Frequently Asked Questions

$2,400 to $6,000 is HomeGuide's range for a 20' x 20' two-car slab, which works out to $6 to $15 a square foot installed. Breaking out and hauling off an old driveway runs another $2 to $6 per square foot in the same guide. Your price comes in writing once we have measured and looked at the base and drainage.

Line up two or three written quotes and set them side by side: slab thickness, stone base depth, steel, finish, sealing and removal of old concrete. A low number often means a thinner slab or less base work, and on Bowling Green clay that is exactly where cracks and sinking begin.

It can. Bowling Green sits on limestone karst with clay soil on top, and wet clay gets softer and heavier. Most slab problems here come from a weak base and poor drainage, not from caves. If you see a new depression or hole near a slab, report it to Bowling Green Public Works before any concrete work is planned.

Work that touches a city street, curb, gutter or sidewalk needs a right-of-way work permit from Bowling Green Public Works. The city's fee is $75 per approved application, and the request must be filed at least 24 hours before work starts. We confirm what applies to your address before a date is set.

Ready-mix is batched at a plant and delivered by truck to a mix design, which lets us order air entrainment and the right strength for outdoor work. Bagged concrete is mixed on site and fits small jobs like post holes or a step. Driveways, patios and slabs are poured with ready-mix.

Narrow cracks on a slab that is still flat can be filled, patched or resurfaced. Panels that dropped but stayed in one piece are candidates for leveling. Once concrete is broken into chunks, heaving, or crumbling over most of its surface, replacing it is the better use of money.

Foot traffic is usually fine after 24 to 48 hours. Give a car about a week, and heavier trucks longer than that. Cold weather slows the cure, so we set the timing for your pour based on the mix and the forecast.

Four inches handles ordinary cars. Step up to 5 or 6 inches for heavy trucks, campers or trailers. HomeGuide prices a 6-inch driveway at about $8 to $20 a square foot, compared with $6 to $15 for a 4-inch one.

HomeGuide lists concrete at about $6 to $14 per square foot installed and asphalt at $5 to $12, with concrete lasting about 30 to 40 years and asphalt 15 to 30. Concrete needs no regular resurfacing, but it does need good base work and sealing.

Those are the spots where fill soil was often placed after the house was built and where water collects. Soft or poorly compacted base settles and the slab breaks over it. We dig out and compact those areas before a new pour.

Concrete can be poured in cool weather with the right mix, blankets and timing, but it cannot be poured on frozen ground and must be protected from freezing while it cures. Spring through fall is easier, and we plan pours around the forecast.

If the apron, curb or sidewalk work is in the city right-of-way, the City of Bowling Green requires a right-of-way work permit through Public Works. We confirm this for your address.

In HomeGuide's patio guide, a plain 144-square-foot patio runs $600 to $1,700, and a stained or stamped one $1,150 to $4,300. Removing an old slab, tight access and thickened pads raise the total.

HomeGuide puts plain, stained or stamped concrete patios at about 30 to 50 years. A solid base, proper slope and regular sealing push a patio toward the long end.

Concrete costs less up front and has no joints for weeds. Pavers can be lifted and reset, but on clay soil they need a deep, well-compacted base to stay level. We pour concrete and are glad to talk through the trade-offs.

Yes, if the slab is built for it. A filled hot tub is heavy, so we thicken and reinforce that area and check the base. Tell us at the estimate so we plan the pad from the start.

The textured surface itself has some bite, but a high-gloss sealer can turn slick in rain. On walks, steps and pool areas we can blend a fine grit into the final coat.

Any slab can crack. We cut control joints and hide them in the pattern lines where possible, so shrinkage cracks follow them. A well-compacted base keeps settlement cracks from forming.

Every two to three years for patios and walks, more often for driveways. A fresh coat brings the color back and keeps moisture and de-icing salt out.

Stamping only works on fresh concrete. A sound existing slab can take a stamped overlay, a thin decorative topping, but cracked or sunken concrete has to be repaired or replaced first.

Street-side sidewalks are in the city right-of-way, and work on them needs a Public Works right-of-way permit. For who maintains a particular stretch, ask Public Works directly. We handle the permit question before touching anything near the street.

Yes. We cut the damaged panel out at its joints and pour a new one level with its neighbors. New concrete will look lighter than old for a while.

Three feet is the minimum for single-file walking. Four feet fits two people side by side and is easier with strollers, carts and wheelchairs.

HomeGuide's sidewalk guide lists $7 to $17 a square foot; a 4-foot-wide, 50-foot run comes to $1,400 to $3,400. Tearing out old concrete or adding steps raises the total.

HomeGuide notes that shed slabs are usually about 4 inches thick. Larger sheds, workshops with heavy tools, or any slab that will see a vehicle should go thicker with reinforcement.

Small pads under light loads can do without it, but garage, shop and vehicle slabs should be reinforced. Rebar or mesh holds cracked sections together and level.

Most pads are a few inches larger than the shed on every side so the walls sit fully on concrete. Check the shed maker's foundation details and give them to us before the pour.

HomeGuide lists about $2,400 to $4,800 for a 20 by 20 slab. Thickened edges, a vapor barrier and site prep can raise that. We price it after seeing the spot.

Often, if the sections are still in one piece. Leveling pumps material underneath to lift the slab back up. HomeGuide's mudjacking guide lists $4 to $9 a square foot for mudjacking and $8 to $25 for foam.

Flaking, called scaling, usually comes from water freezing in the surface, made worse by de-icing salt, or from a surface that was overworked or not cured well. Resurfacing and sealing can fix mild cases.

Yes. Even narrow cracks let water reach the base, and on clay soil that can lead to settling. Filling and sealing them is cheap compared with fixing a sunken slab.

Do not fill it with concrete or dirt. Report it to Bowling Green Public Works, which asks residents to report new sinkholes, and have it checked before any concrete work.

Patches and new sections rarely match exactly at first. Resurfacing gives a uniform color across the whole slab if appearance matters.