Concrete driveway building in Kingston NY - a slab that drains away from your house

Across New York, a concrete driveway usually costs about $9 to $20 per square foot, and that's the going market range, not our price. Where yours lands depends on tear-out, base work, access and the finish, so your own figure comes in the written estimate after I see the spot.

Some cracking is normal in concrete, so the goal is to choose where it happens and keep the base from moving. We cut control joints, grooves that give cracks a straight line to follow, and set rebar, steel that holds the slab together. Most bad cracking starts with a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed.

It can be done, but concrete placed in late fall, winter or early spring calls for caution if it might freeze soon after while it's still saturated. That's why we hold the pour for a stretch with no freeze close behind it, even if that means waiting a little.

Not during its first winter, and only in moderate amounts after that. Skip deicers made with ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate or magnesium-based salts altogether, because they're harsh enough to destroy a concrete surface. For that first winter, plan on clearing it with a shovel.

At least 28 days, by one supplier's guide, because the concrete has to cure first, which is the slow hardening that goes on long after it looks dry. That's why sealing is a later visit. One sealer maker says a properly applied coat typically lasts 5 to 10 years.

If your house is on a State highway, the NYS Department of Transportation issues the permit to build or change the driveway. In the City of Kingston, the Building Safety Department handles all building permits and inspections. When your job needs a permit, we take care of the application with you.

Two things, usually. If the driveway meets the curb or sidewalk, the city has an application for sidewalk, public space and curb cut work, and state law requires your contractor to give you a written contract for home improvement work. We go over both before the pour, in Kingston and the cities around it on both sides of the Hudson.