Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's national cost guide lists $6 to $15 per square foot for a concrete driveway, and about $2,400 to $6,000 for a 20 x 20 foot (two-car) slab. Breaking out and hauling away an old driveway runs about $2 to $6 per square foot in the same guide. Your written estimate sets the actual price.

Spring to early fall, while the ground is thawed and overnight lows stay well above freezing. A late-fall pour is possible with blankets and careful timing, but the slab has to cure before hard freezes and before salt is used on it.

Flaking, called scaling, usually comes from water and salt working into a surface that was finished poorly, mixed without enough entrained air, or salted too early. Cracks often come from a weak or wet base, missing control joints or frost heave. We address each of those on a new pour.

A slab that is still in one piece but has dropped evenly, or has a few hairline cracks, can often be leveled or patched. Concrete broken into many pieces, flaking over most of its surface or lifting every winter usually costs less over time to replace on a rebuilt base. We say which after seeing it.

Walking on it is usually fine after a day or two. Cars should stay off for about a week and heavy trucks longer. The exact dates depend on the mix and the weather on pour day, and we write them down for you.

Often, when the work reaches the street, curb or public walk. On South Bend's sidewalk reimbursement program, the contractor pulls sidewalk permits from the city's Engineering Office, and St. Joseph County lists a Driveway Permit Application with its Public Works department. We check what your address needs before the job is scheduled.

It can be, with an air-entrained mix, well-placed joints and a sealer that is kept up. HomeGuide suggests resealing stamped concrete every 2 to 3 years. In winter, sand is gentler on the colored surface than rock salt.

HomeGuide's guide sets 4 inches as the minimum for ordinary cars and 5 to 6 inches for heavier vehicles. The apron and any spot where a truck or trailer parks often get extra depth.

We do not recommend it. Overlaying cracked, heaving concrete carries the cracks and the base problems into the new slab. Removal is usually $2 to $6 per square foot per HomeGuide and is the step that makes the new driveway last.

Avoid de-icing salt for the first winter and use sand instead. After that, use salt sparingly and avoid ammonium-based de-icers. A good sealer helps protect the surface.

HomeGuide gives 30 to 40 years with reasonable upkeep. The base, the air content of the mix, drainage and sealing decide where in that range yours lands.

Yes, when the rest is sound. The failed panels are cut out at a joint, the base under them is rebuilt and new concrete is poured level with the old. Expect the color to differ at first.

HomeGuide lists about $600 to $1,700 for a plain 12 by 12 foot patio and about $1,150 to $4,300 for stained or stamped. Tear-out and regrading are extra.

A patio for foot traffic, furniture and a grill is normally 4 inches. Under a hot tub or a heavy structure we go thicker.

Yes, with an isolation joint at the foundation and a slope that carries water away from the house. Without both, water can run back toward the basement.

Light foot traffic usually after a day or two. Wait about a week before heavy furniture or a grill goes on, and longer before a hot tub.

All concrete can crack. Air-entrained concrete, a solid base and joints placed along pattern lines keep cracks under control and hard to see.

Every 2 to 3 years, per HomeGuide. High-traffic or sunny spots can need it sooner.

Sealed stamped concrete can be slick in the rain. A non-slip additive in the sealer helps on walks, steps and around pools.

We recommend sand instead. Salt adds freeze-thaw stress and can wear the sealer and color. Never use ammonium-based de-icers.

Often, depending on pattern and color. Stamped concrete is one slab with no individual units to shift, but it needs resealing every few years.

Inside city limits, South Bend's municipal code makes the owner of the abutting property responsible for keeping up the curb and sidewalk. Public Works offers a per-foot reimbursement for approved replacements done by contractors bonded with the department. Outside the city, the rules vary by town.

Yes. We cut out the panel at its joints, deal with the roots or base problem, and pour a new panel level with its neighbors.

Shallow surface damage can be patched. Steps that are pulling away from the house, badly cracked or uneven are usually better replaced.

HomeGuide lists about $7 to $17 per square foot installed, or $28 to $68 per linear foot for a 4-foot-wide walk.

HomeGuide describes garage floors as reinforced concrete 4 to 6 inches thick. Building plans and local code may call for thickened edges or footings.

Not always, but a slab keeps a shed level through freeze-thaw and keeps the floor out of the wet. HomeGuide lists shed slabs at about $600 to $4,800 for 10 by 10 to 20 by 20 feet.

Usually, yes. We break out the old floor carefully, rebuild the base and pour a new slab inside the existing walls.

A new garage usually needs a building permit. Shed and flatwork rules vary, so we check with the right office for your address.

Leveling usually costs less. HomeGuide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 per square foot against $6 to $15 for replacement. Leveling only makes sense if the slab is mostly intact.

HomeGuide says mudjacking typically lasts 5 to 7 years with good drainage, and foam leveling often lasts longer.

Light scaling on a sound slab can be resurfaced. Deep scaling over most of the surface usually means replacement.

Water under the slab freezes and lifts it. The fix is drainage and a proper gravel base, which usually means replacing the panel rather than leveling it.

Not exactly at first. New concrete is lighter and weathers toward the older color over time.