Concrete driveways, patios and slabs in West Lafayette Indiana

Published cost data for Lafayette, IN puts a new driveway at about $6 to $10 a square foot without reinforcement and $7 to $11 with it, plus roughly $1.20 to $1.90 a square foot to break out and haul away an old one. A 20 by 24 foot two-car driveway is 480 square feet, so the concrete alone usually lands somewhere between $2,880 and $5,280.

Length, slope, access for the truck, thickness and finish move the number. The estimate is free, and it comes in writing. The cost guide has the details.

Any work in the city right-of-way does. That includes the driveway approach, a new or wider curb cut, and the public sidewalk. The permit comes from the City Engineering Department, applications are online, and the city allows up to 10 working days for review, so build that into your timing.

For a patio or slab entirely on private property, the city's building permit page doesn't list flatwork, and it asks you to call the Building Department at (765) 775-5130 if you're unsure. Outside city limits, the Tippecanoe County Building Commission handles permits, and a new drive onto a county road needs a permit from the County Highway Department.

Common practice is foot traffic after about 24 hours, cars after about 7 days, and heavy trucks, campers and trailers after 28 days, when concrete reaches its specified strength. Keep it damp or covered while it cures for the first 3 to 7 days. Cold weather slows all of this down, and we'll tell you the dates for your pour.

Sometimes. Fresh concrete has to be kept from freezing until it gains enough early strength, which means blankets, heated mix or both, and a forecast that cooperates. Extension guidance is to let new concrete air-dry for about a month before its first freeze. For many projects that means a late-fall call turns into an early-spring pour, and we'll tell you plainly if yours should wait.

It depends on whether the slab or the base is the problem. A few sunken or cracked panels on a sound base can often be cut out and replaced on their own. If the driveway is broken into many pieces, heaved, or flaking across most of the surface, the base has usually failed, and replacing the whole thing is the better money. We'll walk it with you and tell you which sections can stay.

Yes. On a replacement, breaking out the old slab, hauling it off and disposal are part of the written estimate, so there's no separate bill for the tear-out.

It can be, if it's air-entrained, sealed, and kept away from deicing salt. Stamped surfaces need resealing every few years, and a textured pattern is easier to walk on in the cold than a smooth, glossy one. See stamped and colored concrete for what to expect.

Yes. We pour in Lafayette and across Tippecanoe County, Indiana, including Battle Ground, Otterbein, Dayton and the county roads in between. If you're not sure we come out your way, call and ask.