I am getting ready to install a new concrete patio. I will be starting from scratch. It will be about 18'x9'. I need to move a fence back before I install the patio. There is a slight slope right now and I will need to bring in some dirt or something to fill in the area, also I just had 3 trees removed and the stomps were ground down, one of the tree stumps will be directly under the patio.

I have three main questions, first is there any real problem with the patio being over the old tree stump? It was ground down 2-3" and with the fill dirt I will be bringing in there will be another 3-5" for a total of 5-8" of dirt over the stump.

Next, what type of dirt or filler should I bring in? Just regular old dirt?

And lastly, how thick should the patio be? This will be simply a back yard patio for bar-B-Qing and sitting on. Nothing heavy will ever be driven on it.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. This will be the first concrete project I have personally installed.

Thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions.

Rob

If you have no experience pouring and finishing concrete, don't experiment here.
Concrete sets quickly and is unforgiving and costs a bundle to remove if not done correctly.

My advice is to hire a mason for this small job and be assured it is done correctly.

As for the stump, you should remove as much of the stump as possible, even grinding it out completely since any amount of stump left under the slab will only rot in time, causing a weak spot which can then crack the concrete.

The best fill for concrete is crushed/washed stone, about walnut sized, not dirt.

Total concrete is about 2 yards if you make the slab 4" deep. 2200PSI mix from a redi-mix concrete company is ok. This is sometimes known as 'sidewalk' mix.

You should have at least 1 control joint cut into the concrete along the 18' length in order to control cracking.