Frequently Asked Questions

National guides are a fair place to start. HomeGuide's figures put new driveways around $6 to $15 a square foot, plain patios around $4 to $12 and basic slabs around $6 to $12. Stamped work costs more, and tearing out old concrete adds $2 to $8 a square foot depending on which HomeGuide guide you read. You get a written number after we see the job.

When most of the slab is sound and only a few panels have sunk or cracked, lifting or replacing those panels usually costs less. When the slab is broken into many pieces, worn through on top, or tilting toward the house, a new driveway is the better buy. HomeGuide gives a typical driveway life of 30 to 40 years, and plenty of Mesquite driveways are at or past that age.

The Blackland Prairie clay under much of Dallas County swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries. That movement pushes and drops slabs. Concrete also shrinks a little as it cures. A compacted base, reinforcement, good drainage and control joints keep cracks small and in planned places.

The City of Mesquite handles permits through its Building Inspection division and an online portal, and it publishes residential concrete standards. Whether your job needs one depends on the work and where it sits on the lot, so we confirm it with the city before the job is scheduled.

It is, with the right routine. Trucks are booked for first light, the stone base is wetted so it does not rob the mix of water, and the finished slab stays wet or under cover while it cures. A hot, dry wind is the bigger risk, so we watch the forecast as closely as the thermometer.

Walking on it the next day is usually fine. Cars generally wait about a week, and heavy trucks or trailers longer. We give you dates for your pour based on the mix and the weather.

It can be. Stamped concrete holds up well when the base and joints are right, and a light color and good sealer keep it cooler and looking fresh. It needs resealing every few years. We show you pattern and color samples at the estimate.

For a two-car driveway of 576 square feet, HomeGuide's national figures are about $3,500 to $8,600, or $6 to $15 a square foot. Tear-out, extra depth and decorative finishes add to that. Your written price comes after we see the driveway.

HomeGuide treats 4 inches as the residential minimum and suggests 5 to 6 inches where RVs or heavy trucks park, with thicker edges. We set the depth after looking at the soil and at what you park there.

On clay soil we use rebar on chairs. Held up at mid-depth, the bars keep cracked pieces level with each other. Wire mesh tends to get stepped down to the bottom of the pour, where it does little.

Walking on it the next day is normally fine. Cars usually wait about a week, and heavier vehicles longer. We give you dates based on the mix and the weather.

Yes. If one or two panels are broken and the rest are sound, we can cut them out at the joints and pour new ones. The new concrete will not match the old color exactly at first.

In HomeGuide's patio guide, plain concrete runs about $4 to $12 a square foot, which puts a 16 by 16 foot patio around $1,000 to $3,100 nationally. Stained or stamped finishes cost more. You get a written figure once we have seen the yard.

Usually. If the old slab is level and sound, we pin the new concrete to it with steel dowels. If the old slab has moved, we may suggest replacing it or separating the two with an isolation joint.

Often, yes. Concrete can be pumped or wheeled through a side gate. Access affects the price, so we look at it during the estimate.

HomeGuide treats 4 inches as standard for a patio and 6 inches as the heavy-duty option. We go thicker and add steel where something heavy, such as a hot tub, will sit.

Walking on it after a day is usually fine. Chairs and grills can go back after a few days. We give you dates for your pour.

Fixr lists most stamped concrete patios at $12 to $18 per square foot, with basic patterns from $8 and complex multi-color work up to $30. A 200 square foot patio runs about $2,400 to $3,600 nationally.

Basic stamped concrete is often similar to or slightly cheaper than pavers; Fixr puts pavers from just under $11 per square foot. Mid and high-end stamped work can cost more. Stamped is one slab, so there are no joints for weeds or ants, but a crack cannot be fixed by swapping one paver.

A glossy sealer can be slippery when wet. On walks and pool decks we use textured patterns and can mix a grip additive into the sealer.

Plan on resealing every few years, more often in full sun or around a pool. Faded, dull color is the sign it is time.

Not the slab itself; the pattern has to be pressed into fresh concrete. A sound slab can sometimes take a stamped overlay, while a cracked or sunken one is better torn out and repoured.

HomeGuide lists new poured concrete pool decks at about $5 to $15 per square foot and stamped decks at $8 to $19. Resurfacing a sound deck runs $3 to $12 per square foot depending on the finish.

Light colors and textured coatings stay cooler than dark or smooth surfaces. HomeGuide notes that cool-deck coatings help lower surface temperature and are non-slip.

Usually the soil under the deck has moved. Clay that gets wet swells and lifts, and when it dries it shrinks and leaves the slab unsupported. Water getting in at the coping joint makes it worse.

Yes, if the deck is level and the cracks are small. Sunken or broken sections need to come out first.

Not for deck work. We protect the pool from dust and debris during the job.

HomeGuide lists a 10 by 10 foot slab at about $600 to $1,200 nationally. Small pads cost more per square foot because of minimum loads and setup.

Four inches with rebar suits most sheds. Workshops, RV pads and hot tubs need more, often 5 to 6 inches with thicker edges.

It depends on what the slab is for, its size, and where it sits on your lot. The City of Mesquite's Building Inspection division handles permits and setbacks, and we check your job before we schedule it.

Light loads can usually go on after about a week. Heavy buildings and RVs should wait longer. We give you a date based on the mix and the weather.

Usually. We can pump concrete over a fence or wheel it through a side gate. Access is priced into the estimate.

Often, yes. Narrow cracks can be sealed and sunken panels lifted or replaced. If cracks run through most of the slab, replacement is usually the better value.

HomeGuide's leveling guide puts mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and foam at $8 to $25. Foam weighs less and needs smaller injection holes; mudjacking is the cheaper of the two. Which one fits depends on the slab and the soil under it.

HomeGuide puts professionally leveled concrete at about 5 to 10 years or more. Fixing the drainage that caused the sinking helps it last longer.

Not exactly at first. New concrete starts lighter and darkens over time. Sealing the whole slab afterward helps blend it.

That depends on the city and on where the walk sits. We repair walks on your own property and can check with the city about rules for the public walk in front of your house.