Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's driveway cost guide lists a plain gray concrete driveway at $6 to $10 a square foot installed. On a 400-square-foot, two-car pad that comes to roughly $2,400 to $6,000, and breaking out the old slab adds $2 to $6 a square foot. Those are national numbers; your price is the one on the written estimate, since tear-out, thickness, access and grading vary by lot.

Yes, entirely. Homeowners in Lafayette and the towns around it hire us for driveways, patios, stamped surfaces, walks and steps, garage and shed floors, and repair or replacement of existing slabs.

No. We visit, measure, look over the site and hand you a written price for free. Firm numbers over the phone for a job we have not seen are not something we give.

That is scaling. Water in the top layer freezes and thaws repeatedly, and deicing salt speeds it up. It is more likely when the mix had too little entrained air, when the surface was finished with water standing on it, or when salt went on during the slab's first winter. A small patch can be sealed and watched; scaling over most of the slab usually calls for replacement.

The easy window runs from late spring through fall, after the ground thaws and dries. Cold-weather pours are possible with warm mix water, set accelerators and insulated blankets, but fresh concrete must not freeze while it cures, and air-entrained slabs should stay salt-free their first winter.

It depends on the slab. HomeGuide's concrete leveling guide treats leveling as a fit for slabs that settled but are still sound, and points to replacement when cracks run wider than about a quarter inch, spalling is significant or the concrete is badly deteriorated. After a look, we tell you which camp yours is in and why.

That turns on where the house is. In West Lafayette, work in the public right of way, sidewalks included, needs a right-of-way permit from City Engineering. Lafayette's Contractors Corner page says disturbing soil between the sidewalk and the street requires a permit. We check your address and handle whatever applies.

HomeGuide's guide sets 4 inches as the floor for passenger cars, 5 to 6 inches for RVs or heavy vehicles, and 6 to 8 inches at thickened edges. Where tires turn at the apron, we often add depth.

For drives, we lean on rebar set on chairs, because it holds its position in the middle of the slab and keeps cracks tight. Mesh helps only if it ends up inside the concrete, not trampled down into the stone.

Seldom a good idea. A thin overlay tends to crack right above the old cracks, and the extra height causes trouble at the garage door and the street. HomeGuide lists tear-out at $2 to $6 a square foot, and it is usually money well spent.

HomeGuide puts a well-maintained concrete driveway at 30 to 40 years. Entrained air, solid stone underneath, regular sealing and light use of salt push it toward the top of that range.

Depends on the town. West Lafayette requires a right-of-way permit for work in the public right of way, and Lafayette requires one when soil is disturbed between the sidewalk and street. We look up your address before setting a date.

About 4 inches for a standard patio, according to HomeGuide, and about 6 inches with extra reinforcement under a hot tub or outdoor kitchen.

HomeGuide lists 30 to 50 years for a concrete patio with regular maintenance. Slope, base and sealing make the biggest difference.

Often not directly. When the truck cannot reach, we use a pump or buggies to move the concrete. That adds cost, and the quote will say so.

Yes. A penetrating sealer slows how much water soaks in, which matters in a freeze-thaw climate. Seal after the slab has cured, then every few years.

Like any slab, it can. Joints, solid stone underneath and steel keep cracks to planned lines, and we tuck joints into the pattern where possible.

Figure every 2 to 3 years, the interval HomeGuide gives for resealing driveways. Drives and spots in full sun can need it sooner.

A sealed surface can be slick when wet. Non-slip grit in the sealer on walks and steps, plus a textured pattern, helps a lot.

Not the slab itself; stamping happens while concrete is still fresh. A stamped overlay can go on sound concrete, but over a cracked or flaking slab, replacing it is the better choice.

It can, with a shallower texture and more frequent resealing, since drives see road salt and tire wear.

That depends on your city's rules, and they are not the same everywhere. We check the rules for your address and tell you what permit, if any, the work needs.

Yes. We cut out the damaged square at its joints and pour a new one at the same grade as the squares beside it.

If the steps are solid and only the edges have chipped, a repair can work. If the stoop has settled, pulled away from the house or the risers are uneven, rebuilding is the safer fix.

Usually light foot traffic after a day or two, depending on the weather. We will tell you on the day of the pour.

HomeGuide says garage floors are typically 4 to 6 inches thick and reinforced. We go thicker for heavy vehicles or workshop equipment.

HomeGuide notes that shed slabs around 4 inches thick usually do not need reinforcement. We may still add it on soft ground or for heavier loads.

A new garage often needs a building permit, and around Lafayette that can run through the Tippecanoe County Building Commission process. We check the requirements before we plan the pour.

Framing can usually start a few days after the pour, once the slab has gained enough strength. Heavy equipment should wait longer. We give you dates for your job.

Narrow cracks can be cleaned and sealed. Cracks wider than about 1/4 inch, or cracks with one side raised, usually point to a slab that needs replacing.

Usually. HomeGuide puts mudjacking at $4 to $9 per square foot against $6 to $15 for replacement. Leveling only makes sense if the slab is still sound.

Usually water under the slab, a poor base, missing control joints or concrete that was too thin. Repairs last longer when the cause is fixed too.

On a slab that is otherwise sound with light scaling, sometimes. When scaling covers most of the surface, the concrete underneath is usually weak, and an overlay will not hold.

New concrete never matches old concrete exactly in color. Replacing whole panels or sections at the joints gives the cleanest look.