Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's national figures are a fair place to start: roughly $6 to $15 a square foot for an installed driveway and $4 to $12 for a plain patio, more for stamped work. Tear-out, grading, steel and decorative finishes move the number, so the price you can count on is the written one we give after a site visit.

Our cost sources publish national numbers, not Texas-only ones. In HomeGuide's tables a 20 by 20 foot driveway comes to about $2,400 to $6,000 and a 12 by 12 foot plain patio to about $600 to $1,700. Access, demolition, base work and finish decide where a College Station job lands.

For drive approaches and curb cuts in the street right-of-way, yes. The city's driveway and curb cut page also requires a permit when added paving exceeds 120 square feet, and Planning & Development Services inspects the steel before concrete is placed. We confirm what your job needs and build the inspection into the schedule.

Not if the pour is planned for it. Hot-weather pours start early in the morning, the subgrade is wetted first so dry ground does not rob the mix of water, and the surface is protected with water or curing compound afterward. Most heat-related surface cracking comes from afternoon pours left to dry in the sun.

Every slab shrinks a little while it cures, which is why control joints are cut: they give that shrinkage a straight line to follow. Larger cracks and dropped panels usually trace back to the ground, such as a base that was soft or wet, clay that swells and shrinks, or roots. Base prep and drainage head off most of it.

HomeGuide's guidance is walking after 24 to 48 hours, passenger vehicles after at least a week, and heavy trucks only after the full cure of about 30 days. Your pour gets its own dates in writing.

If the slab is still in one piece and the cracks are narrow, repair, lifting or resurfacing usually costs less. HomeGuide points toward replacement once cracks are wider than about 1/4 inch, or when the surface is crumbling or badly spalled. We give you our read after seeing it.

HomeGuide calls for at least 4 inches under ordinary cars, 5 to 6 inches where RVs or heavy trucks park, and 6 to 8 inches at the edges. We set the depth by what you drive and what the ground is like.

The city requires one to build or modify a drive approach or curb cut in the right-of-way, and for added paving over 120 square feet. The steel is inspected before the pour. We check your job against those rules and prepare the application.

Rebar set on chairs holds its position mid-slab and keeps cracked sections tied together better than mesh, which often sinks to the bottom during the pour. We use rebar in driveways and state bar size and spacing in the quote.

HomeGuide says up to about 30 years with basic care, and 40 or more with better materials and steady maintenance. Base prep, drainage and regular sealing are what push a drive toward the long end.

Yes, if the current slab is sound. We cut a straight edge, drill steel dowels into it to tie in the new strip, and match the surface as closely as we can. The new section will look a shade different at first.

HomeGuide's range for a plain patio is about $4 to $12 a square foot, or roughly $600 to $1,700 for 12 by 12 feet. Stamped, stained and exposed aggregate surfaces run higher. Your written price comes after we see the yard.

Yes. Steel dowels go into the edge of the existing slab, the addition is poured flush with it, and the finish is matched as nearly as we can. Fresh concrete looks lighter at first and evens out with time.

HomeGuide calls for about 6 inches with added steel under hot tubs and outdoor kitchens. The spa maker may have its own spec; we build to whichever asks for more.

Dark color and slick finishes soak up the most heat. A pale color, a textured surface or a roof over the slab makes summer more comfortable.

That depends on the work. College Station asks for a permit application before construction and lists several permit categories that can touch flatwork. We find out what applies to your patio before it goes on the calendar.

HomeGuide's tiers are roughly $8 to $13 a square foot for one pattern in one color, $13 to $19 for multiple colors with a border, and $19 to $26 or more for custom work. Its example 12 by 12 foot stamped patio comes in around $1,150 to $2,750.

HomeGuide gives 25 to 50 years, depending mainly on resealing and upkeep. Places with few hard freezes tend to see the longer end. Keeping up with the sealer matters most.

A glossy sealer can be slick once wet. On patios, steps and around pools we mix an anti-skid grit into the top coat.

Yes, as any slab can. A firm base, steel and joints hidden along the pattern keep cracks in planned places where they are harder to see.

HomeGuide says every 2 to 3 years. Full sun and heavy traffic can shorten that. If the color looks flat or rain soaks in instead of beading, recoat.

In HomeGuide's guide, new walks run roughly $7 to $17 a square foot, which works out to about $28 to $68 per running foot at 4 feet wide. Tearing out and replacing an existing walk is higher, about $10 to $25 or more a square foot, because of demolition.

That varies by city. HomeGuide says the homeowner often carries it, but some cities maintain certain walks themselves. We check with College Station or your town before working on a public section.

Usually not. Smaller roots can be trimmed, the path can be shifted a little, or more room can be left at the trunk. Big structural roots should only be cut with an arborist's advice.

HomeGuide says walks are usually 4 to 6 inches. Paths a mower or vehicle may cross belong at the thicker end.

Light foot traffic is generally fine after a day or two. Keep wheelbarrows, bikes and heavy loads off for roughly a week.

HomeGuide says most shed slabs are about 4 inches thick. Shops with vehicles or lifts, and RV pads, usually call for 6 inches or more with thickened edges, and the building plans may set the number.

HomeGuide lists slabs at about $6 to $12 per square foot installed. A 10 by 10 slab runs about $600 to $1,200 and a 20 by 20 slab about $2,400 to $4,800.

For an enclosed building, a workshop or anything you plan to put flooring on, yes. It keeps ground moisture from wicking up through the slab. Open pads like RV parking usually do not need one.

It depends on the building and the location. The City of College Station lists accessory buildings and foundations among its permit topics. We check what applies to your project, and outside the city limits we check county rules.

Yes, with a concrete pump or another placement method. We check access at the estimate and include any extra equipment in the quote.

Often. If the cracks are narrow and the slab is still one piece, sealing or resurfacing costs far less. HomeGuide points to replacement when cracks are wider than about 1/4 inch over much of the slab or the surface is breaking up.

HomeGuide puts mudjacking at roughly $4 to $9 a square foot and foam at about $8 to $25. A 100-square-foot walk section runs about $400 to $900 by mudjacking.

HomeGuide says 5 to 10 years or longer when done professionally, with foam usually lasting longest. Fixing the drainage that undermined the slab matters even more.

New concrete usually differs in shade at first. Resurfacing or sealing the whole area evens out the look.

In driveways and walks, usually not. Wide, offset or growing cracks in a house slab, especially with sticking doors or cracked drywall, deserve a look from a foundation specialist or structural engineer. We will point out those signs if we see them.