How to plan a new concrete driveway

Are you a home or business owner who is looking to install a new concrete driveway? If so, you have come to the right place to learn. Here we walk you through the steps of a new driveway installation.

One of the first things you will need to consider is how much does a concrete driveway cost? We will get to that later, but first, we need to consider a few other criteria.

Permits

Each city and state require different permits and city codes before any concrete can be poured. In some states, the driveway's style can even make a difference whether or not you need a permit. Always check with your city offices to see whether or not you need a permit. Also, consider the neighborhood you live in, as some have rules and regulations that you must abide by to install a new driveway.

Plan your driveways size, shape, and design

Designing your driveway layout before meeting with a qualified contractor will help ensure that you get the right layout and design pattern for your drive. It doesn't have to be perfect or scale, but adding areas or curves and design elements makes it much easier to put pen to paper and draw it out. You will want to include everything from length and width to design patterns and colors if you are looking for a custom decorative concrete design. Remember that every added foot or design elements will increase the concrete driveway's cost.

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Figure up how much concrete you need

Take the design and get some rough numbers to begin calculating how much concrete you will need. Doing this will put you ahead of the game when speaking with contractors about estimates. Having a rough estimate of your square footage multiplied by their price per sq ft will give you an excellent gauge of what you will be looking at. To determine your concrete needs, multiply the length by the width, multiply by .35, and then divide it by 27. The answer provided will be how many cubic yards of concrete it will take to complete your driveway. You may want to account for an extra 10% to account for spillage and mistakes.