If your driveway is cracked, sinking or holding puddles, we can take it out, pack a proper base and pour a new slab.
Concrete driveway building in Auburn, WA means preparing the ground and pouring a new concrete slab at least 4 inches thick, so you have a hard, even surface to drive and park on, usually in place of an old driveway that has cracked or sunk.
Most people call us when the old driveway has cracked across, dropped at one corner or holds water by the garage door. Usually the concrete isn't the whole story. The subgrade, which is the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, was often raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settled over the years and took the slab down with it.
The price turns mostly on the size of the driveway, how thick we pour it and whether the old concrete has to be broken up and hauled away first. How much base work the ground needs and how easily we can get concrete to the forms matter too. A plain finish costs less than a decorative one, and your own figure comes from the written estimate after I've seen the site.
The schedule depends on how much comes out, how much base work there is, the weather on pour day and the cure. Curing is the stretch after the pour when concrete slowly gains strength and has to be left alone, and it's the part of the job that keeps you off the driveway longest.
Most of what decides how a new driveway behaves is settled before the concrete truck arrives. These are the three things I look at closely on a driveway job, and why each one matters.
We dig down to firm ground and pack the base in layers, because a base that's only raked level keeps settling after the crew leaves and pulls the slab down with it. It's the work nobody sees once the concrete is in, which is why a low bid usually trims it first.
Before we set the forms, I look at where water from the roof and yard runs now, and we set the slab so it falls gently toward the street or the lawn. A driveway that tilts toward the garage or the foundation sends water right where you don't want it.
Concrete shrinks as it cures, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight, planned line to follow. Random cracks are generally not a structural problem and don't shorten the driveway's service life, but they are an eyesore. Steel reinforcement won't prevent cracks either, though it helps hold them together if they do occur.
From the first call to the last walk-through, here's who does what, and what you'll have in hand before any concrete is ordered for your driveway.
Call (253) 275-5460 or use our contact form and tell us roughly what you have in mind, whether that's a replacement, a wider driveway or a new one. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come out myself, look over the old slab and where the water runs, and check which office covers your address. You get a written estimate listing what's included, such as taking out the old concrete and cleaning up afterward.
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork the job needs. Our crew lead runs the work on site, from removal and base packing to forms, the pour and cutting the joints, and I check in while it's underway.
When the work is finished, I walk the new driveway with you and go over what it needs in its first days and first winter. After that, the main job is keeping cars off it until it has cured.
At the estimate, I'll ask what you park and how heavy it is, because that decides how thick the slab should be beyond the minimum. We also talk through where the control joints will go, so the lines land where they look deliberate. And I'll ask whether the old driveway needs to come out, so that cost is in the estimate from the start rather than a surprise later.
If the budget has to give somewhere, I'd rather you trim the finish than the base. The base is buried on day one and nobody admires it, which is why it's usually the first thing cut, but a nice surface on a settling base will crack and sink much like the old driveway did. A plain slab on a well-packed base is the better buy.
We plan the pour for the cooler part of the day when we can, because concrete finished in midday heat dries too fast at the top and can turn weak and dusty later. Most driveways get a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip when the surface is wet.
A good number of people who redo a driveway also want a concrete patio out back at the same time, and planning both together means we set up once instead of twice. If you'd like more than plain gray, stamped concrete can cover the whole driveway or just a border, and I'll explain what each choice involves before you decide.
The usual choice for a driveway. The brushed texture gives grip, it's the simpler finish to place, and it leaves more of the budget for the base and the thickness underneath.
A stamped band along the edges or at the street end gives the driveway some pattern without stamping the whole slab. It costs more than a broom finish and suits a front yard where looks matter.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I'll look over the site and write up a free estimate, with no obligation and no pressure to book.
(253) 275-5460In Auburn, the first question is whose rules your driveway falls under. The city sits in two counties, King and Pierce, and some addresses that say Auburn are actually under King County, Kent or Federal Way. The City of Auburn's permits and inspections page has an interactive map that shows whether your property is inside city limits.
The city issues construction permits for a variety of work in the public right-of-way, the strip along the street, and says any work there must be done by a licensed and bonded contractor. Where a driveway meets the street, the job can reach into that strip, but the city's list doesn't settle whether every driveway needs a permit. That's why we confirm which office covers your address before we schedule, and handle the applications when your job needs one.
We're based in Auburn and work in the cities around it, including Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma and Lake Tapps. Most of the driveway calls we get are replacements, an older slab that has cracked into sections or settled near the garage, along with some widenings for one more car. The work is the same on either side of a city line, only the office we deal with changes.
I grew up on a family farm, where fixing what broke was part of every week, and learned concrete on other people's crews before starting this business in Auburn in 2013. In the 13 years since, I've kept coming out myself to look at each job and write the estimate, so you hear plainly what your driveway needs and what it doesn't.
Our crew lead runs the work on site and I check in while it's underway, so the person who wrote your estimate sees the base before concrete covers it. We're licensed and insured. State law requires every construction contractor to register with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and to be bonded and insured, and L&I's Verify a Contractor lookup lets you check any contractor before you hire.
Your satisfaction, guaranteed. The way I try to earn that starts at the estimate, where we go through what's included so you understand what you're paying for before we begin. If you'd like me to come take a look, call (253) 275-5460 or send us the contact form, and we'll set a time.
A patio off the back door gives you a flat, usable spot outdoors, and it's easy to plan during the same visit as your driveway.
Stamping presses a stone, brick or slate pattern into fresh concrete, which suits an entry, a front walk or a driveway border where looks count.
From our base in Auburn, we pour driveways across the cities around it. These are the cities with their own page here, and if yours isn't listed, give us a call and ask.
A concrete driveway in Seattle usually costs about $7 to $20 per square foot. That range covers un-reinforced concrete and leaves out tearing out an old driveway, so ask whether any quote includes removal. Treat it as a general sense of the market, not our price, which comes from the written estimate once I've seen your site.
Often, yes, because the extra inch costs little next to the strength it adds. Going from 4 inches to 5 adds roughly 20% to the concrete cost but raises how much weight the slab can carry by nearly 50%. If you park a pickup, a camper or a work trailer, I'd lean toward the thicker slab.
Plan on at least a week before anyone drives on it, because new concrete needs that long to cure. Before the pour there are also the days for removal, base work and forms, which depend on the size of the job. Parking on the street or in a neighbor's driveway for that stretch is usually the easiest way through it.
Have your address ready, since it decides whether the city's or the county's rules apply to your job. It also helps to know the rough size of the driveway in square feet and whether the old one needs to come out, because both change the estimate.
It's best not to. Skip deicing chemicals during the driveway's first winter, then use them in moderate amounts after that. For ice that first season, shoveling and a little sand for grip are the gentler choices for new concrete.
Call (253) 275-5460 or use the form, and I'll come see the old slab and how water runs off your yard, since that decides how much prep the new one needs.
