Cracked, sinking or holding water? We build a new driveway on a packed base, with the joints laid out with you first.
Concrete driveway building in Gilroy, CA means preparing a solid base, placing and finishing new concrete on it, and curing it right away so the surface gets the strength it needs to carry your cars.
Most people call when the old driveway has cracked through, sunk at one end or holds water after a rain, and some are pouring where there was only gravel. The work runs the same way either way. We dig out, pack and slope the base, set forms and reinforcement, pour, finish, cut joints and cure. The base takes the most work, and you won't see any of it once the concrete is down.
The price moves with the size, with whether an old slab has to be broken out and hauled off, with the reinforcement your vehicles call for and with the finish you pick. The schedule turns mostly on getting the base ready and dry and on the curing wait before you drive on it. My estimate lists each of those as its own line. If you also want a concrete patio out back, I can price both on one visit.
Tell us the rough size of the driveway, whether there's an old one to remove, the finish you have in mind and what you park on it. Then we set a time for me to come out.
I take the measurements myself, look at what's under and around the driveway and ask about your vehicles before I price the base and reinforcement. Then I write the estimate line by line so you can see what's in it and what isn't.
Before the pour we go over the plan with you, including where the joints go and which way water drains off the slab. Settling those questions on paper costs far less than fixing them in concrete.
Our own crew does the work to the plan we agreed on, and I'm on site for the layout and the pour. We cure and protect the new concrete before we hand the driveway back to you.
Most driveway trouble starts under the slab. The subgrade, the ground the concrete sits on, has to be dug out and packed evenly rather than raked level, because loose dirt keeps settling and takes the slab down with it. We also check where water runs now and slope the base so it drains toward the street, not back toward your garage or the house.
Pour timing matters too. Concrete placed in the midday heat can stiffen on top before it's finished and leave a weak, dusty surface later, so we plan pours around the hottest part of the day, and a base with wet spots is a reason to wait. As soon as finishing is done we start curing, the wait while the concrete hardens, and we protect the slab until it's ready.
What a new driveway job covers:
If the cracks are narrow and the slab still sits flat, sealing them or replacing one bad section can buy you time. When the driveway has sunk, tips water toward the house or has broken into loose pieces, the problem is usually the base, and patching the top won't reach it. That's when I'd tear it out and start over, because new concrete on a failed base settles the same way the old slab did.
Square footage sets most of it, then whether an old slab comes out first and how much digging the base needs. Heavier vehicles call for more reinforcement and sometimes a thicker slab, and a decorative finish costs more than a plain broom finish. If the budget is tight, I'd keep the money in the base and go plain on top, because the finish is what you see on day one but the base decides whether the driveway stays flat.
I learned concrete on commercial jobs, pouring slabs and paving for buildings and lots, and that's where I saw that the base, the forms and the layout decide how a slab holds up. I started Premium Gilroy Concrete in 2017 to bring that same care to driveways and homes here.
We keep equipment off your lawn where we can, clean up as we go and tell you when the crew will be there. If something under the old slab changes the plan, you hear it from me before we pour, and you'll know what each line of your price pays for. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call (408) 427-8265 with the rough size, any old driveway to remove and what you park, so the visit goes quickly.
Send the rough size, any old slab to remove, your finish and what you park. We reply within one business day to set a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
A San Jose cost guide puts a new concrete driveway in that area at about $7 to $15 per square foot, not counting removal of an old one. Breaking out an existing driveway raises the cost per square foot, and so does reinforcement. My estimate is free and written line by line, so you can see what your own driveway's price covers.
Most driveways get a broom finish, a texture dragged in with a push broom after the surface is smoothed, so tires and shoes grip when it's wet. Exposed aggregate, color and stamped concrete are decorative choices that take special steps and experience, so ask any contractor to show you decorative work they've done before you pick one.
Concrete usually cracks somewhere, and control joints, the grooves cut across the slab, decide where those cracks show rather than whether they happen. That's why we go over the joint layout with you before the pour, so a crack runs along a line we chose instead of across the middle of a section.
Wire mesh is common for driveways that carry ordinary cars, while rebar, steel bars tied in a grid inside the slab, may be the better choice for heavy traffic or large, heavy vehicles. The San Jose cost guide also says owners of trucks or RVs may want a thicker slab than standard, so tell us about any truck, trailer or RV when you call.
You're off the driveway from the day the old one comes out until the new slab has cured enough to carry a car, and curing is the part not to rush, because that's when the concrete gains its strength. The exact wait depends on the size and the weather, and we'll go over the timing for your driveway when I come out.
A contractor holding the concrete classification from the state licensing board is licensed to form, pour, finish and install driveways and other flatwork, the flat concrete on the ground. If you hire a general building contractor, the board says they need that classification themselves or must hand the concrete to a properly licensed specialty contractor, so ask who holds the license for the pour. We're licensed and insured, and our own crew does the work.
We're based in Gilroy and take driveway work in many of the cities around it, including Morgan Hill and Hollister. Pick your city below, or call if yours isn't listed.
