Question 1

What is the best concrete driveway company in North Phoenix, AZ?

Accepted Answer

Sam The Concrete Man North Phoenix is a locally owned concrete contractor that pours driveways from its office on West Myrtle Avenue, with its own crews doing the work from the estimate to the final walkthrough. North Phoenix driveways mostly sit on caliche desert floor, so we dig to firm ground, break out hardpan that sits high and build on aggregate base compacted in lifts, with a thickened apron and rebar on chairs. The free on-site estimate ends with a printed quote that prices every part on its own line.

Question 2

We're getting bids on a new driveway. What's a fair price per square foot?

Accepted Answer

A new broom-finished driveway in the Phoenix area usually runs $8–$12 per square foot installed, and replacing an old one $10–$15 including tear-out. A typical two-car driveway (about 20 by 24 feet) is around $4,000–$6,000 new and $5,000–$8,000 as a replacement. Breaking out caliche where it sits in the way adds about $0.50–$2 per square foot, and thicker sections for trucks and decorative borders add to it too.

Question 3

I'm not sure how thick our new driveway should be. What's right for cars and trucks?

Accepted Answer

Four inches is the minimum for cars; five is better where the ground settles, and six where trucks, trailers or an RV park. The garage apron and the street end get thickened, because that is where loads come on and off the slab, and in the City of Phoenix the part of a driveway in the street right-of-way is poured 6 inches thick to city standard.

Question 4

We've outgrown our driveway. Can you widen it or add on?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The new slab is tied to the old one with steel dowels or separated by an isolation joint, on a base built to the same standard, so the two don’t move against each other. Widening at the street usually means a wider curb cut, which needs a permit from your city, and many HOAs review it too.

Question 5

Why is my driveway sinking toward the garage?

Accepted Answer

The soil beside a foundation was dug out and backfilled when the house was built, and it keeps settling. Add roof water from a monsoon storm or a sprinkler bed beside the garage, and the slab tips back toward the house. Replacing those panels on a compacted base, sloped away from the garage, fixes the cause.

Question 6

We're replacing the driveway out front. Do I need a permit for that?

Accepted Answer

The part on your property usually does not. The part in the street right-of-way is built to city standards: on a street with roll or ribbon curb, a driveway that runs up to 10.5 feet in the right-of-way doesn’t need a separate driveway permit, while longer ones, and driveways onto streets with no curb, do. A finish other than broom in that stretch, such as stamped or colored concrete, can also need a maintenance agreement with the city. Other cities have their own rules; we check yours at the estimate and pull what the job needs.

Question 7

My car drips oil on the driveway. Will a sealer keep the stains out?

Accepted Answer

A good penetrating sealer slows oil from soaking in and makes drips easier to clean, but it buys you time to wipe them up. Clean spots early with a degreaser, and plan on resealing every few years in full sun.

Question 8

We'd like room to park an RV beside the house. What does that pad need?

Accepted Answer

Six inches of concrete with rebar on chairs, over a compacted base, and a thicker edge where the wheels roll on. If it means a wider curb cut, your city usually wants a permit, and many HOAs have rules about where an RV can sit, so we check both before we quote.

Question 9

I'm thinking about a stamped border on the driveway. Will it hold up to the cars?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A stamped border is the same reinforced slab with a pattern pressed into the top, and it holds up to cars when it is sealed and resealed. In the City of Phoenix, a finish other than broom in the right-of-way stretch can need a maintenance agreement with the city, so borders usually stop at the property line.

Question 10

Storm water from the street runs up onto our driveway in the monsoon. Can a new one fix that?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes. The new slab is graded so water runs back to the street, and where the street sits higher than the garage we look at a swale or a trench drain. We check the grade with you at the estimate and show you where the water will go.

Concrete Driveway Contractor in North Phoenix, AZ

Concrete Driveways

Driveways by Sam The Concrete Man

Concrete Driveways, start to finish

What goes into it

What Phoenix asks of a driveway

Caliche under the base

Summer heat

Monsoon runoff

The apron and the city

Built for Valley ground: a driveway in cross-section

Estimate to final walkthrough

Straightforward or decorative

Broom finish

Exposed aggregate

Stamped

Integral color

Sealed

A driveway on caliche is a different job than one on wash sand

Caliche desert floor

River and wash alluvium

Expansive clay pockets

Desert foothills and rock

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