives you the best of both. A lot of the best outdoor spaces are both. A raised deck off the back door, stepping down to a patio at grade — one for dining close to the kitchen, one for the fire pit and the loungers.
Most homeowners end up hiring two contractors, which is where the problems start. The deck crew sets heights that don’t suit the patio. The patio crew grades drainage toward the deck footings. Nobody owns the transition, and the step between the two ends up awkward because it was nobody’s job.
We do deck and patio installation together, with one crew and one plan. We work out levels, footings, drainage, and the step detail before either one starts. It’s also usually cheaper — the excavation, base material, and mobilization are shared rather than paid for twice.
If you already have a deck and want a patio below it, or a patio and want to add a deck above, that’s the same conversation. We’ll look at what’s there and tell you what can be worked with.
Compare
| Material | Best For | Behavior on clay | Lifespan | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broom-finish concrete | Large areas, lowest cost per sq ft | Cracks at control joints if base is right | 25–30 yrs | Reseal every 2–3 yrs |
| Stamped concrete | Stone look, seamless surface | As above; joints need planning around pattern | 20–30 yrs | Reseal every 2–4 yrs |
| Concrete pavers | Movement-prone soil; easy repairs | Best — units absorb movement individually | 30+ yrs | Re-sand joints, occasional reset |
| Natural stone / flagstone | High-end, organic finish, coolest underfoot | Good on a flexible base | 30+ yrs | Seal periodically |
| Brick | Traditional homes, classic look | Moderate — less forgiving than pavers | 25+ yrs | Low; re-point occasionally |
| Porcelain pavers | Modern finish, tight tolerances | Good; very low porosity | 30+ yrs | Wash only |
Two things that matter more than the material choice. Match the surface to your soil — on expansive clay, a flexible paver or stone surface absorbs movement that cracks a monolithic slab, and that one decision affects the next twenty years more than color or pattern will. And go lighter in color than you would indoors — at 5,000-plus feet, July surface temperature is a real comfort issue and the most common thing people say they’d change.
Budget
The honest guidance: the cheapest patio installation quotes save money in the base, because it’s invisible the day the job finishes and it’s where several thousand dollars of excavation and aggregate sit. When you compare quotes, ask each patio contractor how deep they’re excavating, what aggregate they’re using, how they compact it, and where the water goes. A patio contractor who can answer those four without hesitating has built here before. Vague answers on those four tell you more than the price does.
We’d rather explain what’s in our number than be the lowest one. Every quote comes with a written scope listing what’s going into the ground.
How It Works
Every patio installation in Thornton and the surrounding metro runs through the same six stages.
We look at the space, the grade, where water currently goes, access for equipment, and how you’ll use the patio. Then we measure for an accurate written quote.
What’s under the grass decides the base spec. On clay, we excavate deeper and compact harder, and we plan where water will go before we decide anything else.
Ground-level patios often don’t need one; drainage changes, retaining walls, and structures frequently do. We confirm what applies to your address and handle it.
Dig to depth, install and compact aggregate in lifts, and set the slope. This stage determines whether the patio stays flat in a decade, and it’s the stage cheap bids shorten.
Form, reinforce, and pour for concrete; screed, lay, cut, and compact for pavers and stone. Control and expansion joints are planned before anything is placed, not cut wherever is convenient afterwards.
Jointing, sealing, edge detail, and clean-up. Then we walk the patio with you, explain the cure window before furniture and traffic, and leave care instructions.
See the Difference
Drag the slider: a bare, unused backyard becoming a finished patio with defined seating and dining areas.
← Drag the handle to compare
Why Us
Local Conditions
Water enters concrete through pores and hairline cracks, then expands about nine percent when it freezes. The Front Range runs dozens of these cycles in a single spring. Air-entrained mixes, proper joint spacing, and proper sealing keep a surface intact.
Much of Adams County sits on bentonite-bearing clay that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. It moves seasonally for the life of the patio. Base depth, compaction, and choosing a flexible surface where appropriate are how you build something that moves with it rather than against it.
Of all of it, this is the factor most often done wrong and most easily fixed. A patio that sheds water away from the house and off the surface outlasts an identical one that doesn’t, by years.
Stronger sun fades sealers and color faster than national ratings assume. De-icing salt is the quickest way to cause surface scaling on concrete — use sand for traction instead.
This is why we don’t quote patio installation from a satellite photo. Two identical patios in two yards a mile apart can need different base depths.
