Concrete patio construction in Tuscaloosa AL - a slab that drains when it rains

Check first, because the City of Tuscaloosa requires permits for all new construction, remodels and alterations, and its Building and Inspection Division handles residential permits. In a historic district more rules may apply, and Planning & Zoning can tell you if your house is in one. We check with the permit office for your address and pull the permits our part needs.

It can take more, since the city lists a Land Development Permit for projects next to Lake Tuscaloosa and a Site Stabilization Plan for projects in the Lake Tuscaloosa, Harris Lake or Lake Nicol watersheds. The City Engineer's office answers questions about both. When your lot needs them, we tell you who to call and work from the plans they approve.

The state Home Builders Licensure Board defines a residential home builder as someone who builds or improves a residential structure, on jobs where labor and materials together come to more than $10,000, unless the work falls outside the board's jurisdiction. We're licensed and insured.

Hot weather guidance says to keep curing for at least 3 days, with the slab under wet burlap and plastic, a curing compound or water. Curing is the wait while it hardens instead of drying out, so plan around it those days. We pour outside the worst of the afternoon heat and keep the slab covered.

There's no set number of years, because you reseal when the surface stops shedding water and stains or the color loses its depth. It's the most common upkeep a stamped patio needs. A penetrating water-repellent sealer protects against water and staining, though most of them leave the color as it is.