Concrete Driveways in Bloomington, IN

A concrete driveway is the largest slab most Bloomington homes have, and it takes the worst treatment. It carries cars and delivery trucks, gets plowed and shoveled, and sits under salt and slush from December into March. Concrete Driveways that are poured right can last for decades here. Ones poured thin, on a poor base or without air entrainment start scaling and breaking up in a handful of winters. Most of the difference is in work you never see once the slab is done.

From tear-out to finished slab

The job opens with demolition: old concrete, asphalt, gravel or turf is broken up and hauled off, which HomeGuide prices at roughly $2 to $6 per square foot. We then excavate to the depth the base calls for, remove organic or spongy soil, and bring in crushed stone that gets compacted one lift at a time. Grade stakes set a fall that carries rain off the slab and away from the garage door and foundation. After that come the forms and steel, then the concrete is placed, struck off, floated and broomed. Joints are tooled or saw-cut, and curing starts right away.

Depth and steel

Per HomeGuide, a home driveway should be no thinner than 4 inches for ordinary cars and 5 to 6 inches where RVs or other heavy vehicles park, with edges thickened to 6 to 8 inches. Going to 6 inches raises the price to roughly $8 to $20 per square foot in that guide. It pays off if a camper, a work pickup, a trailer or regular delivery trucks will use the drive. HomeGuide adds about $1 to $3 per square foot for rebar. How much steel goes in depends on the loads and the soil at your address.

Why winter is the real test

Bloomington averages 49 inches of precipitation a year and a January daily mean below freezing. Water soaks into a driveway and freezes in the pores. Air-entrained concrete has tiny, evenly spaced air bubbles that give that ice room to expand. Without it, the top layer pops off in flakes. Salt speeds that up. So every driveway we pour is air-entrained, cured properly and sealed once it is ready, and we tell you how to care for it the first winter.

When a driveway is due for replacement

• Slabs that have dropped, tipped or risen at the joints
• Cracks you can slide a coin into, or ones that reopen after every patch
• Large patches of flaking or pitting with stone exposed
• Puddles on the surface, or runoff heading for the garage or house
• Earlier patches or overlays coming loose
• A drive that is too short or too narrow for today's vehicles

Older lots and long rural drives

Point2Homes' Census summary shows about 12% of Bloomington homes dating to 1939 or before, and older lots often come with narrow drives, shared aprons or a climb up from the street. County drives tend to be long and wind up wooded hillsides. In both cases the plan has to cover drainage, the transitions in slope and the line where city right-of-way begins. Within city limits the street apron usually calls for a right-of-way permit, filed through Civic Access. We confirm what your address needs and handle it.

Get a Free Estimate

Surface choices

A broom texture is the default because it gives tires and boots traction in rain and ice. Exposed aggregate reveals the stone inside the mix and disguises tire marks well. Integral color or a stamped band can dress up the edges or the apron. A fully stamped driveway is possible, but stamped texture can be slicker when icy, so we generally recommend keeping the wheel paths broomed.

The first year with a new driveway

Keep vehicles off for roughly seven days. Skip rock salt the first winter and use sand if you need grip. Apply a penetrating sealer every few years. Seal cracks as soon as they appear so water stays out of the base. A plastic shovel edge, or a plow blade set a little high, protects the finish.