Concrete Driveways in Norfolk, VA

Concrete driveways in Norfolk carry cars every day and take a soaking with every storm. On a flat lot near sea level, the slope of the driveway is often the main path rainwater has to leave the property, so a drive that settles the wrong way can leave a puddle at the garage door or send water toward the house. Many older Norfolk homes also have narrow side drives that were poured decades ago, with thin edges and no reinforcement.

Signs it is time to replace

• Panels that have sunk and now hold water after rain
• Cracks wide enough to catch a coin, or with one side higher than the other
• Edges crumbling into the lawn
• Tree roots lifting a section near the street
• Runoff heading toward the foundation instead of away from it
• A drive too narrow for the cars the household owns

One dropped panel on an otherwise solid driveway can often be lifted instead. When sinking, cracking and surface wear show up together, replacing the driveway usually costs less over time than patching it every year.

What goes under it

The base matters more than the concrete. We break out the old slab, dig out soft or organic soil, and replace it with crushed stone compacted in layers. That gives the concrete firm, even support and lets water move out from under it rather than pooling. Forms are set so the finished surface falls toward the street.

HomeGuide's driveway guide calls for at least 4 inches of concrete for standard vehicles, 5 to 6 inches for RVs or heavy traffic, and edges of 6 to 8 inches. If a work truck, boat trailer or camper parks on the drive, we thicken that area. Rebar or wire mesh set in the middle of the slab keeps any crack from spreading apart, and control joints give shrinkage cracks a straight path.

The apron and the city

The apron where your driveway meets the street usually sits in the city right-of-way. Norfolk lists a Driveway Entrance Permit for residential aprons up to 20 feet wide among its right-of-way permit types, issued through the Public Works Right of Way division, which asks for applications 7 to 14 days before work. The city also notes that adding a driveway or extending an existing one needs a zoning certificate from Planning before the entrance permit. We tell you which of these your job needs and build the wait into the schedule.

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Finish options

• Broom finish: the standard. The texture gives grip in rain.
• Exposed aggregate: the surface paste is washed off to show the stone. It hides stains and stays grippy when wet.
• Stamped or colored borders: a decorative band along the edges with plain lanes down the middle.
• Smooth trowel: we avoid it on driveways because it gets slick in the rain.

After the pour

HomeGuide says to keep cars off for at least 7 days and heavy vehicles off for about 30, and to wait 28 to 30 days before sealing. In Norfolk's summer heat we keep the new slab moist or covered with curing compound so the surface does not dry out early. Point downspouts away from the slab edges, and keep an eye on any spot where water collects after the first big rain.