Frequently Asked Questions

Most residential concrete work is priced by the job or the square foot, not by the hour, because materials, base work and finish make up much of the cost. For a sense of scale, HomeGuide lists standard concrete driveways at $6 to $10 a square foot installed. Your written estimate after we measure is the actual price.

HomeGuide's national guides list a 4-inch slab at $6 to $8 per square foot installed, standard driveways at $6 to $10, and plain patios at $4 to $12. Those are national averages; the guides give no Louisiana-only figure. Tear-out, base work, thickness and finish move the number, so a measured quote is the only reliable price.

Get two or three written bids and compare what is in them: slab thickness, base material and depth, reinforcement, joint spacing, drainage plan, permit and cleanup. Louisiana's State Licensing Board for Contractors runs a public Contractor Search, and its site lists a home improvement license category for residential projects of $7,500 or more, so look up anyone you are considering. Ask each bidder why your old concrete failed; a clear answer is a good sign.

Yes. A generator pad, an AC pad, a short walk, a few steps or one replaced driveway panel all get the same measuring visit and written quote. Small jobs usually carry a minimum charge because the crew, forms and truck cost the same to bring out, and we tell you that number up front.

For a small pad you mix by hand, maybe. For a driveway or patio, the concrete has to be ordered for the right strength, delivered on schedule and placed and finished within a short window, especially in summer heat. We order the ready-mix for each job so the mix, the timing and the crew line up.

Usually because of what is underneath. Clay soil swells and shrinks with the weather, heavy rain softens poorly drained ground, live oak roots lift walks and drives, and near the Baton Rouge fault the ground itself is slowly shifting. A firm base, proper slope and planned joints control most of it.

The City-Parish residential permits page lists the addition to or expansion of a driveway as work that requires a permit. Applications go through MGO Connect, and the City-Parish line is 225-389-3000. We confirm the requirements for your address before scheduling.

HomeGuide's driveway guide says to wait at least 7 days for cars and the full 30 days for heavy vehicles, with foot traffic fine after 24 to 48 hours. We give you dates based on your mix and that week's weather.

HomeGuide's driveway guide gives 30 to 40 years for a well-built, maintained concrete driveway. In Baton Rouge, the base and drainage decide most of where a driveway lands in that range.

HomeGuide recommends at least 4 inches for cars and 5 to 6 inches for RVs or heavy trucks, with thicker edges. We thicken the slab wherever a heavier vehicle will sit.

We rarely recommend it. New concrete over a cracked, sunken slab inherits the same movement, and it raises the surface at the garage and street. Removing the old slab and fixing the base is the dependable route.

The City-Parish residential permits page lists the addition to or expansion of a driveway as permitted work. We confirm the requirements for your address and handle the timing.

Yes. We start early in the morning, finish and cut joints promptly, and keep the slab damp or use a curing compound so it does not dry out too fast in the heat.

HomeGuide's patio guide says a properly installed concrete patio lasts 30 to 50 years with regular maintenance. Good drainage and a firm base matter most on clay soil.

Most patios are 4 inches on a compacted base. HomeGuide recommends 6 inches with added reinforcement under a hot tub or outdoor kitchen.

The City-Parish residential permits page lists patio cover installation among the typical situations that require a permit. We plan the slab around the cover and check the requirements for your address.

Often, yes. If the existing slab is sound and drains correctly, we dowel the extension into it so both pieces move together. If it is cracked or sloped toward the house, replacing the whole patio may make more sense.

All concrete cracks somewhere. Stamped slabs get control joints just like plain slabs, and we place them along pattern lines so the cracks follow the design.

Sealed stamped concrete is slicker when wet than a broom finish. A textured pattern and anti-slip grit in the sealer help a lot on pool decks, steps and walks.

Every few years on most patios, sooner on walking paths and pool decks. Water soaking in instead of beading, or color that looks dull, means it is due.

If it is sound and level, a stamped overlay may work. HomeGuide lists overlays at $7 to $15 a square foot for a single pattern. A slab that has sunk or cracked through should be replaced.

Stamped concrete is one continuous slab with no sand joints for weeds or ants and no units to shift on soft ground. Pavers can be lifted and relaid one at a time. Price both for the same area and choose the trade-off that suits you.

HomeGuide's slab guide says two-car garage floors are typically reinforced and 4 to 6 inches thick. A shop with a lift or heavy equipment needs more, and we size it to the load.

The City-Parish residential permits page lists any accessory structure over 200 square feet among the situations that require a permit. We check the rules for your address before pouring.

Yes. We pour it to the size and height the installer specifies, level and drained, and schedule it around the installer and any inspection.

HomeGuide says a slab can take foot traffic after 1 to 2 days and vehicles after 1 to 2 weeks, with a full cure at 28 to 48 days. We give you dates for your slab.

HomeGuide's sidewalk guide lists new walks at $7 to $17 a square foot, or $28 to $68 a linear foot for a 4-foot-wide path. Tear-out, roots and access change the total, so the measured quote is your price.

Chipped edges on a solid set of steps can sometimes be repaired; HomeGuide lists step repair at $300 to $800. Steps that have tilted, pulled away from the house or have uneven risers are usually better replaced.

Not if it goes back over the same root. We talk through options such as rerouting the walk or changing its shape before pouring.

Yes. With new steps we set anchors in the fresh concrete. On existing steps we look at whether the edge is solid enough to hold one.

Both lift sunken slabs. HomeGuide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and polyjacking at $8 to $25, with foam often lasting longest and needing smaller holes. The condition of the slab and the soil under it decide which fits.

HomeGuide says professionally leveled concrete lasts 5 to 10 years or more, with mudjacking typically 5 to 7. In clay soil, fixing the drainage that caused the sinking makes the biggest difference.

The ground under it is still moving, from clay, water or, in some neighborhoods, the Baton Rouge fault. Sealing keeps water out, but the slab will keep cracking along the same line until the movement stops.

When most panels have moved, the base has failed, the surface is crumbling, or cracks are wide and offset. HomeGuide also advises replacement when a repair would need a layer over two inches thick.