Concrete Driveways in Palm Bay, FL

Concrete driveway work we do in Palm Bay

Most jobs fall into a few groups. A house has gravel or bare dirt where a driveway should be. An old slab has cracked into pieces and has to come out. A driveway fits one car, and the family parks two.

Tear-out and repour is the most common call. We break out the old concrete, haul it away, and rebuild the base underneath. If the slab is solid and sitting flat, concrete resurfacing is the cheaper path.

We also pour the pieces that tie a driveway together. Garage aprons and the strip that meets the street get formed with the main slab. Walkway tie-ins at the front door get poured at the same time. Widening a driveway or adding a parking pad works the same way, with a joint where new meets old.

How we pour a new concrete driveway

The base comes first. Brevard sits on sand, and loose sand moves under a slab. We grade the driveway, then compact the base in layers with a plate compactor. Soft spots get dug out and refilled before any forms go in.

Forms set the shape and the slope. Water has to run away from the garage door, so we pitch the slab toward the street. Four inches of concrete handles cars and light trucks.

Thickness goes up where the load does. We pour five or six inches where an RV or work truck parks, plus wire mesh or rebar. Then the concrete goes in, gets screeded flat, and takes a broom finish before it sets.

How long before you can drive on it?

Concrete sets in hours and gains strength for weeks. You can walk on the slab the next day. Cars can park on it after about seven days. Anything heavy, like a loaded truck or a dumpster, waits the full 28 days.

Weather sets the pour date. In summer we start early, because a hot slab stiffens before the finish is done. Afternoon storms can pit a fresh surface, so we watch the radar and move the pour rather than risk it. Frost is never a factor here, which keeps the schedule open year round.

Control joints and where concrete cracks

Concrete shrinks as it cures, and shrinking concrete cracks. Control joints decide where. We sawcut a grid of joints across the slab. Cracks then follow those cuts instead of wandering across the open field.

The rest comes down to what sits under the slab. Concrete poured on loose sand settles at the edges and cracks over time, which is why base work matters. Tree roots are the other common cause in older yards. Roots have to come out before the repour.

Finishes and upgrades for a concrete driveway

Broom finish is the standard here. Fine lines pulled across the wet surface give tires and shoes grip in the rain. It is also the easiest finish to clean and to patch years later.

Color and detail work are the usual upgrades. Integral color mixes pigment into the concrete, so the shade runs through the whole slab instead of sitting on top. A stamped border along the edges or across the apron adds pattern while the field stays broom finish.

For a pattern across the whole slab, look at stamped concrete driveways. That is the same concrete underneath, stamped and colored before it sets.

What drives concrete driveway cost

Square footage sets the starting number. Tear-out and haul-off of an old slab add labor and dump fees. Thickness and reinforcement raise the price when heavy vehicles park on it. Access counts too, since a truck that can reach the forms beats wheelbarrowing concrete around a house.

Color and stamped detail add cost per square foot. Concrete driveway contractors here price by the foot, so compare slab thickness and base prep along with the total. A paver job prices on a different scale, and paver driveways get quoted separately.

Sizes and site conditions vary too much to price over the phone. We measure the driveway, check what is under it, and price the actual job. Ask for a free concrete driveway estimate when you want real numbers.