Paver patios in Lenexa
Older neighborhoods east of Pflumm, new development out past Renner, and about thirty years of difference between them.
The steepest ground we work, and an 18-inch rule
Lenexa's age gradient runs east to west, not north to south. Census figures put the tracts east of Pflumm at a median build year around 1980 and the ground west of Renner around 2010 — thirty years across a city you can drive in fifteen minutes. It is also the steepest and rockiest of the cities we work: roughly one part in six sits on slopes that can pass eight percent, and about a seventh of the city is thin soil over limestone. Slope is where the money goes on a Lenexa patio.
Slope is the cost driver
Every foot of fall between the house and the far edge of the patio is either excavation, fill, a step, or a wall. A bid that treats a sloped yard like a flat one is not cheaper, it is just wrong, and the difference turns up later as a change order.
Rock closer to the surface than you would like
About a seventh of Lenexa sits on shallow-to-limestone ground. Where that turns up, excavating to depth is a different job than digging silt loam. I would rather find it on the walk than have a crew find it on day two.
The 18-inch rule, and the exception to it
Lenexa's code is the only one round here that sets a patio height. A deck, porch or patio no more than 18 inches above natural grade can reach 3 ft into a required setback, no closer than 2 ft to a line. On uneven ground the building services supervisor can allow more, up to 30 inches — a clause that exists precisely because Lenexa's lots are not flat.
Rain to Recreation bills you by hard surface
Lenexa's stormwater utility is charged on impervious area, counted in units of 2,750 sq ft. A patio adds hard surface, so it is worth asking the city whether your project touches the 60% open space standard before you settle on a size. The permits desk is 913-477-7725.
Setback, patio height and retaining wall detail from the Lenexa Unified Development Code and the city's 2023 code amendment. Housing-age figures from the 2024 ACS five-year estimates. Soil and slope characteristics from the USDA NRCS soil survey for Johnson County. The city is always the authority.
Get a free quote in Lenexa
Tell me where the yard is and roughly what you are picturing. I come out, measure, and put a fixed written price in your hands — not a range, and not a number invented over the phone.
Got it — that is on its way.
I will be in touch within one business day to set a time to come look at the yard. If you would rather not wait, call or text (913) 725-8811 and you will get me directly.
Hardscape in Lenexa
Paver patios
New patios, and replacements for concrete that has cracked or settled. Built on a compacted base sized for the job, not for the bid.
Walkways & entries
Front walks, side paths and the run from the driveway to the door — the first thing anyone sees of the house.
Fire pit areas
Built-in fire pits and the seating space around them, laid out so the furniture actually fits once it is finished.
Steps & low walls
Steps, low retaining and seat walls where the grade changes. Anything over four feet gets an engineer, not a guess.
Does a Lenexa patio need a permit?
Lenexa has not published a clear position on a patio at grade — it is on neither the required nor the exempt list, so I confirm rather than assume. What the code does say is specific: a patio no more than 18 inches above natural grade may reach 3 ft into a required setback but no closer than 2 ft to any property line, with discretion up to 30 inches where the ground varies. Retaining walls need a permit at 4 ft and over; under 4 ft is exempt but still wants a 2 ft setback, and walls are not allowed inside drainage easements. Lenexa's rear setback is 20 ft, tighter than its neighbours' 25. The permits desk is 913-477-7725.
Kansas 811 is not optional. The utility locate is free, takes two full working days, and every job here waits for it. Full detail for all six cities is on the Johnson County permit page.
Asked in Lenexa
My back yard slopes. Can you still build a patio?
Yes, and out past Renner most jobs are some version of that. The slope is handled with some combination of cut, fill, steps and a low retaining wall. What it cannot be is ignored — a level patio on sloped ground needs the grade dealt with properly or it moves.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Lenexa?
At 4 ft and over, yes. Under 4 ft is exempt from the permit but still has to sit at least 2 ft off your property lines, and no wall is allowed inside a drainage easement. Anything over 4 ft needs engineered design, which I bring in rather than estimate.
Where does the water go once the patio is in?
That gets decided before anything is dug. Minimum fall is a quarter inch per foot away from the house, and on steeper lots that usually means a drain line running to daylight rather than relying on surface slope alone. It goes in the written scope.
Free on-site design & quote in Lenexa
I measure the yard, talk through what you want, and send a fixed written price.