Service Areas
Patio installation in Thornton, CO is home ground — we’re based here, and it’s where most of our work is. Thornton patio installation projects almost always mean building for Adams County clay, which drives base depth more than any other factor, and it’s why no two Thornton patio installation quotes look quite the same.
We also cover Northglenn, Westminster, Broomfield, Commerce City, Brighton, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Denver, Erie, and the surrounding towns across Adams and Weld counties. Older Denver properties tend to mean access constraints and working around what’s already there; newer developments bring their own drainage and setback quirks.
Patio installation in Thornton, CO, and the surrounding towns all runs from here. Searching for patio installation near me from anywhere in the greater Thornton area? Ask about your address — if we don’t cover you, we’ll say so rather than waste your time.
Reviews
Good to Know
It depends on square footage, surface material, how deep the base has to go for your soil, drainage work, demolition, and access. A broom-finish concrete patio on good ground and a set natural stone patio with drainage corrections are very different projects. We price after a site visit and give you a written scope listing what’s going into the ground.
Most residential patios take a few days to two weeks on site, depending on size, material and how much excavation is involved. Concrete needs a cure window before furniture and full traffic. Permitting, where required, can add time before the crew starts.
A ground-level patio often doesn’t, but drainage changes, retaining walls, structures, and anything affecting grade frequently do. Requirements differ across the metro, so we confirm what applies to your specific address rather than working from a general rule.
Concrete costs less per square foot over a large area and gives a seamless surface. Pavers cost more up front but handle ground movement better, can be lifted and reset individually, and give far more pattern and color choice. On expansive clay, pavers are often the better long-term value. We’ll give you a straight recommendation for your site.
It depends on the soil, which is exactly why there’s no single answer and why anyone quoting a standard depth without digging is guessing. On clay we go deeper and compact in lifts. The base is the single biggest hidden variable in both cost and lifespan.
Sometimes. If the existing slab is sound, level, and well-drained, an overlay or paver surface can work and saves demolition. If it’s cracked, settled, or sitting on a failed base, building over it just inherits the problem. We check before quoting.
Yes, and it’s usually both better and cheaper than hiring two contractors. We plan levels, footings, drainage, and the step detail between the two as one job, and share the excavation and mobilization rather than paying for them twice.
Concrete cracks — the question is whether it cracks where you planned. Control joints cut at the right spacing give the slab somewhere to relieve stress. When you compare patio installation services, you’re really buying a base and a joint layout that control where that happens.
Late spring through early autumn gives the most reliable window for concrete to cure and sealers to go down in the right temperature range. Book early — the calendar fills as soon as the weather turns, and the projects that start in April were designed in January.
Yes, and planning them in from the start is far cheaper than retrofitting. Footings, power, gas runs, and base details all need to be in place before the surface goes down.
Where it needs removing, yes — demolition and disposal are part of the scope and are priced in. Occasionally, we can build over or incorporate an existing slab, and we’ll tell you if that’s an option.
Then we’ll say so. A patio that’s cracked or settled but sitting on a sound base is often a resurfacing or leveling job at a fraction of replacement cost. See our patio deck repair service, or book the free visit and we’ll give you a straight answer.
We cover Thornton, Northglenn, Westminster, Broomfield, Wheat Ridge, Commerce City, Brighton, Arvada, Denver, Aurora, and the surrounding north metro, plus much of Adams and Weld counties. If you’re searching for patio installation near me anywhere in the greater Thornton area, we most likely cover you.
Yes. If you’ve had drawings done or worked out the layout yourself, we’ll review it, flag anything that won’t work on your site — base depth and drainage are the usual culprits — and build it.
Call and talk to someone who’ll be on the crew — not a call centre.
Open 7 days · 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
More From All Pro
Repair, leveling and resurfacing for an existing patio.
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Layout, materials and features planned before construction begins.
Screened and three-season enclosures over an existing patio.
Pergolas, pavilions, louvered roofs and shade over the finished patio.
All Pro Thornton Deck Builders installs concrete, paver, stone, and brick patios across the greater Thornton area — licensed, bonded, and insured, locally owned since 2012, and built for Colorado clay and freeze-thaw rather than a national spec.
Tell us about your yard and what you want out there. We’ll walk the site, tell you what the ground actually needs, and put a written scope and a fixed price in front of you. If you’ve been searching patio installation near me, start there.
