you could stain/dye the cement.

Oh wow. I need to look into that!! Thanks!

We did it ourselves in a few hours. Really made a big difference!

You could cover it with IPE tiles they are really easy to lay and are almost maintenance free, look awesome.

Those look amazing, Patricia! I love that idea. Thanks!

Just put pavers on top and match grade when you extend out.

Can you post some pictures so I can see it? You can lay right over the concrete slab and add more around it to make the space bigger. You should also consult an outdoor living designer to help you with entire concept. We can give you tons of ideas, then you can hire the installation company to install each phase of the project.

I will definitely post some pictures. I would appreciate any advice. We got a big snow storm yesterday & I was NOT going outside but it should be a little better tomorrow. I'll see if I can take some measurements too. The only pictures I have now are from a few months ago & they don't show the whole area but this is looking out from the area I'd like to redo...

Lol! We are based in Chicago, so I know what that is like. We live under snow all winter.

I had the same dilemma and opted to build out from existing slab with pavers. It looks great and was half the price. Now I dont even notice the difference.

If the concrete is new you could form a new band around the concrete and pour an outside 2-3' border which would expand the patio to 13x15 which would just look like a border and not necessarily too different as it hasn't had too long to weather. It is true that no two concrete pours are exactly the same but It would provide a solid surface.

In addition to a border, you could add a space that has a single use, for example, a dining area or fire pit area. Pave that space with something other than poured concrete and use the same material to add a border around your existing space. There are many concrete paver materials, as suggested above, that would be perfect for that. The new space could be curved or rectangular and at least 12 feet square to be usable.

I agree with @Barbara. You could add another pad and create another space. If you are wishing to extend on to the existing concrete pad, you could pour more concrete around it to make it larger. If you were to pour new concrete around it, you would have to tie it into the existing pad with rebar to ensure the pad moves as one. If you decided to put stone overtop of the entire thing, separate movement would cause your stone to crack.

I wouldn't recommend putting concrete pavers overtop of concrete because it is kind of redundant. I would put a nice decorative flagstone, large tiles, or clay pavers to make this work.

It sounds like you have a long wishlist and for the things you are looking to have don. I would highly recommend hiring a design/build company who can carry you through this process and come up with a design and construction practices that will work for you and your climate zone. Good luck!

Looks like you have a great large natural space to work with. Just enjoy as you go and take your time to plan.

And sometimes the nicest spots in the yard don't have to cost much. Favorite spot in our yard is a spot we smoothed out with a rake, topped with weed cloth and then gravel. Added a couple of chairs and a portable firepit.

Maybe you can think of your slab as your outdoor's foyer: A spot to enter the yard before going on into the yard's other rooms (kitchen, lounge, kid zone, etc.).

Here is the "slab as foyer" idea. Looks like the concrete was stained. Then have stairs off to the other areas.

Putting a roof of some sort over the slab will make it feel much more a part of the house and finished. A simple trellis would do the trick.

Hi skp0001,

I completely agree with Patricia. If you have a concrete area that looks uninviting don't paint it, you can always cover it with Ipe, Tigerwood, or Cumaru Deck Tiles. They can go right on top of the concrete without any problems. If you wish to expand from there you have several options by utilizing more grass, or adding new concrete paves so there is a beautiful contrast. There's no need for a full demolition of the area. These are a few images of some projects that have utilized our tiles. Hope this helps you out!

Oh, I think you're right. We had a little concrete stoop (about half the size of yours) and we decided on a paver patio. They removed our concrete stoop in no time at all at the beginning of the paver install - probably in an hour. They hauled off the concrete and began work on the patio. A neighbor did a paver patio himself and left his stoop. It looks very odd. I think you'll be so much happier if you have it removed and I bet the price difference will be minimal (maybe just a couple hundred dollars).

Also, if you are having the work done by a paver company, the demolition is minor (really minor). And, we had had some settling at our home and the original stoop had begun to pull away from the house. If we had done pavers around it before the settling occurred, it would have looked awful once that occurred. Or, what if you leave it and do pavers around it and it gets a big crack in it later on. I think it would be cheaper to just have it removed as part of the paver install than any of the suggested methods to cover it.

You could always use the broken up slab for a retaining wall or stepping stones.

Stamp overlay will make your old concrete look like brand new colored and stamped concrete. This is not a DIY though. When finished, you can't tell the difference. You could even add onto your project and stamp that too.

I finally got outside (brrrr) & took some pictures of my sad little slab. We moved here in Nov & just threw stuff out there so it's a mess but at least you get the idea. I am so excited to remake this area! Now that you can see it, what do you guys think?

Ya it's a small pad for that huge of a house and yard:( love that you have all that space though. We have 8 acres and about 2.5 is a lake and we love it! You have so many options like the others have said! I see so many thing you can do. Fire pit , Outdoor Kitchen, flowerbeds. Definitely go with low maintenance as in concrete or stone!

Not sad, just a work in process!

Are the double doors to kitchen area? I can see you outlining a couple sides of your "sad pad" with built in outdoor kitchen. And building a cover over the pad for the cook. Maybe a small pub table on the other side for a couple of folks to visit the chef.

You have a nice gradual slope and see dining table slightly lower in the yard. A wide step down from the existing pad.

It will all be lovely.

I see a composite deck with no railings. It would be less expensive then stamped and colored concrete, and low maintenance. You could put the firepit in the deck. It would also make it so there wasn't a step coming out your French doors.

plus you could leave the concrete pad from what it looks like

Good point! That huge step down from the house is a very bad thing!

The doors do lead to the dinette/kitchen so an outdoor kitchen would be a great extension of the indoor space. I never thought of doing a deck. Thank you for all the ideas. I'm off to google "composite deck" now... :)

Home Depot has instock composite decking. You can't beat the price if you can find it stocked. (Trex in our area) Hidden fasteners would be the way to go. (grooved edge) No screws in the surface of the deck.

A composite deck is a great idea. The material is a little more expensive than wood but well worth the investment as it lasts at least three times as long as wood. You could leave the concrete pad under the deck.

The railings that come with composite decks are not very attractive, however. It would be better to do without a railing and instead install a raised planting area next to the decking to eliminate the danger of anyone falling off the deck. The raised planting area can be retained with boulders, concrete blocks, steel or even more composite timbers.

With the slope in your yard, you could have one seating or dining area lower than the main deck. Make sure the deck is large enough to handle a 12 x 12 dining area, along with other seating areas, with room to walk around the furniture. If furniture is too crowded it looks tacky.

We have a large cement slab patio with a bubbly-coming off thin coating of something once called "flo-crete" (big mistake). Is it possible to just chip this off the surface and add an additional layer of smooth plain cement? Perhaps paint or stain a border? Does anyone have experience with outdoor woven vinyl rugs? How about large leaf imprinting into cement? Additionally, with adding on to an existing slab the use of rebar is suggested above. I thought that was no longer used because of rusting. But if used, is it drilled into the sides of the existing slab? We removed a diving board and may extend the deck a bit (or reduce it instead). I think this space has potential and appreciate any ideas/help.

Concrete is obviously an available option for your patio, but be warned, when talking concrete versus patio pavers, concrete will not hold weight as well as patio pavers, and concrete also has a much higher tendency to crack and is a pain to fix. Pavers, although a slightly more expensive option, are highly customizable, withstand much more weight in means of the weight of furniture, having gatherings, and everyday wear and tear. I would suggest a paver option in order to make your patio truly your own and have a space that will last you a lifetime. There are many available dealers for pavers all over the US, check out some ideabooks centered around pavers and patio builders for inspiration.