Concrete driveway building in Garden City KS - a slab built for winter and salt
Driveway sunk, cracked or holding water? We pour a new one on a packed base, sloped to send water away from the house.
Concrete driveway building in Garden City usually starts with an old drive that has sunk, cracked across or begun holding water. We tear it out and pour a new slab that has to take freezing nights and deicing salt every winter, so I talk through the mix and how we'll cure it with you, not just the price.
Size, how much old concrete comes out and the finish you pick move the price, and weather and the permit move the schedule. So does the spot where your drive meets the street, because the city's Public Works office can call for a culvert, a drainage pipe under the drive, on streets without curb and gutter, and a drive along a state highway needs separate approval from the Kansas transportation department. Your estimate spells out what we'll do.
What goes into building your concrete driveway
- Old slab out, base packed. We break out the old drive, then dig out and pack the base, what the slab sits on, because most of the slabs I patched at rentals failed from underneath.
- Water sent away from the house. Before we set forms, we check where rain runs off your roof and yard, then set the slab to fall away from the garage instead of toward it.
- Mix and curing planned for winter. We choose a mix built for freezing and salt and plan the curing, the wait while the slab gains strength, keeping the pour out of midday heat that leaves a dusty top.
- Joints cut on time, broom finish. We cut control joints, grooves that tell the slab where to crack, before it cracks on its own, then broom the top so tires and boots grip on ice.
- I look at it, our crew pours. I come out to look at your driveway myself, and our crew does the work with me on site. I've run this business since 2013.
- Licensed and insured at your house. We're fully licensed and insured, so the crew breaking out and pouring your driveway is covered while we're working on your property.
What goes wrong with old driveways
| Problem | What it looks like | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sunken or settled slab | What it looks like: A low corner, a dip that holds water, a lip at the garage | Usual fix: Tear out, dig out and pack the base, repour |
| Water running toward the house | What it looks like: Puddles that sit after rain, or runoff heading into the garage | Usual fix: New slab set to fall away from the house |
| Cracks in the wrong places | What it looks like: Cracks wandering across the panels instead of along the cut lines | Usual fix: Control joints cut early enough to guide the cracks |
| Flaking, scaling top | What it looks like: The surface peeling off in thin flakes after a few winters | Usual fix: A sound mix, careful curing and gentler deicers |
Repair, replace a section or start over
- Crack repair. Fits a drive that's still flat and drains well but has a few narrow cracks, since filling and sealing them keeps water out a while longer.
- Replace a section. Suits a drive where one panel or the approach at the street has sunk or broken up, while the rest is still sound and level.
- A new driveway. Right when the drive has settled or drains toward the house. If money's tight, spend it on the base before a stamped finish, because a pretty top can't save a slab that sinks.
How your driveway job runs
- I come out. You call, and I come out to look at the driveway, see where the water goes and ask what you want from it.
- An estimate that spells it out. You get an estimate that spells out what we'll do, the mix and the curing included, so you can hold it up against other quotes.
- Permit and locates. We pull the permit when one's needed or help you apply, and settle who calls in utility locates. The city's building inspections office does the reviews and inspections.
- Pour, finish, cure. Our crew pours, finishes and cuts the joints, then we leave the slab to cure and keep everyone off it until it's ready.
- Walk it together. We walk the finished driveway with you, tell you when you can drive on it and go over how to treat it that first winter.
Looking after your driveway after we leave
What keeps a driveway sound after we leave is mostly water and salt. Keep downspouts pointed away from the edges, fill any crack or open joint before winter, and go easy on deicers, as the questions below cover.
We pour driveways, patios and walks for homeowners, landlords and small business owners in Garden City and the cities around it. If you'd like to know what a new drive would take at your place, call (620) 315-5440 or send the form and ask for an estimate.
Tell us about your driveway
Send the driveway's rough size and whether it meets a street without curb and gutter or a state highway. We reply within one business day, and I come out to look.
(620) 315-5440- Free on-site estimate
- No obligation to hire us
- The work spelled out
Driveway questions we hear most
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Garden City?
Across the US, installing a concrete driveway usually runs about $10 to $11.50 per square foot, and that's a national figure, not a Garden City price. Size, tearing out the old slab, ground work and the finish all move it, and I'll put a number on yours once I've seen it.
Who is allowed to build a driveway in Garden City, KS?
The City of Garden City requires any contractor or handyman you hire to be licensed by the city, though you're free to hire a laborer. Before anyone forms up your driveway, it's fair to ask to see that license.
When is the best time to pour a concrete driveway in Garden City?
The cold months take the most care, because concrete poured in late fall, winter or early spring can freeze soon after the pour while it's still saturated. If your job lands then, ask any crew how they'd handle a freeze right after the pour, and I'll tell you how we would.
Can Garden City help pay to replace my driveway approach?
Yes, the city's Sidewalk Program offers a cost share of up to $1,000 for existing sidewalk and driveway approach work inside city limits. Those jobs need a no-cost building permit from the Neighborhood and Development service center first, and a Public Works inspector checks the job before any concrete comes out or goes in.
Will a new concrete driveway flake after a few winters?
Flaking, called scaling, is less likely with dense, good concrete that has entrained air, tiny bubbles that give freezing water room, and with careful placing and curing. A Carolinas ready-mix group reports the latest residential code sets a minimum strength for concrete facing freezing and deicers, so it's fair to ask whether a quote's mix meets it.
What deicer is safe on a new concrete driveway?
None the first winter, since deicers are best skipped on new concrete that season and used in moderate amounts after that. Even later, keep ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and magnesium-based salts off it, because they're chemically aggressive and break down the surface. Plan on shoveling that first season.