Concrete Driveways in Cherry Hill, Marlton, & Mount Laurel, NJ

Almost every failed driveway I tear out has the same problem, the base was wrong. Either the contractor poured on dirt with no stone, or the stone was not compacted in lifts, or the grade was off and water got under the slab. Concrete is only as good as what is underneath it. That is why I spend real time on excavation and base prep before a single form goes in.

Tear Out Of The Old Driveway

If you have an existing driveway, the first job is breaking it up and getting it out. I cut it into manageable sections, load it out, and haul off the debris. Nothing gets buried, nothing gets left in the side yard. Then I check the base. Most of the time the original stone is contaminated with soil and roots and needs to be dug out and replaced. That is normal for older driveways across South Jersey, especially in older neighborhoods around Stratford, Woodbury, and Clementon where the original install might be 40 plus years old.

Pouring The New Slab

Once the base is dialed in and compacted, I set the forms to grade. Grading matters more than people think. The slab needs to fall away from your house and garage so water runs off and not toward your foundation. A quarter inch per foot is the rule of thumb. Then I tie in rebar where it makes sense, place the concrete at four inches for a standard residential driveway (or thicker if you are parking heavy vehicles), screed it flat, float it, edge it, and broom finish for traction.

Then come the control joints. These are the saw cuts you see across most driveways, and they exist for a reason. Concrete shrinks as it cures, and it will crack. Period. The job of the joints is to give the slab a place to crack where you cannot see it, hidden in the cut line, instead of randomly across the surface. I cut the joints in the right places, deep enough to actually work, within the right window after the pour.

Widening And Adding Side Pads

A lot of homeowners around Voorhees, Moorestown, and Washington Township call me to widen the driveway for a second car, add a side pad for a camper or work truck, or pour a new pad behind the house for a hot tub or shed. Widening is straightforward when it is done right. I tie the new section into the existing slab with rebar dowels so the seam holds together through freeze thaw, match the thickness, and set the joint where it will not telegraph a crack later.

Aprons, Curing, And The First Winter

The apron, the section between the street and your driveway, takes the worst beating. Plow trucks, delivery vans, and the weight of vehicles turning onto it from the street all hit the apron first. I rebuild aprons regularly, either as part of a full driveway pour or as a standalone job. After the pour I leave every customer with a clear cure schedule. Foot traffic in a day or two, cars in a week, heavy vehicles in 28 days. Skip the de-icing salt the first winter, that is when concrete is most vulnerable to spalling.