Repair concrete that is stable and replace concrete that has lost its support. The cases below use the numbers homeowners bring to us. They are the customer's figures, not our prices.
My driveway is 20 years old and one section has sunk by the garage. I was quoted $9,000 to replace it all. Is that necessary?
Probably not. A 20 year old driveway with one bad section is a repair job unless the rest is broken too. The section by the garage usually sinks because the backfill along the foundation settled or a downspout empties there. Ask for a price to replace or lift that one section and to move the water. Compare it with the $9,000. Replace everything only if the other sections are cracked through or tilting as well.
Repair for $7,000 or replace for $14,000, and I plan to sell in two or three years. Which is smarter?
Compare what each buys. If the $7,000 repair leaves a driveway that is flat, safe and tidy for three years, it is the sensible spend and saves you $7,000. If the repair is a patchwork that a buyer's inspector will write up, part of that $7,000 is wasted. Ask each contractor what the surface will look like at the end and whether the cause of the damage is addressed.
I have a few long cracks and I am selling the house. Repair, replace or leave it?
If the slab is level, clean and seal the cracks and leave it. Long tight cracks are normal on valley clay, and buyers here have seen plenty. Replace only where there is a trip edge, a sunken section or a broken apron, since those get flagged in inspections. Whatever you do, describe it honestly in your disclosures.
One contractor says remove it. Another says pour a new layer over it. Who is right?
Ask what is wrong with the old slab. If it is cracked from movement, a new layer on top will crack in the same lines, and removal is right. If it is solid and only ugly, a bonded overlay can work. Also check heights. A new layer has to meet the garage floor, the sidewalk and any drains, and an extra few inches often does not fit.
My driveway is 30 years old with cracks from tree roots, and I am on a tight budget. Can I grind and patch?
Yes, as a holding measure. On a tight budget, grinding the raised edges and sealing the cracks makes the driveway safer and keeps water out for a few years. The roots keep growing, so the lift returns. Put the money into the worst panels and plan the full replacement, with a root plan, for later.
Lots of small cracks but no sinking. Is sealing or resurfacing enough?
Often yes. Fine cracks in a flat slab are surface shrinkage, and sealing or resurfacing is enough to protect and tidy it. Sealing is the lower cost choice. Resurfacing gives a new uniform top. If the cracks form a map pattern with soft or flaking concrete between them, the surface is weak and needs grinding back before any coating.
How do I tell if the base under my slab has failed?
Look for movement. A slab that rocks when a car rolls onto it, a hollow sound when you tap it, an edge that sits lower than last year, or soil washed out along the side all point to lost support. Cracks that are level and tight point the other way.
To get a real price for your address, book a free on-site estimate. Call (408) 889-7434 or text us a photo and rough measurements.