Concrete Driveway Cost Guide for Repair or Replacement

Guide to Cement and Concrete Driveway Costs for both New and Replacement Driveways. Detailed guide also covers Estimates Concrete Driveway Repair Costs. The Calculator takes Important Factors Like the 2013-14 Cement Prices, Fuel, Labor and Gravel, Which can Effect the Cost of a Cement Driveway.

One of the most durable and longest lasting driveways you can have installed to your home is a concrete driveway.

Not only does it look very nice and provide great curb appeal, a properly installed concrete driveway can last for 15-20 years or longer, with a minimum of yearly maintenance and repair costs.

In this Driveway Guide article about concrete driveway costs, we will give you essential information about the potential concrete driveway cost for your home, so you’ll have a good idea of the total price of the project.

Last Updated: 01/20/2014

Cost Based on Approximate Length and Width

The first thing to do when considering the total cost of concrete driveway installation is to start with the basics. Standard concrete driveways, and by that we mean driveways that don’t have optional features such as brick borders, stamping or acid staining, tinting or heat beneath them, remain the most common type. Just for the concrete on a plain driveway, the cost will average $6-$9 per square foot.

Take some measurements of your driveway and create your own concrete driveway cost calculator. Be sure to include the garage floor if you’re having that replaced. For example, a driveway 14 feet wide and 50 feet long (14×50) contains 700 square feet. Multiplied by the cost of concrete, you’re total concrete driveway cost will be $3,500-$5,600.

If you are interested in knowing how much concrete you will use, here’s how to do that.

One yard of concrete will cover 81 square feet of ground 4 inches deep. It will require 1.5 yards of concrete to cover the same area to 6 inches deep. Depending on conditions in your area, your driveway contractor will suggest using at least 4 inches, and 6 inches is more common.

Knowing these figures can help you calculate potential costs for contractors who charge a set fee for the number of yards of concrete required. For the 700 square foot driveway, you would need 8.6 yards of concrete for a 4 inch driveway and just about 13 yards of concrete for a 6 inch driveway.

Cost of Features and Options

If you’re looking for more than just a standard driveway and are comfortable with a higher cost for concrete driveway installation, you’ve got several options. First, in cold climates, you might want to consider a heated concrete driveway. This is often accomplished with a boiler system and flexible tubing underneath the concrete that circulates heated water. The heat rises through the concrete and melts snow and ice. Electric systems can also be used, though they cost more to operate.  Heated driveway systems boost concrete driveways costs by $4-$8 per square foot.

For unique looks, you’ve got several options. You can choose a stone or brick perimeter for your driveway at an additional $2-$5 per linear foot involved. In other words, if your driveway is 50 feet long and you’re going to but stone or brick along each edge, that would come to 100 feet, or about 100 square feet. This would increase the cost of concrete driveway installation by $200-$500.

Tinting concrete is popular in some areas. It can be tinted to match or contrast the home’s siding. In cold climates, using a darker pigment can cause snow to melt more quickly when the sun begins to warm the driveway. The concrete itself can be tinted or the tint can be added to the sealer. In either case, expect to pay less than $1 per square foot extra for the tinting.

Stamping is another popular option for concrete driveways. It can be stamped to look like brick paver stone, flagstone or many other designs. The stamping is done as the concrete hardens. Expect to pay $8-$12 for stamped concrete instead of standard concrete. In other words, it adds $3-$4 per square foot to the concrete driveway price.

Finally,  staining for is growing in popularity.  A staining product is applied to the surface and different techniques are used to create a variety of looks. Staining can make the concrete look like granite or other type of stone and can be very attractive. Staining ranges in cost from $2-$4 per square foot.

Summary of Concrete Driveway Prices

• Standard/Plain concrete driveway: $5-$8.50 per square foot.
• Heated concrete driveway: add $4-$8 per square foot.
• Brick or stone perimeter: $2-$5 per linear foot.
• Concrete tinting, pigmenting or dyeing: $0.50-$1 per square foot.
• Concrete stamping: $3-$4 per square foot.
• Acid staining: $2-$4 per square foot.
• Concrete sealer: $0.50-$0.85 per square foot.

Repair & Maintenance Costs for Concrete Drives

Once your concrete driveway is installed, you’ll want to keep it well-maintained in order to get the most from your investment. The first thing to do is to have it sealed within the first month or two after it is fully cured. Concrete sealer cost is not cheap, but it will vastly improve the durability of the driveway. Expect to pay $0.50-$0.85 per square foot.

The sealer will keep moisture out of tiny cracks in the driveway. Without sealer, moisture will penetrate the cracks and freeze in very cold weather. The freezing moisture will expand and cause the cracks to widen. As freeze/thaw/freeze cycles happen over the course of a winter, they can wreak havoc on a driveway. As you consider concrete driveways costs, factor in the cost of sealing it every 2-4 years.

When cracks need to be repaired, you can choose rubberized or synthetic crack filler formulated for concrete. If a section of concrete needs to be replaced, you can use the figures above to determine what you concrete driveway repair cost will be. Use a high-side figure, since tearing out a single section and replacing it can be more costly per square foot than doing the entire driveway.