What should I budget for a broom-finish patio in Kanata?

Plain broom-finish concrete runs about $9 to $15 per square foot installed, and Ottawa price pages note that small jobs often hit a minimum charge of about $5,500. That minimum is worth knowing early, because it means a modest patio can land near the same number as a larger one.

What moves the final number around: the size of the slab and whether the minimum charge applies, how much excavation and base preparation the site needs, whether old concrete has to come out first, how accessible the backyard is for a truck and wheelbarrow, and whether the work happens during a period when the air temperature is below 5 °C, which triggers the 2024 Ontario Building Code's cold-weather concrete requirements. Removal and disposal are worth asking about separately. The City of Ottawa's Trail Waste Facility charges $144 per tonne for clean concrete without rebar above 250 kg, with a $36 minimum for loads under 250 kg, so a large demo adds up.

On the rules side, a contractor doing this work needs a City of Ottawa Hardscaping Contractor Licence, which has been required since March 1, 2026. The City's Hardscaping Contractor Licence page lists concrete patios among the features covered. Ask to see the licence and check the contractor's name against the City's published list yourself. The City's patio page says a patio is exempt from a building permit if it is supported directly on the ground, does not have an occupant load exceeding what is permitted, and does not adversely affect existing exiting or barrier-free access. The City's list of projects not requiring a permit includes landscaping, but also says exempt projects must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and any applicable law, including the Zoning By-law. Both Zoning By-law 2008-250 and Zoning By-law 2026-50 apply to applications deemed complete on or after March 11, 2026, with the most restrictive provisions from both applying. Under 2026-50, soft landscaping requirements apply to front and rear yards, so ask the City how much of your yard must remain soft landscaped before you fix the patio size. If any digging is involved, whoever digs is an excavator under the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012 and must submit a locate request through Ontario Dig Authority at least five business days before breaking ground. Locates are free.

The 2024 Ontario Building Code sets 32 MPa as the compressive strength standard for exterior flatwork, and a maximum water-to-cementing-materials ratio of 0.45 for the same. We found no Code requirement for a specific thickness, base depth, mesh or rebar under a patio; those come from the contractor's written specification, so ask for them in writing.

Comparing quotes, look for the base depth and compaction method, the slab thickness, the concrete strength in MPa, the finish, and whether removal and disposal of any existing concrete are included or billed separately.