Concrete Driveways in Suffolk, VA

Concrete driveways in Suffolk come in two very different shapes. In the subdivisions built over the last few decades, a driveway is usually a short, wide slab between the garage and a curbed street. Out in the rural parts of the city, it can be a long run from the road to the house that crosses an open ditch on the way in. We build both, and we plan each one around the vehicles it will carry, the water it has to shed and the way it meets the road.

Signs it is time for a new driveway

• Cracks that keep widening, especially at corners and near the garage
• Panels that have sunk, tilted or lifted so they trip people or hold water
• A surface that is flaking, pitted or crumbling after years of freezes
• A driveway that is too narrow for today's vehicles, a boat or a work trailer
• An old asphalt or gravel drive you want to replace with concrete

If only one or two panels have failed, a repair or partial replacement may be enough. We look at the whole driveway before recommending a full tear-out.

How we build a driveway

A driveway lasts as long as the ground under it stays firm. We break out and haul away the old surface, dig out soft soil, and place and compact a crushed stone base. Forms are set to give a steady fall away from the garage and the house, so rain runs off instead of collecting at the slab edge. For cars and SUVs, a 4-inch slab over a good base is the common standard. For trucks, RVs, boat trailers or work equipment, we pour 6 inches thick and add steel reinforcement. HomeGuide notes 6-inch slabs are the recommended choice for heavy vehicles.

We use air-entrained concrete on driveways, which holds up much better through Suffolk's winter freeze-thaw cycles. After the pour, we finish the surface with a broom texture for grip on wet days, then cut control joints so the cracking that all concrete does happens in straight lines. A curing compound or wet cure keeps the slab from drying out too fast, which matters in July and August heat.

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Entrances, culverts and city rules

Where a driveway meets a city street, the City of Suffolk has its own requirements. The Department of Public Works' Driveway Application covers a standard entrance onto a city street, lists a non-refundable $125 fee, and calls for at least a 15-inch reinforced concrete pipe where a driveway culvert is needed. It also asks for an inspection call 24 hours before work starts. The city's right-of-way manual says new and replacement aprons follow its Public Facilities Manual and that apron forms are inspected before the pour. We sort out which of these apply to your driveway before we schedule anything.

Widening and extending

Many families need more room than the original driveway gave them: a third parking spot, a pad beside the garage for a trailer, or a turnaround so nobody has to back onto a busy road. We tie new concrete into the old with dowels where it makes sense and match the slope so water still drains the right way. A widened strip will not match the color of 20-year-old concrete exactly, and we tell you that up front.

Caring for a new driveway

• Keep cars off for at least 7 days and heavy trucks off for about 30
• Skip de-icing salt the first winter, and go light on it after that
• Seal the surface every few years to slow water and salt getting in
• Keep gutters and downspouts from dumping water onto the slab edges

HomeGuide puts the life of a well-built concrete driveway at up to 30 years with basic care, and longer with good materials and maintenance.