A driveway takes more load, more often, than any other concrete on a residential property. It carries cars every day, delivery trucks, the occasional moving van, and it does all of that through about 50 inches of rain a year. Around Alpharetta the median home was built in 1996, so many of the driveways we see are the originals, and they show it: panels that have settled, cracks running out from the garage apron, edges broken off where tires cut the corner. We tear those out and pour new ones. We also build driveways from bare ground on new construction.
The work starts below the surface. The county is hilly, with 241 feet of local relief within a few miles, and that changes from block to block, so we grade and test every site on its own before anything is formed. Rion soil is the dominant type here and it drains well, but it varies, and we check what is actually under your driveway instead of assuming. Then the base goes in: compacted stone, sloped to move water off the slab and away from the house. We handle the permit, set the forms and reinforcement, then pour, finish and cut control joints.
Most driveway failures come from things nobody can see once the concrete is down. A soft spot left in the subgrade. A base that was never properly compacted. A slope that sends water back toward the garage, or joints cut too late, so the slab cracks where it wants to instead of where it should. Rain finds every one of those. Getting it right is mostly patience, and we would rather spend the extra time on the ground than pour over a problem. If your driveway is cracking, sinking or holding water, or you are building new, call for a free estimate.
What a slab costs depends on what sits under it and what goes on top. Thickness comes first: a 4-inch patio slab and a 6-inch pad for a camper are different pours. Then comes base work. On a sloped Alpharetta lot we may cut, fill and compact gravel before any forms go up. Rebar or wire mesh, the finish, pump access and tearing out old concrete all move the number. Call for a free estimate.
We pour driveways 4 to 5 inches thick over compacted gravel, reinforced with rebar on a grid, and saw-cut control joints within a day so cracks land where we choose. With about 50 inches of rain a year, every driveway gets a set pitch so water sheds off the surface instead of pooling at the garage. The median home here was built in 1996, and a driveway that age has often settled or cracked at the apron. We remove it and start over.
Garage floors, basement slabs and shop floors get a different finish from anything outdoors. We lay a heavy vapor barrier over the compacted base, pour 4 inches with fiber or wire reinforcement, and power-trowel the surface smooth. That tight finish takes a sealer, stain or epoxy coating well. Coatings need the slab to cure first, usually about a month. Skip the vapor barrier and moisture comes up through the concrete, which is why so many coated floors peel.
Not every cracked slab has to come out. Hairline shrinkage cracks can be routed and sealed. A section that has sunk but is still in one piece can often be lifted with polyurethane foam injected underneath. When a panel is broken through, or one side sits higher than the other, we cut out that section, drill dowels into the sound concrete and pour new. Thin patch compound over a moving slab looks fine for one season, then lets go.
A concrete driveway is more than the surface you see. Underneath it sits a compacted base, a layer of reinforcement, and control joints cut where the slab is allowed to crack on its own terms. The system is how those pieces fit together on your property, and it changes with what the driveway has to carry. A short, flat parking pad for two cars is one job. A long run up a slope, with a delivery truck turning at the top, is another. We settle base depth, steel or fiber reinforcement, and joint spacing only after we have walked the site and seen how you use it.
Grade and water drive most of those choices here. Fulton County is hilly, with 241 feet of local relief within a few miles, but it changes from one block to the next, so we grade and test every site on its own before work starts. The dominant soil is Rion, which drains well, though it varies across the county and we test yours rather than assume it. With about 50 inches of rain a year, we set the pitch so water runs off the surface and away from the garage, not toward it. On a steep driveway, that also means choosing a finish with real grip.
Finish is the last decision and the one people see. A broom finish is plain, grips well underfoot and suits most homes. Stamped and decorative concrete can pick up the brick or stone already on the house, which matters in Alpharetta, where the median home was built in 1996 and a new driveway should look like it belongs there. What goes wrong is usually a mismatch: a slick decorative finish on a slope that needs traction, or a slab asked to carry more than it was built for. We ask how you use the driveway, then recommend the system that fits it. Call for a free estimate.
Every driveway we price starts with a walk of the property, because the number comes from what we find there and not from a chart. Two driveways of the same size can land far apart once you account for what is under them, how the trucks get in, and where the water goes. Most of these you can check yourself before anyone comes out.
| What changes the price | Which way | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An old concrete or asphalt driveway still in place | costs more | It has to be broken up, hauled off and disposed of before any grading starts. |
| Open, straight access from the street to the forms | costs less | The ready-mix truck backs up and we pour straight from the chute. |
| A narrow gate, tight turn or long carry from the street | costs more | Concrete has to be moved by pump or buggy, which adds equipment and labor. |
| Slope along or across the driveway | costs more | Fulton County is hilly, though it varies block to block. A sloped drive takes more cut, fill and forming to hold grade. |
| Soft spots, old fill or tree roots under the surface | costs more | Bad material is dug out and replaced with compacted base so the slab has something solid to sit on. |
| Heavy vehicles parking on it | costs more | An RV, boat or work truck calls for a thicker slab and more reinforcement. |
| Water pooling or running toward the garage | costs more | With about 50 inches of rain a year, drainage matters. Fixing it can mean regrading, a trench drain or a different pitch. |
| Stamped or decorative finish | costs more | Pattern, color and sealer add hours of finishing work beyond a plain broom finish. |
When you line up bids, check that each one names the same slab thickness, the same reinforcement and the same depth of compacted base. Look at whether tear-out and hauling are included, whether the permit is handled, and how the control joints are laid out. A lower number that leaves one of these out is pricing a different driveway.
That depends on what the job involves. A straight replacement on the same footprint is a different matter from a new driveway, a widened apron, or a fresh cut where the drive meets the street. Anything touching the curb or the street side of the property tends to need the most paperwork. We look at the scope during the estimate, sort out what applies, and we handle the permit. You don't have to chase any of it.
The work itself runs a few days on most residential driveways. Tear-out and haul-away come first, then grading, base, forms and reinforcement, then the pour and the finish. Stamped or decorative surfaces add time at the finishing stage, since that work can't be rushed. After that the slab needs to cure before it carries a car. That part runs on the concrete's schedule, not ours. Foot traffic comes back well before vehicles do.
Most of the variation here comes from the ground, not the concrete. Fulton County is hilly, with 241 ft of local relief within a few miles, so a driveway on a slope needs more grading and more careful forming than a flat pad. Soil varies across the county too, and we test every site on its own before work starts. A level lot moves quickly. A steep one takes what it takes.
Water is the main thing. The area sees about 60" of rain a year, so a driveway lasts when that water runs off the surface and away from the base instead of sitting under the slab. We set the slope, joint the slab to control cracking, and build the base to drain. Snow is light, around 2" a year, and average highs and lows sit near 71°F and 53°F. Drainage decides most of it.
Cost follows the specifics of the property. Square footage matters, but so does how much old concrete comes out, how much grading the lot needs, the thickness and reinforcement, and whether the finish is plain broom or stamped and decorative. Driveways of the same size can land far apart once those conditions are counted. The site visit is where all of that gets worked out. Call for a free estimate.
From the first saw cut to the finished surface, a standard broom-finish driveway is a matter of days, not weeks. We don't pour ahead of heavy rain, so the forecast can move the pour date. Decorative work, a wider apron, or a tricky tie-in at the garage slab adds to the schedule as well. The cure comes after all of that, and we'd rather you wait on it than drive on it early.