Concrete Driveways in Chicago Ridge, Rebuilt From the Ground Up

A driveway occupies a surprising share of a home's street view, so when it has broken into plates, sunk near the garage or crumbled at the apron, the whole facade suffers. Those failures almost always begin underneath, where a thin base, soft soil or trapped water that froze each winter slowly undermined the slab. No treatment applied to the top can reach any of that, so we rebuild. The old driveway is broken out and carried away, revealing the ground so we can see what went wrong and remove any soft or saturated areas. Fresh crushed stone is spread and tamped in layers to a depth suited to the soil, which on the clay found around Chicago Ridge is often more than the original builder used. Forms are set so water travels toward the street or to the sides and never back toward the garage. A driveway bears the weight of cars daily, so its slab is cast heavier than any walk or patio, with steel gathered at the apron, the turning area and the garage threshold where loads gather. A broom texture gives tires grip through winter, joints are cut in a pattern proportioned to the width, and the new slab is kept moist and covered while it cures. Before we leave, you will know exactly how long to keep feet and tires off the new surface.