Concrete driveway building in Lewiston ID - a slab that sits on packed, solid ground
Cracked, sinking or puddled driveway? We dig out, pack the base and pour a new slab that sheds water away from your house.
Book a look at your driveway
We answer the phone until 11 PM every day, so call (208) 848-5044 after work or send the form tonight.
What goes into building a concrete driveway in Lewiston?
Concrete driveway building in Lewiston means taking out the old surface, packing a solid base, then pouring, finishing and curing new concrete so it gains its strength before you drive on it.
Most people call when the old driveway has cracked through, dropped at one end or started holding water, and by then the trouble usually started underneath. The price mostly follows the size and how much has to come out and be rebuilt under the slab, and the schedule follows the weather and any permit for work at the curb, so your own figure comes from the written estimate I send after seeing your site.
Why Lewiston homeowners call Lewiston Concrete for driveways
Same person estimates and pours
I look at your driveway and write the estimate myself, then run the crew on site when we form, pour and finish. The person who planned the job is there to see it done right.
Flatwork specialists since 2017
In business since 2017, we're best known for flatwork, the slabs on the ground like driveways, patios and walks. We give the prep under a slab as much care as the finish.
Licensed and insured, proof on request
Idaho has general contractors hand you a disclosure statement before a home contract over $2,000, and it says you can ask for proof of liability and workers' comp insurance. We're licensed and insured, so ask.
With a driveway, the part that counts most is the work you can't see once it's poured. Send me the details and I'll come out and look at yours.
How we build a concrete driveway
A driveway is only as good as the ground under it, so we start by checking where the water runs on your lot and setting the slab to fall away from the house and garage, not toward them. Then we dig out the old driveway and any soft dirt and compact the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, so it can't keep settling after we leave and take the concrete with it. Before the pour I go over the mix and the joint layout with you, so you know where the control joints will run, those are the cut lines that give the slab a planned place to crack. We pour in the cooler part of the day when we can, since concrete placed in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top, then give it a broom finish, a light texture that keeps tires and boots from slipping when it's wet or icy. Curing, keeping the concrete moist so it hardens to full strength, starts right after the finish work and not the next day, because starting right away and keeping it going is what builds strength and holds down shrinkage cracks.
A lot of people pour a concrete patio or a walk at the same time, since the crew is already set up and the base work runs together. If you'd like the driveway to look like stone or brick instead of plain gray, our stamped concrete services press a pattern into the surface while it's still soft.
Tearing out an old driveway
This suits a driveway that's cracked through, sunk or tipped toward the house, where patching would just ride the same bad ground. We break it out, haul it off and rebuild the base before anything new goes down.
A new driveway or a wider pad
For a new house, a gravel drive you're done with or extra parking beside the old slab, we start from bare ground. That's often the easiest base to get right, because nothing old is hiding in it.
Broom finish or a decorative surface
A broom finish is the plain, gritty surface most driveways get, and it keeps the cost down. If the budget gets tight, I'd cut back on the finish before the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it decides whether the slab stays flat.
How do you know your driveway needs replacing?
Cracks that keep widening
A hairline crack is normal, but one that keeps opening or has one side higher usually means the ground moved. Left alone, water gets in and winter freezes pry it wider.
One section sinking
When one panel drops below the rest, the base under it was usually never packed or has washed out. It becomes a trip spot and keeps dropping as water finds the gap.
Water pooling near the garage
Puddles that sit for days, or water that runs toward your house, mean the slab was set at the wrong pitch. Waiting lets it soak the ground under the slab and by your foundation.
Flaking or chipping surface
A top layer flaking off in patches, called scaling, usually means freezing water has worked into a weak surface. Once it starts, every winter takes a little more.
What happens after you call about a driveway in Lewiston?
Call, then I walk the site
Once you reach us, I come out, walk the driveway with you and hear what you want, then send a written estimate spelling out the prep, the mix and the joint layout.
Permit, pour date, then pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the permit question and pick a pour date around the weather, because rain or a hard freeze can ruin fresh concrete.
I stay through the cure
I stay with the job through finishing and curing, and our crew cleans up the site before we go. You end up with a driveway that drains away from the house.
Driveway questions we hear in Lewiston
These are the questions I get most about new driveways around Lewiston. If yours isn't here, ask me when I come out to look at the job.
How much does a new concrete driveway cost in Lewiston?
I don't give a number until I've seen the site, because the size, how much old concrete and soft soil has to come out and the base work all move the total. A plain broom finish keeps it lower, a stamped or colored surface raises it, and work at the curb can add a city permit. Your figure comes in the written estimate after I look at the job.
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Probably somewhere, because nobody can keep concrete from cracking entirely, but well-planned joints control where cracks happen and keep them small. Wire mesh won't stop cracking either, though it tends to keep cracks and joints from opening up. Ask any contractor, us included, to show you where the joints will go before the pour.
What causes a concrete driveway to sink or crack early?
Most early failures start under the slab, when the soil wasn't compacted enough and keeps compressing, shifting or washing out after the pour. That leaves cracks and uneven spots, so make sure every quote you compare says how the ground will be dug out and packed.
How do Lewiston winters affect a concrete driveway?
Lewiston freezes and thaws over and over through a normal winter, and each time water in the concrete freezes it pushes on the slab from inside. Tiny air bubbles spread evenly through the mix, called entrained air, can give that ice room to expand, so ask whether your driveway's mix includes it. De-icing salt is linked to scaling, the flaking of the top layer that's the most common frost damage to concrete.
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway in Lewiston?
Yes, if the work reaches the curb, gutter, sidewalk or street, because the City of Lewiston requires a Right-of-Way Permit for any work in the right-of-way, and its concrete standards include a drawing on driveway location and width. For anything else, the city's building services office will talk your project through by phone, email or in person and tell you whether you need a permit or a plan review. Before we start, we check with the city or county office that covers your address, on either side of the state line, and if a permit is needed we handle the application and work through the inspections with you.
How long does it take before I can drive on a new concrete driveway?
You'll be walking on it well before you can drive on it, because concrete keeps gaining strength for a while after it looks hard. The wait depends on the weather while it cures, so I'll tell you when it's ready for foot traffic and when it's ready for your car before we leave.
Get a written driveway estimate
Send your address, the rough size of the driveway and whether the work reaches the curb or sidewalk, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out for a free on-site estimate with no obligation to book.
Concrete driveway examples
Work that often goes with a driveway
Concrete patio construction
A patio poured off the back door or beside the driveway gives you a flat, easy-to-clean spot for a grill, a table and chairs.
Learn moreStamped concrete services
Stamped concrete gives a slab the look of stone, brick or slate, which suits a front walk or a driveway that's the first thing people see.
Learn more