Outdoor Living Projects Need a Drainage Plan Before the First Pour
A patio that ponds against the house is not a furniture problem. It is a grade and drainage problem that got covered with concrete. Roof water, existing slope, door thresholds, and where the yard is allowed to shed all have to be settled before the first pour. North Atlanta clay and summer storms do not forgive a flat pad that tips the wrong way.
CRM Construction & Renovation plans outdoor living and hardscaping from water first. The same order applies to a screen porch, a deck that meets a patio, or a full outdoor construction package.
Follow the roof water before you pick pavers
Stand outside during a rain or look at the splash pattern after one. Downspouts, gutter capacity, and any buried drains already on site decide where a new patio can sit. Adding a roofed porch or an outdoor kitchen cover changes that map. Our post on how an addition changes the roof and drainage plan is the companion when the outdoor room ties into new roof area.
Photograph downspouts, the existing grade away from the foundation, and the interior floor height at the door. Homes in East Cobb and Marietta often have a small step that disappears if the patio is poured too high. Thresholds that get buried become leak paths. Measure the finished floor, the proposed patio thickness, and the slope you still need.
Soil, utilities, and what sits under the forms
Call in locates. Irrigation, gas to a grill, low-voltage lighting, and sewer cleanouts all compete for the same dirt. A cleanout that ends up under a poured slab is a future demolition. Mark every lid before grading starts.
Retaining conditions and existing footings matter when the yard drops. A patio that needs a small wall is a wall project plus a patio, not a thicker slab. Concrete work should include base prep, reinforcement, control joints, and where the water leaves the pad. The visible surface is only one part of a durable scope.
Outdoor kitchens, gas, and electrical on the same drawing
A grill island needs gas, sometimes water, and a circuit that is not an extension cord under a rug. Those stubs have to be in the pad or in a chase you can still reach. Lighting and fans on a cover need a wet-location plan. Do not pour first and "fish later" through a finished island.
If a future screen porch or fireplace sits on the same pad, say so now. Footings and sleeves are cheap while the dirt is open. They are expensive after the furniture is out. Related fireplace and kitchen notes belong on the outdoor sheet, not in a separate email thread after the pour.
What the written outdoor scope should name
Demolition, grading, drainage piping, base, concrete or masonry, utilities, covers or roofs, and restoration of disturbed lawn should be separate enough to see. Permits and HOA rules in Johns Creek, Alpharetta, and nearby service areas can affect height, lot coverage, and setbacks. Put those constraints in the plan rather than after the truck is loaded.
Read about our team, how we sequence trades under general contracting, and browse the gallery for finished yards. Then contact us with the drainage photos, not only the furniture inspiration.
Where the water is allowed to finish
Every patio sends water somewhere. Neighbor lines, a crawl space, a basement window well, and a septic field are all wrong answers. Write the discharge point. If a drain is required, write who maintains it. A pretty pitch into a flower bed that already stays wet is not a plan.
If the project includes a gutter upgrade or roofing work, schedule that before or with the patio, not after the pad is already trapping splash. Water details at the house wall are flashing and grade together.
Control joints, cure time, and furniture that arrives too early
A pour needs joints in the right places, time to cure, and a plan for rain the night after the truck leaves. Outdoor kitchens and heavy planters should wait until the slab can take the load. A calendar that shows "patio done Friday, furniture Saturday" is how you get chair-leg marks and a homeowner walking on green concrete.
Screened covers and roofed outdoor rooms change snow, leaf, and drip edges. If a screen porch is phase two, leave the footings and the drainage as if that roof already existed. Building a flat pad now and a roof later is how water gets trapped against the house wall.
What to send before we stake the pad
Photos of the yard, downspouts, door threshold, and any wet spots after rain. A sketch of furniture and grill location. Notes on gas, water, and power you want in the island. Mention HOA rules if you already know them.
Pour after the water has a path. The surface will last longer, and the house will stay drier than a pad that looked level on a sunny afternoon.
Ready to plan water before the patio forms go up?
Send photos of the yard, the downspouts, and the door threshold. We will map grade, drainage, and the pour sequence before concrete is scheduled.