Concrete Questions Dallas Homeowners Ask

Because the ground moves: expansive clay swells when it rains and shrinks when it dries, and concrete on top cracks with it. A large share of North Texas sits on that clay. Houston Black clay, a soil mapped across the Blackland Prairies, opens cracks up to 4 inches wide when it dries. That is why local contractors talk about thickness, rebar and compaction before finish; see concrete driveways.

A properly installed concrete driveway lasts 25 to 30 years in this climate, while asphalt needs resurfacing every 12 to 20 years. Nationally, asphalt generally lasts 10 to 15 years before it needs replacement.

A 20x20-foot driveway poured 4 inches deep needs roughly 5 to 6 cubic yards. Ready-mix costs $160 to $195 per cubic yard nationally, with a 2025 average of $179.95. The finished price per square foot is far higher because labor, forms, steel and base work come on top; the Dallas cost guide shows installed ranges.

Yes, with enough hands. In Texas summer heat, the window to finish 600-plus square feet of wet concrete is about 90 minutes. Retarders, which slow setting on hot days, add $5 to $10 per cubic yard. Ask how many people the company sends for your pour.

Only if you want the look: stamping costs $3 to $11 more per square foot than a broom finish. Stamped concrete typically needs resealing every few years to keep its color. The stamped concrete page has local ranges.

If the slab underneath is sound, often. Driveway resurfacing costs $3 to $10 per square foot, depending on the decorative finish. A slab that has heaved or broken through from moving soil is a replacement job, and the company that inspects it should say which case yours is. Concrete repair in Dallas covers resurfacing and leveling costs, and concrete patios the patio options.