Concrete driveway building in Saint Charles MO - a slab built on a solid base
Driveway cracked, sinking or holding water? We dig it out, pack a new base in layers and pour a slab that's ready for your car.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a new concrete driveway?
Concrete driveway building in Saint Charles means digging out below where the slab will sit, packing in a base of crushed stone and pouring a new slab on top. Then it needs time to cure before you park on it.
Most people call us when the old driveway is cracked through, sinking at the garage or holding puddles, and patching it has stopped helping. The price moves with the size, how much old concrete we break out and haul away, how thick it has to be where you park and whether you want a plain or decorative finish. The schedule turns mostly on the weather, since a good pour needs the right day, and on the wait before the slab can take a car. My written estimate lists each part of the job separately, so you can see exactly where your money goes.
How we handle concrete driveway building, start to finish
Most of a driveway's life is decided before the concrete truck shows up, so that's where we spend our time. We break out and haul away the old driveway, then dig out the subgrade, the ground the whole thing sits on. Before any stone goes in, I ask what you park and where, because a pickup or a camper in one spot changes how we build that spot. We bring in crushed stone and pack it one layer at a time, since a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt and takes the slab down with it. We set the forms so the slab falls away from your house and garage, add rebar where it's called for so the steel holds the slab together if it does crack, and pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't turn out weak and dusty. Then we give it a broom finish, a light texture that gives tires and shoes some grip when it's wet, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack instead of a random one. After that it has to cure, which means sitting undisturbed while it gains strength, and I'll tell you when it's ready for your car. If something has to give on the budget, I'd cut the fancy finish before the base, because you can redo a finish later but you can't fix a base without tearing out the slab.
Driveway work often spills into the rest of the yard. If the back of the house needs a place to sit, our concrete patio construction follows the same dig-and-pack approach. And if you'd like the apron or a border to look like brick or stone, stamped concrete can dress up part of the driveway while the rest stays a plain broom finish.
Replacing a worn-out driveway
This suits a driveway that's cracked through, sinking or sending water toward the garage, because patching it leaves the same weak base underneath. We take it all the way out and build it back up from a new packed base.
Plain broom finish or a decorative edge
A broom finish suits most driveways since it costs the least and grips well in wet weather. A stamped or colored border costs more and makes sense when the driveway is a big part of how the front of your house looks.
Concrete driveway building in Saint Charles: the street, the sidewalk and the city
Most of the city's rules for a driveway come into play where it meets the sidewalk and the street. The City of St. Charles Engineering Department issues a Sidewalk/Driveway permit for any work that affects sidewalks, streets or utilities, which on a lot of driveways means the apron at the curb. Before we start, we check with the city or county office for your address, handle the filing when a permit is needed and keep you posted. The city also limits driveways to 29 feet wide in all, so if you're picturing a wide driveway or an extra parking pad, it's worth sizing the design to that from the first sketch.
We're based in Saint Charles and work in cities across St. Charles County and nearby St. Louis County. Many of the driveways we replace are on older homes, cracked at the apron or dropped near the garage, and we see the same thing on jobs in St. Peters and O'Fallon.
Why Saint Charles homeowners call K&L Saint Charles Concrete for driveways
I come to every estimate
I come out to every estimate myself, and our crew lead runs the work on site. You hear the plan from the person who wrote it, so you can ask about drainage or joints before anything gets poured.
Years spent fixing failed driveways
Before I started this business in 2013, I spent years repairing cracked walks and broken driveways for a property management company. That's why we put so much time into the dig and the base, because that's the part I kept seeing fail.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
The city says contractors applying for work in Saint Charles should have an active permit license, so it's a fair thing to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring. We're licensed and insured, and we'll answer that question before you sign anything.
The part that matters most is the part you won't see once it's poured, so ask me about the base when I come out. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Request an estimate or call (636) 277-0973 to set up a visit.
Request a quoteGet a written driveway estimate with each part listed
We respond within 1 business day to set up a free on-site estimate, and there's no pressure to book. I'll walk the driveway with you, ask what you park on it and explain your options, then send a written estimate with each part of the job listed separately.
What happens after you call about a driveway in Saint Charles?
Call or send the form
Call (636) 277-0973 or fill out the form, and we'll set up a time for me to come out. It helps to mention the rough size of the driveway and anything heavy you park on it.
Walk the driveway with me
I look at the old slab with you, ask how you use it and explain your options before I write anything up. Your estimate lists each part separately, so you can see what the base costs next to the finish and decide where your money goes.
Permit, pour and final walk
Once you say yes, we check what your address needs, and the city says a driveway permit can often be had within a day. Our crew lead runs the job, and at the end I walk it with you and go over how to care for it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a concrete driveway cost in the St. Louis area?
An installed concrete driveway in the St. Louis area usually costs about $3.50 to $7.50 per square foot. Where yours lands in that range depends on the size, the tear-out, how thick it needs to be where you park and the finish you pick. That's the going rate around here, not a quote, and your written estimate shows our price part by part.
Is concrete or asphalt better for a driveway in Saint Charles?
For most homeowners who plan to stay a while, concrete is the better pick, since it costs more up front but usually lasts longer here and needs little more than keeping its joints sealed. Asphalt is cheaper and goes in faster, but it needs sealing every few years and softens in August heat.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
One St. Louis guide calls four inches standard for cars and six inches where a truck, RV or dumpster sits, and at the garage apron. That's why I ask what you park and where, so the thicker sections go where the weight actually is.
How long before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
One St. Louis guide says you can usually walk on new concrete after a day or so and drive a car on it after about a week. Trucks, dumpsters and anything heavy should stay off it for a month, and a pour in cool weather may need longer, so I'll tell you when yours is ready.
What is the best way to protect a concrete driveway from freezing and thawing?
An air-entrained mix, made with an additive that leaves tiny air pockets in the concrete, is an effective way to help it hold up to freezing and thawing. It's worth asking any contractor whether the mix for your driveway will be air-entrained, and I'm glad to go over ours at the estimate.
Can I put salt on a new concrete driveway the first winter?
It's better to use sand instead of salt through the first winter, because de-icing salts are hardest on concrete that's less than a year old. The same St. Louis guide notes that salt damage can look just like poor workmanship a few years later, so a bag of sand is a cheap way to protect the new slab.
Other concrete work people pair with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
A backyard patio uses the same dig, base and pour as a driveway, so if you've been meaning to add one, it's worth looking at both on the same estimate visit.
Stamped concrete services
Stamped concrete presses a pattern like stone or brick into the wet surface, which suits an apron border or a patio where you want more than a plain gray slab.
St Charles, MO
Book a visit for your Saint Charles driveway
A look at the old slab shows me where the water runs and where it failed, so we can build the new one around what went wrong with the old one.