Concrete Driveway Cost

[Bird]

My little short driveway has cracks that are gradually growing, and I haven't been able to decide what to do about it. I had a contractor here today who said I could probably postpone replacing it by putting Sikaflex SL in the cracks to save money, but it would be a temporary fix. He said the only thing he could do would be to tear it out completely and rebuild it with 3/8" rebar on 18" centers each way, 4" of concrete. He's going to figure out what it would cost and send me a proposal via e-mail.

The driveway is 44' long and 16' wide. The first 32.5' x 16' (going out from the apron at the garage door) is just a rectangle while the last 11.5' out to the street flares out of 25' wide at the street. He said the city may require that flared portion to be 6" thick.

Now he seemed like a nice guy, but since I've never personally hired that kind of work done, no matter what his proposal is, I won't know whether it's a bargain or whether it's twice what's reasonable. So I'm going to at least get a second opinion and quote.

Anyone want to give me a wild guess as to what it should cost.

 

[Gator6x4]

I can't give you a esitmate Bird so how about some questions. Does the contractor have his own Dump Truck, TLB and other equipment to remove the existing driveway or will he rent the equipment to do this with or hire someone else? This approach will probabkly increase cost. You may consider the replacement as a two part job. Someone remove the existing driveway and then someone install a new driveway. Another good question to ask is if they have metal forms or if they use 1x4's. Usually contractors that have metal forms are cheaper and I think the driveway sides look straighter when finished.

 

[Western]

Bird, I had a 30x40 poured almost 2 months ago, 3/8ths re-bar on 16" centers, cross footings (12"x14") and outside footing. I found 3 concrete guys that would do it turn key for $3.50 a foot out of Decatur, You may can even do better now, they told me they where "real" slow right now with the economy.

BTW, I have worked on parking lots that other contractors have used Epoxy (flexible). Seemed easy enough and allot cheaper probably with the use your driveway will get versus a commercial business parking lot.

 

[Bird]

I was afraid the cost might be up around that, Dennis. Thanks for the information.

 

[hizoot]

Last year,around east texas,concrete work was going for near 5.00/ft. 3.50 is fairly reasonable.

 

[300UGUY]

Not in Texas, but I had a 40x60 slab poured here for $5500. That included all prep work, and finishing. That's 2.30 per sq ft.

 

[KennyG]

Unless you are really concerned about the look of it, I would try patching the cracks. If you only have cracks and not heaving of part of the slab, it could last a long time and will be perfectly functional. Even a few years would be pretty cheap compared with replacing the slab. All depends on the look you want.

 

[salopez]

a very good product is Roklin ready flex. its a two part polymer that will last for years. matches pretty good to concrete.

 

[Bird]

Unless you are really concerned about the look of it, I would try patching the cracks. If you only have cracks and not heaving of part of the slab, it could last a long time and will be perfectly functional. Even a few years would be pretty cheap compared with replacing the slab. All depends on the look you want.

I do want it to look decent, but more importantly I don't want it to crumble and come apart. With the current weather around here, you might not believe it, but there is a possiblity of rain and then a freeze this Winter.:laughing: And I don't want the concrete breaking up more.

But I do want to get an estimate from All Texas Decks, Inc. for them to put a finish on it. One of my daughters and her husband did an epoxy finish on their garage floor themselves, and it just looks great. But I don't know how durable it'll be, since they don't park vehicles in the garage, and we do.

 

[LanceH]

I do want it to look decent, but more importantly I don't want it to crumble and come apart. With the current weather around here, you might not believe it, but there is a possiblity of rain and then a freeze this Winter.:laughing: And I don't want the concrete breaking up more.

But I do want to get an estimate from All Texas Decks, Inc. for them to put a finish on it. One of my daughters and her husband did an epoxy finish on their garage floor themselves, and it just looks great. But I don't know how durable it'll be, since they don't park vehicles in the garage, and we do.

I'd get on Sika's website and talk to a rep. They ought to come out and look at it, or you could email them pictures if you are too far away. They make good products we use on rehabing water and wastewater plants. If you had a helper or two, you could easily buy it from a distributor and go at it yourself and save a boatload of money.

 

[JDgreen227]

Not in Texas, but I had a 40x60 slab poured here for $5500. That included all prep work, and finishing. That's 2.30 per sq ft.

