Concrete Driveway Building in Orem UT - built for the vehicles you actually park
Cracked, sinking or pooling driveway? We dig out the old base, pour a slab sized for your vehicles and plan where the joints go.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a concrete driveway in Orem?
Concrete driveway building in Orem means clearing out the old surface, digging down to firm ground, packing a solid base and pouring a new reinforced slab, then protecting it while it cures so your driveway is ready for cars, trucks and Utah winters.
Most people call me when the old driveway has cracked, sunk at the garage or started holding water, and before anything else I want to know why it failed, so we don't pour new concrete over the same problem. The price moves mostly with the size of the slab, whether old concrete has to come out, sometimes with concrete cutting where it meets a walk we're keeping, and how heavy the vehicles are that'll park on it. The schedule turns on the weather, whether the city wants a permit for digging near the street and the cure time before you can drive on it. Once I've seen your driveway, the estimate gives you your own figure.
Is a new concrete driveway right for your home?
Cracked or sunken slab
When the old driveway has broken up or dropped at the garage, patching usually only buys time.
Water pooling by the house
A slab that tips toward the garage or foundation sends meltwater right where it does the most damage.
Gravel or dirt drive
A paved slab ends the ruts, the mud and the tracked-in gravel, and it's far easier to shovel.
Heavier truck or trailer
An older driveway poured with a sedan in mind may not stand up to a work truck or trailer.
How we build your concrete driveway
The first thing I ask about a driveway is what will park on it, because a work truck or a trailer changes how we reinforce it. A Provo cost guide says wire mesh, a grid of steel wire inside the slab, is common for standard cars, and that rebar, heavier steel bars set in the slab, may suit heavy vehicles better, so it's worth pricing if you've got one. Then we break out any old concrete, dig down to the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, pack a gravel base and set the forms so water runs away from the house. Before the pour, you and I mark out where the control joints go, the lines we cut so the slab has a planned place to crack, and that way any cracking follows lines we picked. We plan the pour for the cooler part of the day to stay out of the midday heat, give the top a broom finish, a light texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, cut the joints on time and protect the slab while it cures.
A driveway job often runs into other flatwork, the flat concrete around a house like walks and patios, so it can make sense to plan them together. If the backyard needs a slab too, we can pour a concrete patio while we're set up, and if you want a pattern or color along the front, stamped concrete can dress up the borders or the whole drive.
Plain broom finish
This suits most driveways, because the light texture gives grip in snow and costs the least of any finish. If the budget's tight, this is where I'd keep it simple.
Stamped or colored borders
A pattern or color along the edges suits a front driveway that's part of how the house looks from the street. It costs more than a plain slab, so a lot of people stamp just the border and leave the drive lanes broom finished.
What happens when you call about a driveway in Orem?
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly how big the driveway is, whether an old slab comes out and what will park on it. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out to look
I look at the driveway and what's around it, like the garage, the walks and where the water runs, and ask what you plan to do with the space. You get an estimate for your own driveway, so you know the price and what it covers before you decide anything.
We check, pour and walk it
We check with the city, then set a date that suits the weather and your household, and I work on site with our crew through the job. Before we leave, we walk the finished driveway with you.
Where your driveway budget should go first
Into the base, before any fancy finish.
The base is the dug-out, packed layer under the slab, and nobody sees it once the concrete's down, so it's usually the first thing cut when a bid runs high. A driveway poured over raked dirt settles along with that dirt, and then it cracks and tips toward the garage.
I'd rather you pick a plain broom finish and pay for a proper base than the other way around. A decorative border can come later on a walk or patio, but you can't fix what's under a slab without tearing it out, which is why I dig into why the old one failed before we price anything.
Concrete work examples
Take a look through these examples of concrete driveways, patios, walks and steps to get a feel for the finishes and layouts you might like.
Get a free estimate for your new driveway
Tell us the driveway's rough size, whether an old slab comes out and what will park on it. We reply within 1 business day, and I'll come out for a free estimate at your property with no obligation.
Why Orem homeowners call Professional Orem Concrete Construction for driveways
Owner at the estimate and pour
I come out to look at your driveway and give the estimate, and I work on site with our crew when it goes in. The person who walked the job with you is the one checking the base and the joint lines.
Finding why the old one failed
In business since 2023, we take on jobs where new concrete has to fit around what's already there, like an old slab that needs cutting out. Before we price your driveway, I look for why the old one cracked or sank, so we're not pouring over the same problem.
Soil checked before we price
Some soils in Utah can swell, settle or collapse after pavement goes down, which leads to high upkeep or a full replacement later. If I see signs of that at your house, you'll hear about it at the estimate, not after the pour.
Licensed and insured on site
We're licensed and insured, which matters when a crew and a mixer truck are working a few feet from your garage. When you're ready, call (385) 476-8003 and I'll set a time to come look.
Questions about new driveways in Orem
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Orem?
A Provo cost guide puts a concrete driveway in the Provo area at about $6 to $16 per square foot, and that's the market around Orem, not our price. Tearing out an old driveway adds to the price per square foot, and heavier reinforcement or a decorative finish moves it up too. Your estimate gives you the figure for your own driveway.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure before I can drive on it?
A Michigan concrete trade group's guidelines say a new driveway can open to traffic after 7 days of curing, or sooner when testing confirms its strength. Plan to park somewhere else for that week, because curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, is still going on under a surface that looks finished.
Will my new concrete driveway crack?
Probably a little, somewhere, because joints control where concrete cracks, not whether it cracks, as a Michigan concrete trade group explains. That's the reason we lay out the joints with you before the pour, so a crack lands in a line you picked instead of across the middle of the slab.
How do I protect a new concrete driveway from road salt?
Keep salt off it at first and plan on a sealer as regular upkeep. The city rates weathering in Orem as severe, and a Michigan trade group's guidelines say a sealer limits how much water and deicing salt get in, with a penetrating sealer going on 30 days after the pour and typically reapplied every three to five years. A review of concrete pavement research also found that letting new concrete air-dry before salt touches it helps resist scaling, the flaking you see on old driveways, so it's fair to ask any contractor how their mix handles salt.
What is the best way to pour a driveway in cold weather?
Pick a date the forecast allows and keep the new concrete warm while it cures. A Michigan trade group's guidelines call for the contractor to cover new concrete with straw, hay or insulating blankets to hold the curing temperature it needs, and it's the same reason we set your date around the weather.
How thick should a concrete driveway be for a work truck or trailer?
Thicker than one poured only for cars, because a Michigan trade group recommends a thicker slab when delivery vehicles will use the driveway. That's why I ask what parks on yours at the estimate and set the thickness to match the heaviest thing on it.
Thinking about a new driveway?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come to your property, look at what's there and ask how you'll use the driveway.
Other work that pairs with a driveway
What to know about concrete driveway building in Orem
If your new driveway reaches into the right-of-way, the public strip along the street, the city's Engineering Division is where right-of-way excavation permits are applied for, and where a driveway meets a state road, Utah law requires a permit to dig in the state right-of-way. The city can also require you, at its sole discretion when the work happens, to pay to remove and replace a substandard curb, sidewalk or drive approach, the short stretch between the street and your driveway. We check with the city before we schedule to see what your job needs, take care of the paperwork and inspections when a permit is required, and tell you as soon as we know whether the city wants the street end redone.
Winter meltwater has to go somewhere, so we set the grade to carry it toward the street instead of into the garage. We see the same slopes and runoff on jobs in Provo and Lindon.