Concrete Driveway Building in Lincoln CA - a slab that drains away from your garage
Cracked, sinking or puddling driveway? We dig out, pack and grade the ground first, so your new slab drains right and sits even.
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What goes into a new concrete driveway in Lincoln?
Concrete driveway building in Lincoln means clearing and preparing the ground, then placing, finishing and curing a slab that carries your cars. Done right, it gives you a driveway that sits even and sends water away from the garage instead of into it.
Most calls start the same way, with an old driveway that's cracked across, sunk at one corner or holding water by the garage door. The price moves with how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out, how big the slab is, what you park on it, whether it meets the sidewalk and which finish you pick. The schedule turns on that same groundwork, on the curing wait while the concrete hardens enough to take a car, and on any city permit we need when the work reaches the curb or sidewalk. After I walk the job with you, I put all of it in writing, so you know your own number and what it covers.
What happens on a concrete driveway job
Most of our time on a driveway goes into the ground under it, because that's the part nobody sees once the job's done. Before anything else, I ask what you park on it and whether it meets the sidewalk, since both change how we plan the slab. Then we break out and haul off the old concrete, dig out soft dirt and roots, and pack the subgrade, the layer of ground the slab sits on, grading it so water heads away from the garage instead of pooling against it. We set the forms, lay rebar, the steel grid that ties the slab together, then pour and give it a broom finish, a light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes grip when it's wet. Last, we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight, planned place to crack instead of a random one, and leave it to cure. It's a lot like prep before dinner service, because once the truck shows up there's no starting over.
A new driveway often gets people thinking about the rest of the yard. If the back slab is cracked too, or you've wanted somewhere to put a table, we can plan concrete patio construction alongside the driveway. If you'd like more than plain gray, stamped concrete gives the slab a stone or brick pattern, and if the budget gets tight I'll tell you to trim the finish before the base, because the base is hidden on day one but it decides whether that pattern stays flat.
Concrete driveway building in Lincoln, from the soil to the curb
The city rule that most often shapes a driveway here is about where it meets the street. The City of Lincoln issues encroachment permits for work in the public right-of-way, which covers the curb and gutter, the sidewalk, public roads and City land and easements, so if your new drive changes the curb cut or ties into the sidewalk, that part goes through the city. Under that permit, an inspection has to be requested at least 72 hours before work starts in the right-of-way, and work finished without inspections may have to come out, which is the last thing you want on fresh concrete. The city's design rules also allow only one driveway per single-family or duplex lot, unless the City Engineer approves a circular drive. We're based in Lincoln and work across the cities around it, and before we start any driveway we check with the city or county office that covers your address. When a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork and inspections with you.
Placer County notes that soils that shrink and swell over time can damage foundations, and that they're concentrated in low-lying ground in the western county, from Rocklin to the county line. A driveway rides on whatever's under it, so on jobs from Rocklin to Roseville I look hard at what we dig into before we pack and grade, and if a spot looks soft or wet, I'd rather say it needs a closer look than pour over it.
Concrete driveway finishes and details
Get a written driveway estimate at your house
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, walk the driveway with you, explain what I see and put the estimate in writing. The quote is free, done on site and comes with no obligation to hire us.
(916) 884-6595Lincoln driveway questions we hear most
What does a concrete driveway cost around Lincoln?
A concrete driveway in the Sacramento area usually costs about $6 to $19 per square foot installed. Where yours lands in that range depends on how much has to come out, the ground underneath, how heavy a slab you need and the finish, so the written estimate from walking your driveway is your real number. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What causes a concrete driveway to sink and crack?
Usually it's the ground underneath, dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, so it settles and takes the slab down with it. Water running toward the house or under the edges makes it worse, and joints cut late or skipped leave cracks wherever the slab chooses. When I look at your old driveway, where it broke usually tells me what went wrong underneath.
Will my new concrete driveway crack like the old one?
It shouldn't crack the way a poorly built one does, though no concrete is completely crack-free. Reinforcement can help keep cracks narrow and hold the slab together if one forms, but it works alongside even support underneath and properly cut joints, not in place of them. When you compare quotes, ask each contractor about all three, the base, the steel and the joints.
How long does a new concrete driveway take before you can drive on it?
Longer than it looks, because concrete keeps gaining strength well after you can walk on it, so we give you the go-ahead for your slab instead of a guess. Curing starts right after we finish the surface, and the general guidance is that the color or how hard the top feels is a poor guide for a car. The edges and corners need the most protection from early traffic, so park on the street until we say it's ready.
Is it a good idea to pour a concrete driveway in the summer?
It can be, as long as the pour is planned around the heat, because one company that makes concrete additives says in a bulletin that hot weather raises the chance of cracks both before and after concrete hardens. The same bulletin says not to add water to the mix to cool it or make it easier to work, since that hurts strength and durability, and that's a fair thing to ask any crew about. On hot days we usually start early so we're not finishing the slab in the afternoon heat.
When does a driveway need a city encroachment permit in Lincoln?
When the work reaches into the public right-of-way, such as the curb cut, the gutter or the sidewalk, that part needs a city encroachment permit, as covered above. The city's fee schedule lists a residential driveway encroachment permit charged per opening, which matters if you're planning a circular drive with two openings onto the street. For work that stays on your side of the sidewalk, we check with the city before we start rather than assume.
Plan your new driveway in Lincoln
Our lines are open every day until 11 PM, so call (916) 884-6595 or use the form whenever you've got a minute to describe your driveway.