Did that include a tamped sand base or wire mesh reinforcement, and what was the thickness of the slab?

If it was 6 inches thick, that would be close to 45 yards and locally here, a yard delivered runs $90-100. Even if it was only 4 inches thick, you got a really good price if they included a base and mesh.

 

[jinman]

Bird, I had a 10' x 25' x 6" slab poured and tied into my existing driveway this spring. I did the excavation and had rebar left over from building my house. It was $5.20 per foot with 12" footings around the perimeter.

Just a thought. . . When I worked at UT Dallas in the mid-80s, they resurfaced all the sidewalks and steps going into the buildings with an epoxy-pea gravel mixture around 1/2" thick. Epoxy adheres strongly to clean concrete, but I'm not sure if it will stick to any oil-soaked spots on driveways. I also don't know if anyone does this anymore or if it wouldn't cost as much as doing fresh concrete. It sure looked good though and provided a nice texture.

 

[JB4310]

I'm no concrete driveway expert, we have very few here in New England.
But I think 4" is not thick enough even for a residential drive, I would think 5 inch minimum.

All the steel reinforcement does is prevent it from coming apart, it does not prevent cracking. Though 4" may be fine for personal light vehicles, at some point a heavy truck is gonna pull into that driveway, That's when the quality of the compacted base is going to be put to the test, regardless of the quality of the slab.

Around here concrete slabs exposed to the weather will spall from the freeze/thaw cycles and look horrible. If you just have cracks I would probably just deal with those.

Any pics available?

JB

 

[EddieWalker]

You really can't compare what a slab for a shop costs to removing an existing driveway pad and installing a new one. Time is money, and so is transporting equipement and materials. Getting rid of that existing slab is going to cost as much as pouring the new one. The actual pour is quick and simple. The fact that he is using rebar instead of wire is a very good sign. The reason it's cracking is that it was probably poured without any rebar in it. Seems like a lot of driveways and sidewalks where done like that.

Depending on the size of the cracks and the movement of the soil, patching might work, or it will be a total waste of time. Putting something over a slab that is cracking, and moving, will just mean that whatever you put on top of it will end up cracking.

Live with it and seal the cracks on a regular basis, or replace it and do it right.

Get at least five quotes, and don't tell the other guys what you have learned from each other. The best way to find out who is lying to you and trying to take advantage is to say as little as possible about what you do and do not know, and let them say too much.

Eddie

 

[Bird]

Lots of good suggestions and I thank all of you. There's not any buckling, no heaves, etc. but sure is showing the cracks.

 

[KennyG]

I wish mine looked that good.

I'd definitely seal the cracks one time and see how much it moves in a year or two.

 

[NorTracNY]

It's a driveway! That looks like it's in pretty good shape. Seal it and save the money for another 5-10 years! I'm sure you can find something else to spend the money on now.

 

[JB4310]

Yeah I would just go after that one large crack in the middle, and just where it's 1/8-1/4+ inch wide. I wouldn't chase all the little ones.

Anything you do will make them look more pronounced than they are now if you are not careful.
I would get a good polyurethane caulk in a color that is darker than the driveway to avoid a contrast (darker is always better than lighter when patching) and cut the tube fairly small, inject it in the crack, fill it but try not to get any on the surface. you could also sprinkle a little dry sand on the caulk to blend the sheen/ texture in as well.

You just want to make that dark shadow disappear, without it looking like a patch.

All just my opinion of course, But I have made a living being a "patch up - fix up" guy. That's what one old timer called me, not very flattering but not inaccurate either

I like to boast sometimes that I CAN make a silk purse out of a sow's ear :laughing:

Good luck!
JB

 

[hizoot]

I heard on the radio,yesterday,that due to the drought,foundation repair calls are stacked up for months. Especially anywhere near the black clay soil that runs from Greenville to Dallas,then south along I35 corridor. I agree with the post above,I would seal the cracks and look at a epoxy type topcoat.

 

[Boeing]

Bird,
I agree entirely with JB. An hour with hydraulic cement on the larger crack, then sealer or epoxy and that will be a driveway to win your wife's heart
And with the money you saved you can buy another toy. :thumbsup: