Old driveway cracked, sinking or holding water? We dig out, pack a firm base and pour a new slab that sits flat and carries your cars.
Concrete driveway building in Riverview means digging out the old slab or the bare dirt, packing a firm base free of roots and loose soil, then pouring and finishing new concrete that takes your cars every day. Most of that work you'll never see, and the longest part for you is the wait before you can drive on it.
Most calls start with something you can see: a crack that keeps growing, a corner that's sunk below the garage floor, or water that sits in a low spot after a storm. Usually the cause is under the concrete, where the base was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so the slab settled with the dirt. Pouring new concrete over that same ground just starts the clock again.
The price moves with the size of the drive, whether an old slab has to be broken out, how thick it needs to be for what parks on it, and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on the weather, on any permit, which we pull when your address needs one, and on curing, the days new concrete needs before it can take a car. Your written estimate lays out what's included.
The base matters most, and we cover it further down. These are the other choices that decide whether a new drive cracks, dusts or lasts, and what to ask any contractor about them.
One trade group's driveway guidelines call for at least 4 inches of concrete, or 5 inches when delivery trucks will use the drive. A heavy truck on a thin slab can crack it near the street. If you're comparing quotes, check which thickness each one is pricing, because it changes both the cost and the life of the slab.
One concrete supplier advises planning early morning pours, because cooler temperatures help cut down on shrinkage and cracking. Concrete placed in the midday heat can dry too fast on top and turn weak and dusty later on. That's why a driveway pour around here usually starts early, while the air is still cool.
Control joints are the straight grooves cut across a slab, and they give the concrete a planned place to crack as it shrinks. The aim isn't a slab that can't crack. It's cracks that stay in the joints, out of sight. Old drives with cracks running every which way usually had their joints cut too late or skipped.
Here's how a driveway job runs with us, step by step, so you know who does what and what you'll have in hand before any concrete is ordered.
Call (813) 471-5890 or send the form with your address, the rough size of the driveway and whether delivery trucks will use it. We get back to you to set a time to come out.
I come out, measure, look over the site and how the concrete truck will get in, and ask what the driveway needs to carry. Then you get a written estimate that shows what's included.
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side for your address, dig out and pack the base, and set the forms. Then we pour, finish, cut the control joints and clean up.
Before we pack up, I walk you through curing, how to keep the new slab from drying out too fast in wind and heat, and how long to park on the street before you drive on it.
A driveway is only as good as what's under it, so most of our time goes into the base. We dig out soft ground and anything organic, and one trade group's driveway guidelines call for replacing unstable soil with compacted crushed stone, gravel or sand. We pack it firm, check the forms for a straight line and for where the water will run, and only then order the concrete.
Here's the trade-off I'll name up front. On pour day nobody sees the base, so when a budget gets tight it's the first thing people want to trim, and the finish is where they'd rather spend. I'd keep the base and simplify the finish, because a plain slab on a packed base will outlast a fancy one sitting on loose dirt.
We also ask early whether delivery trucks will use the drive, because that changes how thick it should be, as above, and how we build under it. If you want the look of stone or brick, stamped concrete goes over the same kind of base, and a concrete patio out back can be planned alongside the driveway.
A broom finish is the light brushed texture dragged across fresh concrete, and it gives tires and shoes some grip when the drive is wet. It's the plain, hard-wearing choice for most driveways.
Trade guidelines say a penetrating sealer, the kind that soaks into the surface, can go on 30 days after the pour. If you choose it, plan on putting it back on every three to five years.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time that works for you. I come out to your property, measure and look over the site, and the written estimate is free, with no obligation to go ahead.
(813) 471-5890Hillsborough County requires a permit for construction in its right-of-way, the public land along the road, and a home driveway's connection to the road goes through its Driveway Access permit application. That county permit covers unincorporated Hillsborough County, not addresses in Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace, so we check which office your address falls under, and when your job needs a permit, we pull it and handle the paperwork.
When a project costs more than $5,000, the county's permit resources say a Notice of Commencement has to be recorded and certified at the Clerk's office, then uploaded to the county's HillsGovHub portal. If your driveway crosses that line, it's part of the paperwork we take care of along with the permit, so you're not chasing offices on your own.
We're based in Riverview and work across Hillsborough County and the cities around it, including Brandon and Apollo Beach. Around here we see a lot of drives that settled at the garage or cracked in random lines, and a lot of owners who want the drive wider for another car. The fix is the same wherever we work, and it starts with the base.
I learned concrete as a helper on a small crew, hauling and setting forms long before I ran a job, and I started this business in Riverview in 2013. When you call about a driveway, I come out myself to look it over and measure, and our own crew does the work with me running it, so the person who quoted your base is there when it's packed.
We're fully licensed and insured. In the county, work that needs a county permit needs a contractor with a valid license, and you can look up any contractor's license on HillsGovHub before you hire. I'd rather you check us than take my word for it. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
If your drive is cracked, sinking or just too small, call (813) 471-5890 or use the estimate form and I'll come out to measure. I'd rather tell you what I don't know yet than guess, so the estimate will say plainly what still has to be checked once the old slab is out.
If your backyard is bare dirt or cracked pavers, a concrete patio gives you a flat, solid spot for a grill and chairs on the same kind of packed base.
Stamped concrete presses a stone, brick or tile pattern into the fresh surface, so a drive or walkway gets a dressed-up look without laying pavers one by one.
The cities below each have their own page, but they aren't the only places we pour driveways. If yours isn't listed and it's near Riverview, give us a call and ask.
A concrete driveway in the Tampa area usually costs about $6 to $11 per square foot installed. That's what the work tends to run around here, not a quote, and where yours lands depends on what we find on site. Your written estimate shows what's included for your driveway.
A concrete driveway often lasts more than 30 years, according to one concrete trade group, and it stands up to traffic day after day. That's why it's worth treating as a long-term part of the house and putting the money into the base, where most of that life comes from.
One trade group says to wait at least 7 days before driving on new concrete, so plan to park on the street or somewhere else for that week. Driving on it sooner can mark or crack a slab that's still curing, and we'll go over your slab's wait before we leave.
Yes, the county lets homeowners as well as contractors apply for its right-of-way permits, including the one for a driveway connection. When we build your driveway, we pull the permit and handle the paperwork for you, but you're welcome to file it yourself if you'd rather.
Mostly clear the way and plan where you'll park. Move cars, trailers and anything along the edges so we can dig out and set forms, keep a path open for the concrete truck, and keep kids and pets off the fresh slab while it cures.
The sooner I see the site, the sooner we know which office handles your address and what the base will need, so call (813) 471-5890 or send the form.
