A poured concrete patio is a slab, not a paver field and not a stamped pattern. HomeGuide’s 2026 national ranges put plain concrete at $4 to $12 per square foot installed, broom finish at $6 to $13, and stained or stamped work at $8 to $30. A 20x20 patio is 400 square feet, so that same source puts a plain slab at $1,600 to $4,800 and a decorative finish at $3,200 to $12,000. San Diego quotes often land in the upper half of those bands once clay soil, tight side-yard access, and haul-off are in the bid. The contractor you hire sets the number after seeing the yard. Bloom Pro SD does not pour concrete. We match you with a licensed hardscape crew and you pay that crew directly.
This page is the poured-slab version of the question. If you already want a patterned surface, use our stamped concrete patio cost guide. If you want individual units you can lift later, use the paver patio cost guide.
What a 20x20 concrete patio costs
Twenty by twenty is the size most homeowners actually sketch. At 400 square feet, HomeGuide’s 2026 table is:
| Finish | National installed range | 20x20 (400 sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Plain / smooth | $4 to $12 per sq ft | $1,600 to $4,800 |
| Broom finish | $6 to $13 per sq ft | $2,400 to $5,200 |
| Stained | $8 to $25 per sq ft | $3,200 to $10,000 |
| Stamped | $9 to $30 per sq ft | $3,600 to $12,000 |
| Exposed aggregate | $7 to $18 per sq ft | $2,800 to $7,200 |
Those are aggregator ranges, not a Bloom Pro SD price list. Inland clay (El Cajon, Santee, Escondido) often needs more base work than a sandy coastal pad. A truck that cannot reach the backyard turns a pour into wheelbarrow labor. Either one moves a bid toward the top of the table. Ask the crew to price a broom-finish 20x20 and a stamped 20x20 as two line items so you are comparing the same pad.
What should be in the quote
A usable bid names the work, not a single lump. For a San Diego patio, that usually means:
- Demolition and haul-off of any existing slab, if there is one
- Excavation and grading so water runs away from the house
- Compacted base (often class II road base)
- Reinforcement: wire mesh or rebar
- Concrete thickness, mix strength, and finish
- Control joints and expansion joints
- Cleanup
HomeGuide lists labor as roughly half to 60 percent of a patio bid, with materials the rest. Reinforcement is called out separately at $1 to $3 per square foot. If a quote hides base prep inside one number, that is where change orders show up later.
What changes the number in San Diego County
Access. Mission Hills, Kensington, and many coastal lots cannot take a ready-mix chute to the backyard. Labor rises when the mix is carted.
Soil. Expansive clay under East County and inland North County pads is why a thin, unreinforced slab cracks. A thicker section or more steel is a site call, not a default upgrade.
Finish. Broom finish is the slip-resistant default for uncovered patios. Stamped work costs more and is harder to patch when San Diego clay moves. That tradeoff is the whole point of the stamped guide.
Drainage. A patio that holds water against stucco is a repair, not a feature. Slope belongs in the scope before the truck arrives.
Do you need a City of San Diego permit?
An uncovered at-grade slab is not what City of San Diego Information Bulletin 206 covers. IB 206 (March 2026) is about patio covers: one-story shade structures, not more than 12 feet above grade, used for outdoor living. Covers at or under 300 square feet of projected roof area can be exempt from a building permit on single-family and duplex lots, and a permit is still required if the site has environmentally sensitive lands, the cover sits in a required setback, the property is in the Coastal Zone or a planned residential development, or it is in a historic district. Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits can still apply. Footings on that bulletin use a 2,500 psi minimum mix.
A plain slab can still trigger zoning, lot coverage, drainage, or overlay rules. County unincorporated lots use Planning & Development Services, not City DSD. Ask the jurisdiction that issues your building permits before you treat a cover exemption as a slab exemption.
Concrete vs pavers for the same 400 square feet
HomeGuide’s 2026 material table puts plain concrete at $4 to $12 per square foot with a 30 to 50 year lifespan, stained or stamped at $8 to $30, and pavers at $10 to $30 with a 25 to 75 year lifespan. Concrete is usually cheaper on day one. Pavers win when a single unit cracks, because you replace one piece instead of living with a slab crack. That is the same split our stamped and paver guides already use. Pick the system, then size it.
When you can walk on it
HomeGuide says you can walk on new concrete after 24 to 48 hours, keep pets off for about three days, and treat full cure as about 30 days. Heavy planters and furniture wait until the crew says the slab can take the load. That calendar is why a weekend DIY pour on 400 square feet is a poor bet: the working window after a truck arrives is short, and a bad pad is a tear-out.
How Bloom Pro SD fits
Hardscaping is in scope. We match you with a licensed San Diego County contractor who quotes the pad after walking it. You contract with that company. For a poured patio, a stamped upgrade, or a paver yard, call (760) 400-6355.